Chinstrap

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The strap with which any helm for armored combat must be equipped to prevent it from coming off during combat. Usually this strap includes some sort of buckle for adjusting the fit under the chin. A strap or other secure fastening is required for a helm to be legal for Heavy Combat, a "snug fit" is not sufficient.

Under the Chin

Simple strap 
A single strap the goes under the wearer's chin between the chin and the neck. This is perfectly legal for armored combat in the Middle Kingdom. Many fighters find this type of chinstrap uncomfortable due to a feeling or worry that they might be choked by it. With a properly fitted and padded helm, there should be no chance that a helm could fall or shift enough to choke the wearer.

On the Chin

Split strap 
A split chin strap rests on the wearer's chin instead of under the jaw. It is sometimes made of a single double-wide strap that's had a slit cut slightly wider than the wearer's chin and then spread to make a sort of open-bottomed pocket for the chin. Another way to build one is to attach a loop either fixed or sliding to a single strap to form the upper part of the split. The lower strap bears the load and goes just below the "point" of the chin the upper strap goes above the chin below the lower lip.
Cup style 
Cup-style chinstraps are either sewn from thick leather using butted stitching or bought from a store. They are generally considered more comfortable than split strap chinstraps. They form a cup that cradles the wearer's chin without the pressure points of the split strap.

A 'on-the-chin' chinstrap should pull straight back on the wearer's chin towards an area that is just ahead of the ears, where the jaw's pivot-point is. This permits the jaw to work up and down for speech or open for heavy breathing during the exertion of combat without fatigueing the wearer's jaw or lessening the security of the helm on the wearer's head.

Whatever type of chinstrap is used, the attachment inside the helm can be either a single point on either side at the pivot point of the jaw as mentioned above or two points on either side in a "yoke" type of arrangement. A "yoke" style attachment for a chinstrap should have the attachement points move both above and below the pivot point of the jaw. Yoke style attachments for chinstraps tend to be more secure and stable, but are more difficult to get just right if one is doing them oneself.

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