Armored Steel Combat:Marshaling Armored Steel Combat

Marshaling Armored Steel Combat

General

As a general matter, marshals are in charge of enforcing rules and monitoring safety during fights. They are also responsible for inspecting weapons and armor before each fight. Judges are responsible for counting blows during fights.

Marshals

General

1. Marshals have the sole responsibility of safety for the list, combatants and judges.
2. Marshals shall not concern themselves with adjudicating blows.
3. Marshals will observe the fighters for equipment integrity and safe behavior.
4. Marshals shall meet a minimum training and authorization standards outlined below.

Marshal Training Requirements

Each kingdom participating in Armored Steel Combat must develop a training program to ensure familiarity with these rules, and issue separate warrants for Armored Steel Combat marshals.

Event Marshals

1. The MIC and the Field Marshals may also be competitors.
2. Marshal-in-Charge is responsible for:
   • overseeing all of the fighting activities and resolve all appeals.
   • Ensuring that all aspects of the fighting activities adhere to the standards.
3. Field Marshals will:
   • ensure that the rules and conventions are followed.
   • issue warnings and penalties as described herein.

List Oversight

1. Field Marshals shall ensure that the combat is conducted in accordance with the rules and conventions for Armored Steel Combat. The Field Marshal shall administer punitive actions as follows:
   1. A warning will be issued at the Field Marshal's discretion.
   2. Sanctions will be accessed using the following criteria as guidance.
      1. Dropping a weapon will result in a 2-point penalty.
      2. Not engaging in combat (actively denying engagement for a period of time). – 2-point penalty
      3. Voluntarily stepping out of the list area – 2-point penalty
      4. Failure to obey the commands of the Field Marshal - 3-point penalty
      5. Conduct unbecoming a competitor in the list. – 5-point penalty
   3. Disqualification sanction imposed on a fighter for gross violation of the rules. It shall be stated in in the marshal's report. This sanction is automatically reviewed by the Marshal-in-Charge.
      1. This sanction may be imposed for a single fight or for the remainder of the fighting activities for the event. Longer suspensions require review and approval from the Kingdom Earl Marshal/Deputy Earl Marshal for Armored Steel Combat.Examples are as follows:
         • Using prohibited techniques which put a combatant in significant risk of injury – i.e. the use of a thrust.
         • Injuring the opponent due to the use of a prohibited fighting technique(s) or striking a no scoring area.
         • Conflicts with the marshals or judges.
         • Insults to the opponents or disrespectful behavior towards them, as well as other parties of the competition.
      2. Disqualifications shall be reviewed by the Kingdom Deputy Marshal of Armored Steel Combat to determine if further action is warranted.

Judges

General

1. Judges have the sole responsibility of evaluating fighter's blows.
2. Judges must be specifically trained to evaluate that a combatant has provided a blow, thrown with intent, edge on and is unimpeded by any activity of the combatant answering the blow.
3. If they see an unsafe condition, they are required to call hold as is normal within the Rules of the List, SCA Inc.
4. Judges meet a minimum training standard.

Judging

1. Judges shall take positions in the list against the outer containment rope or barrier in the corner.
2. A judge may move along each side that forms the corner they start in.
3. Clickers must be used for counting blows.
4. Before a fight the Marshal goes to a fighter and asks which judges will be counting blows landing on that fighter and repeat with the second fighter. This is to ensure that that the judges are aligned correctly.
5. The judges for each fighter shall be positioned catty corner (opposite corner) from one another.
6. Judges shall not talk with each other until the scores have been recorded.
7. At the conclusion of the bout, judges shall return to their corner where a MoL will go to each judge and record the score.

Counting Blows

1. There will be a minimum of 2 judges counting valid blows landing on each fighter.
2. Valid blows are defined in section I.H.
3. During each fight, click once for each blow landed on the fighter you are watching.
4. A valid blow is valid no matter the style of tournament.
5. Don't count noise. Sight is the determining factor in judging valid blows.
6. Watch the fighter on whom you are counting blows landing without getting distracted by the fight itself.
7. Judges need to move with the fight in order to get the best view. A judge may move all the way down each side of the safety zone from the corner they started in.
8. Fighters will be designated as "Fighter 1 and 2" or "the Red fighter and the Blue fighter" for example.
   1. Marshals should consider using arm bands for the fighters and judges – Fighter 1 would have a blue armband as would the two judges assigned to them in order to make it clear who is counting for whom.

Tournament Styles

1. Race to X without resetting (judged or called) - the Marshal will tell the judges and crowd that the fight is a race to "5" (or "10", etc.) As soon as one judge has counted that number of blows landed on the fighter they are watching, they will call the number of blows struck, "five" for example, and combat will stop.
2. Race to X with resets - Combat will stop and reset each time a valid blow is struck. This continues until the predetermined number of blows is counted by a judge.
3. Timed - Counted blows judged only. A judge will click the counter each time they see a valid blow land on their combatant. This continues until time is called. Scores are reported to the MOL.
   1. A person, who has no other task during the bout, will be designated to use a stopwatch or other device, such as a phone, to keep time for these fights. i.e., A videographer cannot keep time, nor can a judge.
4. Set number of blows - Each combatant can throw a set number of blows (for example, 20); after a combatant throws the pre-determined number of blows, they can only defend.
   1. Judges count the valid blows landing on the combatant they are watching.
   2. Two additional persons, who have no other task during the bout, will be designated to count the number of blows thrown by a given combatant. A hold shall be called when the designated number of blows has been reached.
5. Gallery - In this tournament style the winner of a fight is determined by a gallery. A gallery will be comprised of segments of the populace attending. For example: all ladies, all peers, all children, etc.
   1. The gallery shall select a spokesperson to report the results.
   2. The gallery shall have 1 minute to announce the victor.
   3. It is expected that this way of determining a victor is 100% subjective.

Training

1. Judges must read and be familiar with the conventions and rules for Armored Steel Combat.
2. Currently judges are doing on-the-job training. New Judges can be paired with experience judges to provide experience and training.
3. It has been found that when experienced judges work with new judges, they come to approximately the same score after a few example bouts. It helps when the marshal/MC has fighters show what a valid blow looks like and runs a sample set of fights for the judges to learn from.
4. There will be judging sample videos online to help in the training of judges.

Equipment

Example score card

• Tally Counters/Clickers - these can be purchased at amazon.com. They are easily found by searching for "4-digit tally counter"
• Score Cards - Score Cards shall be used to record the outcome of combat.
• Armbands for fighters if this is decided to be used (Red and Blue, for example)
• Judges' tabards, if used should match the arm bands in color.
• Other field equipment needed includes:
  • list paint
  • safety zone fence
  • shade
  • table and chairs
  • cover
  • water cooler
  • cups
  • sign in sheets, notepad, pens,
  • squeeze bottles
• it is also good to have: pickles, pretzels, electrolytes.