| GLOSSARY - FOR TERMS APPLICABLE TO ARMORED COMBAT ("HEAVY WEAPONS") Aventaill/Camail: An armored drape that hangs from the outside or bottom edge of a helm. Bars: Bars shall be minimum of 3/16 inch in cross section. Bars may be round, mufti-sided, or oval so long as the minimum cross section is 3/16 inch. Bar materials shall be mild steel or equivalent. Basket Hilt: A partial enclosure designed to be securely attached to the hill or handle of a weapon that prevents blows from striking the fingers or hand and that transfers the impact of such blows to the weapon being grasped. Basket hills shall be constructed with rigid materials and/or bars. Butt Spike: Any offensive strike capability that has been built onto the back end of a weapon. Closed-cell foam: A dense resilient foam composed of closed cells. Closed-cell foam can be identified by its ability to resist soaking up water when compressed, held submerged and then released. Coif: A close fitting headpiece designed to be worn under the helm that extends down to the shoulders or below. It may be made of cloth, chainmail, etc. Corkscrewing: When facing a grounded opponent, "corkscrewing" is circling to the right or left in such a manner that forces said opponent to change the direction they are facing in order to maintain face-to-face combat. Equivalent: Refers to the impact resistance, impact distribution, and impact absorption abilities of whatever metal is specified. Expanded Steel: Steel which has been cut into a lattice and/or stretched. It is not of sufficient strength for combat use. Flail/Flailing: A weapon designed to bend over and strike with a whip motion when blocked below the head or tip, NOT LEGAL IN THIS KINGDOM. Flat(s): The area of a blade between the assumed striking edges. Also the area that contains the mass that drives the assumed striking edge when swung. Fully Armored (1): Presumed protection for the purpose of acknowledging blows. A fully armored fighter is presumed to be wearing a light-weight, short sleeved, knee length, riveted chainmail hauberk over a padded gambeson, with boiled leather arm and leg defenses. The head is covered by an open faced spangenhelm, with a nasal, covering the back and sides of the head. A light, riveted, chainmail drape is considered to be the only covering of the face from just below the eyes to just below the chin. Fully Armored (2): Participation requirements for the purpose of actually participating in SCA Armored Combat in this Kingdom. A fully armored fighter is one who is properly wearing all the required armor to meet or exceed the minimum standards as sat forth in the Rules and Regulations of the SCA and the Kingdom. Gauge: The U.S. standard scale of measurement used when referring to the thickness of sheet metals. Gauntlets: Heavily armored gloves or mittens designed to protect the hands and wrist. A partial or half gauntlet is one that covers only part of the hand or wrist. Gorget: A piece of armor designed to protect the neck. A Gorget usually takes the form of a high collar with a front and back flap, constructed with rigid materials and padding. Grip: The area of any weapon approved to be grabbed or gripped (i.e. most any area assumed not to be an edge or striking surface). Grounded: The condition of a Combatant which has arisen because said Combatant has lost the use of a leg by being struck with an opponent's weapon. The Combatant then must fight from the ground. In Ansteorra, a Combatant may not move once grounded (this is not the case in all Kingdoms). Haft: The pole or handle upon which a head has been mounted. Hand-and-a-half weapon: Any weapon that is designed to be used with either one or two hands. Head: Refers to the enlarged, padded end of a mass weapon. Head Weight: Head weight is determined by supporting the butt end of the weapon while it is held parallel to the ground and attaching a scale to the head and. Heavy Leather: Stiff leather, 8 ounce or more, a minimum of 1/4 inch thick. Also acceptable: two or more layers of leather, glued over the entire area of contact between the layers, to form one stiff piece that is 1/4 inch or more thick Hilt: Typically refers to a grip that is one-handed. Kidney Belt: A wide armored girdle worn to protect the circumference of the midsection, especially the kidneys and lower "floating" ribs. Lanyard: A strap or cord of sufficient strength and length to prevent a weapon from flying away should it be accidentally