IBB, or Ideal Best Balance, is a special design technology that is used for making Mengane for Kendo Men.
The Men is meant to protect the head of the Kendo practitioners, one of the most important parts of the human body.
This is why Kendo practitioners are always looking for a better Mengane to prevent accidents and injuries during training or matches.
A lighter Mengane is not necessarily of better quality, this is because even though a lighter Mengane allows for better movement, it will receive a stronger impact and damage when hit. Compared to that, a heavier Mengane will offer good protection, but the weight might put pressure on the cervical vertebrae (the neck/spine). The IBB technology was invented after a long time of research, and experimentation to bring forth the merits of the characteristics of both light and heavy Mengane.
Thanks to the IBB technology, the center of gravity is the designed to be positioned 7mm backward, 17mm upward comparing to a standard Mengane, because of this, the center of gravity of the Mengane will be aligned with your spine, giving you the feeling of it being light. The reason for this is that if the center of gravity is not aligned with the the spine, your muscles will have to compensate for the movements and forces produced from the fact that the Mengane is not being supported by your spine, but by your muscles.
But with the IBB technology, Kendo practitioners can move more smoothly and without any useless motions, at the same time it is also more comfortable as the center of balance for the Men and the head is properly aligned.
Because of the new materials used to make IBB Mengane, the impact of a hit is also better absorbed and does not produce such high pitched metallic sounds when hit with a Shinai.
