Youth Armoured Combat:Armour Requirements

1. These are minimum required armor 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.

All divisions

Head

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.
2. The helmet must be constructed of a continuous rigid material. Helmets with "floating" segments, attached only with straps, are not permitted.
3. 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 5 cm in the area protecting the face.
4. Helmets must have a chinstrap or equivalent means to prevent the helmet from being dislodged or contacting the wearers face during combat.
5. Helmets in combination with neck protection (such as a gorget or aventail) must be constructed so that a weapon may not touch any exposed area of the head or neck.
6. Helmetsmustfitproperlyandbepaddedinsidesothattherigidportionsofit do not contact the head. Padding must provide progressively resistant give.
7. The mass of the helmet will not be presumed to provide any additional protection.
8. Helmets may have hanging aventails, camails, or bevors to aid in protecting the neck.

Neck

1. An aventail, camail, gorget, or coif may be used with a as long as in conjunction all required areas are protected.

Groin

1. Minimum protection is a sports cup or padded skirt until reaching puberty after which a rigid athletic cup or equivalent armor appropriate to the youths physical characteristcs is required.

Hand and Wrist Protection

1. 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

1. 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

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 13 mm wide to minimize damage to youth weapons or other fighters.
3. No wires, bolts, screws, or other objects may project more than 6 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.