Youth Armoured Combat:Acknowledgement of Blows

Target areas

1. Legal target areas are the same as those in adult rattan combat, except face thrusts are not allowed in Division 1.
2. Shots to the groin and throat are legal, but discouraged.

Calibration

1. Division 1 : Intentional touch. This is a clean, unimpeded blow that is readily felt through a single layer of medium weight cloth, but is not hard enough to leave a bruise on bare skin. Face thrusts are not allowed.
2. Division 2: Positive contact. This is a clean, unimpeded blow that is readily felt through 6 mm of open cell padding, but is not hard enough to leave a bruise in an area covered by medium weight cloth. Face thrusts have touch calibration.
3. Division 3: Light force. This is a clean, unimpeded blow that may be readily felt through 12 mm of open cell padding, but is not hard enough to leave a bruise through 6 mm of open cell foam padding. Face thrusts have touch calibration.
4. It is recommended that marshals use open cell foam of the appropriate thickness to demonstrate levels of calibration.
5. Excessively hard blows are not permitted in any division. Any combatant who persists in hitting too hard after appropriate warning shall be removed from the field and may be subject to additional sanctions such as having their authorisation suspended.
6. Youth combatants are encouraged to honorably judge the effectiveness of blows they receive. The opposing combatant may not judge the effectiveness of his or her own blow. Information unavailable to the combatant being struck may be supplied by the opposing combatant or the marshal, including blade orientation upon impact, apparent force transmitted, or apparent location and angle of the blow's impact based upon the observer's angle of observation. When necessary, the marshal on the field shall intervene and call blows.
7. Special tournaments or combat rules may redefine what areas of the body are armoured, and to what extent, so long as all the participants are made aware of the special conditions prior to the start of combat.
8. An effective blow will be defined as one that was properly oriented, and struck with sufficient force.
   1. The minimum effective thrusting blow to the face shall be a touch. A correctly calibrated face thrust touches the face grill of the helm but does not move the head.
   2. Areas deemed illegal to strike: the hands from 2.5 cm above the wrist and below, the legs from 2.5 cm above the knees and below; shall be considered safe from all attack.
   3. An effective blow to the head, neck, or torso shall be judged fatal or completely disabling, rendering the fighter incapable of further combat.
   4. An effective blow to the arm above the wrist will disable the arm. The arm shall then be considered useless to the fighter and may not be used for either offense or defense. A second blow to a disabled arm is considered to have struck the torso.
   5. An effective blow to the leg above the knee will disable the leg. The fighter must then fight kneeling, sitting, or standing on the foot of the uninjured leg.
   6. The minimum effective blow from any thrown weapon is touch. Javelins, used as one-handed thrusting weapons, require the same force as any other thrusting weapon appropriate for that division.
9. When judging the outcome of a delivered blow, all fighters are expected to take into account the nature of the weapon being used by their opponent and the location of the point of impact of that weapon. A blow that strikes with sufficient force and proper orientation shall be considered effective, regardless of what it hits prior to striking the combatant.
10. A blow that includes the dropping of the striking weapon, at the moment of impact, shall not be counted.

Division	Age	Calibration	Face thrusts?
Division 1	6-8	Touch	No
Division 2	9-11	Contact	Touch
Division 3	12-14	Force	Touch