Youth Martial:Armored Combat Armor Requirements

Youth Armored Combat - Armor Requirements

Armor Requirements

1. These are minimum required armor standards. Each kingdom may require additional, more extensive, and/or more restrictive standards.
2. While it is the goal of the SCA to encourage a medieval appearance for all participants, given the specific nature of Youth Combat visible modern sports equipment may be worn as armor.

Head - All Divisions

1. Helmets must completely cover the head. Hockey helmets, lacrosse helmets, and other sports helmets with facemasks are acceptable. They may need to have additions or alterations to fully enclose the head. Period looking helms are permitted. Bearing in mind the size and development of the youth, the marshal-in-charge may disallow the use of a helm deemed too heavy for the youth to wear safely.
   1. The helmet must be constructed of a continuous rigid material. Helmets with "floating" segments, attached only with straps, are not permitted. Helmets may have hanging aventails, camails, or bevors to aid in protecting the neck.
   2. All helmets must have grills, rigid mesh, or face plates that prevent a weapon from making contact with the face. No helmet shall have a gap exceeding 2.0 inches (5.1 cm) in the area protecting the face.
   3. Helmets must have a chinstrap or equivalent means to prevent the helmet from being dislodged or contacting the wearers face during combat.
   4. Helmets in combination with neck protection (such as a gorget) must be constructed so that a weapon may not touch any exposed area of the head or neck.
   5. Helmets must fit properly and be padded inside so that the rigid portions of it do not contact the head. Padding must provide progressively resistant give. The mass of the helmet will not be presumed to provide any additional protection.

Neck

1. Division 1: The throat and larynx shall be protected by a minimum of light leather or the equivalent.
2. Division 2: A minimum gorget of medium leather with padding is required. The larynx, cervical vertebrae, and first thoracic vertebra must be covered.
3. Division 3: A gorget of rigid material or heavy leather, with padding, is required. The larynx, cervical vertebrae, and first thoracic vertebra must be covered.
4. An aventail, camail, or coif may be substituted or used in conjunction with a gorget as long as all required areas are protected.

Body

1. Division 1: All combatants must have the torso, shoulders, and armpits covered with a minimum of cloth. Tunics, shirts, or bodices, and pants, shorts, or skirts are acceptable.
2. Division 2: In addition to Division 1 requirements, kidneys must be protected by a minimum of a medium leather kidney belt with padding or the equivalent. Chest protection of medium leather, heavy quilted material, or the equivalent is recommended.
3. Division 3: In addition to Division 1 and Division 2 requirements, the xyphoid process (small extension of bone just below the sternum) must be protected by a minimum of medium leather and padding or the equivalent. Chest protection of medium leather, heavy quilted material, or the equivalent is recommended.

Groin

1. Testicles must be protected to a standard equivalent to that provided by an athletic cup, secured by straps, or worn in a supporter or fighting garment designed to hold the protection in place.
2. A padded skirt,closed-cell foam,heavy leather,or athletic cup/athletic pelvic cup is recommended to cover the pubis bone area.

Elbow and Knee Joints

1. Division 1: At a minimum, a layer of cloth must cover the elbows and knees. Elbow and knee joint protection is not required. A long sleeve shirt and long pants, or a short sleeve shirt and shorts with elbow and kneepads meet this requirement.
2. Division 2: Elbows and knees must be protected by a minimum of soft pads.
3. Division 3: Elbows and knees must be protected by rigid material over padding. Hockey, motocross and other similar sports elbow and kneepads are acceptable.

Hand and Wrist Protection

1. Division 1: A minimum of light gloves is required.
2. Division 2: A minimum of gloves with at least 0.25 inch (6.3 mm) of foam or padding protecting the fingers, back of the hand, and wrist are required. Street Hockey gloves are acceptable, as is a light glove, with extra wrist protection, in a basket hilt.
3. Division 3: A minimum of a sports glove with at least 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) of foam protecting the fingers, back of the hand, and wrist, and extra thumb protection, such as those for ice hockey or lacrosse goalies, or equivalent. Gauntlets of heavy leather or rigid material lined with closed cell foam or heavy padding are acceptable. Lighter gloves with a basket hilt and additional wrist protection, such as a half gauntlet, are acceptable. Street Hockey gloves alone are NOT acceptable.

Feet: All Divisions

Participants must wear properly fitting, closed-toe shoes that provide safe reliable footing. Open toes, sandals, toe shoes, flip-flops, crocs, etc. are NOT acceptable.

Shields: All Divisions

1. Shields may be made of wood, plastic, foam, aluminum, or an equivalent material.
2. Shield edges must be covered by plastic tubing, leather, or foam at least 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) wide to minimize damage to youth weapons or other fighters.
3. No wires, bolts, screws, or other objects may project more than 0.25 inch (6.3 mm) without padding or tape covering them. Rounded shield bosses are not considered to be projections.
4. Shields should be of a shape similar to that used in period.
5. Shields should be of an appropriate weight for the size and strength of the combatant.