Fighting Style
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The SOC recreates the days of chivalry as combatants battle in
the revival of a fourteenth century feat of arms, an exercise in
martial sport.
The Medieval knights tourneyed with blunt
weapons to show their skill, or in deadly earnest to prove their
title to property or position. Since 1995 the SOC has trained its
knights and made its armour.
SAFETY
- Members will abide by the rules and safety of Conduct as
laid down by the society.
- No member shall consume intoxicating liquor to excess
prior to a Tournament or practice.
- Members shall not fight with equipment likely to
compromise safety.
- Members shall wear approved head and hand protection in
combat situations.
- Members shall behave in a responsible manner, at all
times, during Tournaments or practice sessions.
- Any Member taking prescribed medicine must notify the
Tournament Director before taking part in a Tournament
and will be registered as such.
- Any Member taking controlled substances will be
automatically banned from the Tournament and possibly
from the society.
CONDUCT
The SOC has worked hard and long to establish its fine
reputation of reliability, high standards of costume and
excellent entertainment value. We are sure that no member of the
society would knowingly damage that reputation.
Listed below are some dos and donts we all keep to
at a show, for good conduct on the day is essential. One slip up,
a poorly made weapon or accident could ruin a good day for all
and spoil our chances for future possible engagements.
- Avoid mad antics and offensive language in front of the
public.
- Never wave weapons under peoples noses, i.e. the public
or other entertainers sharing the show (NOBODY LIKES A
THUG OR BULLY).
- Always adhere to the Fight Trainers directives and
obey the Tournament Director as his word is law by common
assent.
- Try to remember the script and keep to it without losing
personal initiative. Please dont shout comments
across the field when one of the principle characters is
engaged in script dialogue, it makes it difficult for
spectators to follow our story-line.
- Always comply with the society code of safety. Remember,
historical re-enactment is subject to the OSHA
Regulations.
- Never strike an opponent once he is down (unless it is
rehersed).
- Never, EVER leave weapons unattended or allow people to
wave the pointed end around (theyll have
someones eye out before you can blink). When
showing a weapon keep the tip pointed down to the ground.
- Unless agreed with the Fight Trainer and Tournament
Director, dont engage in long winded fight finishes
as we often only have 45 minutes of show time to complete
our tournament.
- Nobody under the age of 18 will be allowed to participate
in any fighting as this would contravene the parent
guardian laws, therefore under 18s may only
participate in non-combatant roles.
- Any member who is seen to lose their temper while in
combat will be subject to disciplinary action and
possibly banished from the society.
CODE OF SAFETY FOR COMBATANTS
Our sport is potentially very dangerous. Swords are 3 foot
steel bars which can move through the air at speeds in excess of
350 per second. It does not take a lot of imagination to
realize the damage they can cause in the hands of an imbecile.
The "Code of Safety" is designed to remove or inhibit
some of the more dangerous scenarios of our fighting
without removing the potential for personal initiative or
restricting individual styles.
A commonly agreed safety regulation is desirable for obvious
reasons. Whereas its true to say "we all come into
this type of sport with our eyes open, knowing we could be
injured without recourse to the society or our opponent".
Also common sense tells us that group personal insurance for our
particular sport could cost more than the space program, which
makes it an unrealistic proposition. It should be obvious that
safety is of paramount importance.
The following 4 points constitute our Code of Safety.
- We should all agree upon a technique of fighting, as
follows.
- Head blows be delivered as a downward stroke onto
the helm within 22 degrees either side of an
imaginary centerline from the middle of the helm.
- Shoulder blows be delivered as an angled stroke
at 45 degrees to the bicep.
- Leg blows be delivered as an angled stroke at 45
degrees to the mid thigh with a similar stroke
for the mid calf.
- Thrusts be delivered to the center of the shield
and/or to the belt buckle (see notes below).
- Blows to the back always use the flat of a sword
and should be delivered to the point below the
shoulder blades and above the kidneys, or the
buttocks/upper thigh or the upper third of the
helm (see notes below).
- Notes: Any form of horizontal attack above the
biceps line and upper-cuts above the belt line
are highly dangerous and should be discontinued.
Similarly, all blows should land within 1"
of their intended target (if you cant
guarantee this, DONT ATTEMPT IT). Further,
the attacker must possess the ability to turn the
sword to a flat edge in the imminent event of
contacting with his opponents body. Never
deliver blows to the unprotected parts of the
body, especially where bones come close to the
surface skin, eg. elbows, knees, collar bones,
wrists, hands, etc. Avoid blows to the joints,
especially the hip, knee, elbow, and ankle.
- Accoutrements: All weapon points should be rounded to the
contours of a 1 penny coin and should be free of rust,
dirt, nicks, and burrs with the cutting edges and points
at least 2mm thick.
- Attitude: Anger, lack of consideration, an excessive
competitive or aggressive attitude (other than
simulated), an uncontrollable urge "to win
regardless", or alcohol in your system, will
eventually guarantee a trip to the hospital for some
unfortunate person. If you are lucky, he will only lose a
couple of weeks work or be faced with a medical bill. We
have heard of numerous cases where people have lost their
jobs, or been forced to change their jobs as a result of
injuries from tournaments! Its not enough to say
"SORRY!" after the incident, your action will
have altered the course of his and his familys
lives FOREVER!!!
- Chivalry: If you must strike an opponent from behind:
- Use the flat of the blade only across the back or
stroke down onto a helm.
- Never strike while the opponent is actually in
combat.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Never put excessive force into your attack blows, it is
possible to make them appear to be heavy and aggressive
without it being so!!! It only takes practice and
concentration.
- Discuss your fight with your opponent (particularly if
you are using a weapon which he or you are not accustomed
to or you want to arrange a spectacular finish).
Its common sense to have a short practice. Do
remember to advise the fight trainer and tournament
director of any special plans you may have.
- If you have been bested on the field and wish to yield,
raise your opened sword hand into plain view. (Please
dont become a die-hard, its gets boring for us and
spectators alike).
- Steamrolling over a less competent knight is no victory
at all and provides little or no learning value!!!!
Surely it is more enjoyable to stimulate a good vigorous
contest providing mutual satisfaction.
- Consider this - if each and every one of us set out with
the intention to give our opponent a safe and enjoyable
fight, none of us should lose out on the fun aspect of
our hobby, in fact we could all benefit from more
exciting and vigorous bouts of combat. DONT FORGET,
IT IS ONLY FOR FUN!!!
- And always remember NO HELM, NO GAUNTLETS, NO FIGHT!!!
- All equipment and property is brought to training and
shows at the owners own risk, as the SOC does not have
insurance for cars, campers, tents, and personal items.
TRAINING
Training sessions will be offered as time
allows. Spring, summer, and fall sessions will be outdoors if
possible. Winter sessions will require finding a building with
tall ceilings and a floor that does not mind a few nicks. Anyone
knowing of such a building, please ask for the name of the owner
or if the building can be borrowed/leased for training sessions.
All general training sessions will be video taped for later
playback and for safety and insurance reasons. The videos are
great training aids. The videos may be borrowed for review at
home. Individual portions of the videos may be used as
advertising to gain additional shows. Participants in those
portions will be asked for permission prior to use.
But we're not all seriousness . . .
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