Youth Armoured Combat Draft:Authorisation Requirements

Authorisation tests

1. When we talk about authorising, this means passing a test to show that you can understand and follow the rules, and are safe for yourself and other people on the field.
2. You don't have to be authorised to take part in youth armoured combat training sessions, classes and practices as these are where you learn enough that you are ready to authorise.
3. You must be authorised to fight in tournaments and wars.
4. You will need to authorise again to change to the next division.
5. When you become old enough for the next division, you do not have to authorise for the next division, if you are not ready, but you will need to re-authorise for your current division.
6. To pass the test and get authorised:
   1. You will need to show the authorising marshal that you know:
      1. which parts of the body you are allowed to try to hit and what parts you aren't allowed to hit
      2. what to do if you get hit in the arm or the leg
      3. how hard you are allowed to hit your opponent. You might have to hit another fighter or a marshal, and they will say whether it was too hard or not.
      4. what concussion looks like, and why it is bad to have it. There is a Concussion Recognition Tool to help you with this.
   2. You will spend a few minutes play fighting with an experienced fighter showing that you know what to do.
   3. Then you will fight properly with an experienced youth fighter, including "dying" in a safe way if you are "killed".
   4. The authorising marshal is going to be watching to see if you are:
      1. hitting your opponent hard enough, and not too hard
      2. taking hits that hit you hard enough
      3. following the rules.
   5. They will also look to see if you run away or duck too much because you are scared of your opponent trying to hit you.
7. You don't have to be very good at fighting to pass the test. The marshal just wants to make sure that you will be safe for yourself and other people.
8. If you are big enough and good enough, you might be able to authorise for the next division, even if you are younger, if your parent and the authorising marshal agree that you are ready.

Youth armoured combat sparring partner

1. If you are now too old for youth armoured combat, or have graduated to adult armoured combat, you can authorise as a youth armoured combat sparring partner.
2. You will need to demonstrate that you can:
   1. understand the differences between the divisions with regard to calibration and allowed shots
   2. spar safely and chivalrously with youth from all divisions
   3. promote safe practices and enforce the rules.
   4. understand the risks of concussion, knowwthe signs and symptoms of concussion, and can apply the Concussion Recognition Tool.

What to expect at an authorisation

General

Every marshal will run their authorisations differently, but as long as the requirements set out in these rules are met, that is fine. Usually, an authorisation test will follow the steps below.

Armour and weapons check

1. You will put on your armour and grab any weapons or shields you want to use.
2. The marshal will check your armour and weapons to make sure they follow the rules.

Knowledge quiz

The marshal will ask you some questions about the rules, such as:

1. What is good behaviour on the field, and what is bad behaviour?
2. When are you allowed to try to strike someone, and when aren't you allowed to?
3. What happens if you get hit in the various different target areas, or somewhere that's not a target?
4. If you are in division 3, you can expect some questions about making armour and weapons and what things you are allowed to use and do.

Sparring

1. Once you have have told the marshal that you know what to do, you will have to also show them that you can do it safely. You will have a few rounds of sparring with another authorised youth fighter for a few minutes.
   1. First you will fight for a bit where you are not allowed to attack the other fighter, only block their strikes. This is so you can show the marshal that you can block safely, and know what to do if you get hit.
   2. Then you will fight for a bit where you are allowed to try to strike the other fighter, and they will try to block your strikes. This is so you can show the marshal that you can strike safely.
2. The marshal is watching to see that you:
   1. are striking safely and calling shots when hit (both 'light' and 'good' shots).
   2. respond to the marshal's instructions and any 'holds'.
3. The authorised youth combatant you were fighting and the marshal will talk about what they saw in the sparring. They might give you some advice before you fight a proper bout.

Formal combat

1. If there are no problems during sparring, you will have a formal bout with an authorised youth combatant, following all the proper tournament rules.
2. The marshal is watching for the same things as during the sparring.
3. The main thing is safety. You don't have to be good, but you do have to be safe.
4. The authorised youth combatant you fought and the marshal will talk again, and the marshal will decide whether you have passed the test.

Passing the test

1. If you have passed the test, the marshal will sign the authorisation form, and your parent will need to send a copy (scanned or photographed) by email to authorisations@lochac.sca.org if you are in Australia, or lists@sca.org.nz if you are in New Zealand.
2. If the marshal decides not to authorise you , they will explain why, and what things you can do to succeed next time you try.
   1. This should be done with your parent so that they know too, and can help you work on what you need to get better at.