dropped or released during combat. Light Leather: 4 or 6 ounce leather (1/8 inch to 1/4 inch thick). No lighter leathers shall used on required pieces of heavy weapons armor. Mail: Any fabric of small metal components, either linked (like chainmail) or attached to a flexible backing (like ring or scale mail). Mass Weapon: Any weapon which relies primarily on weight to crush, smash, or chop rather than relying on any actual cutting ability. Mass Pole-arm: Any weapon that's physical make-up is dominated by a haft and is over 5 feet in length, with or without a thrusting tip, and designed to hack, chop, cut, etc. One-handed Weapon: Any weapon that is intended by design to be wielded using one hand. Open-cell foam: A resilient foam comprised of open cells that is less dense than closed-cell foam. Open-cell foam can be identified by its ability to soak up water. When seeking to find an equivalent thickness of open-cell foam to closed-cell foam, use a 3 to 1 thickness ratio and allow for about a 50% compression of the open celled foam. When used for helm padding for example: 1 & 1/2 inches of open-cell foam compressed to 3/4 inch will be considered equivalent to 1/2 inch of closed cell foam (minimum padding). Overall Weight: Overall weight is considered to be the total weight of the finished weapon including any head, basket hilt, and/or pommel weight if applicable. Padding: Quilted or mufti-layered cloth material, such as mattress pads, moving pads, carpet, felt, or the equivalent. Perforated Steel: Steel that has had small holes punched or drilled into its surface, but otherwise has not been significantly stressed. Period Materials: Those materials that would have been available and used during the time period being recreated/studied by the SCA. Pommel: The back or butt end of a grip or hilt on a weapon. Pommel Weight: A weight attached to the pommel of a weapon typically to achieve a desired balance and/or overall weight. Prohibited Targets: Areas which are never to be intentionally struck during Combat (i.e. hands, knees, lower legs). Progressive Resistance: In regards to thrusting tips or other padded striking edges, the progressive resistance is the give that must be demonstrated when pushing or squeezing by hand on the area of the weapon that is required to provide such progressive resistance. This must not allow contact with the base material. Quillions: The cross guards located just above the grip on swords. Resilient Padding: Materials such as closed-cell foam or open-cell foam that have the ability to be compressed and will then quickly return to their original shape and thickness when released. Rigid Materials (includes the following): 1. Mild steel of not less than 18 gauge 2. Aluminum of not less than 16 gauge 3. Stainless Steel of not less than 20 gauge 4. Other metals of sufficient thickness to give similar rigidity to those listed above. 5. High impact resistant plastic such as ABS or polyethylene of sufficient thickness to give similar rigidity to those metals listed above. 6. Heavy leather that has been hardened in hot way, or soaked in polyester resin or treated with some other material that provides a similar stiffening effect. 7. Other materials approved by the Sovereign and the Earl Marshal on a case-by-case basis. Secondary Weapon: An additional weapon intended to be used as a backup in the event the primary weapon is dropped, lost, etc. Such a weapon is not normally in hand during the Combat, but is carried attached to the Combatant in some manner so as to be readily available d needed. Shield Hook: A firm protrusion built onto a weapon's haft or head that is designed to manipulate shields and/or other weapons. (Such a hook should NEVER be used on an opponent's person). Spear: Any weapon that's physical make-up is dominated by a haft and that's offensive use is limited solely to thrusting. Splints: The flange-like projections assumed to be striking edges placed on top of the progressive resistance on the heads of mass weapons. Steel: Hot or cold rolled mild steel in sheet form. Note that commercially available sheet steel is frequently rolled significantly under the U.S. standard gauge that the sheet is declared to be but is often sold as sheet steel meeting that declared gauge. All such steel used for armor construction that is required to meet a minimum gauge should be checked by an accurate measuring device before being used for such purpose. Note that l6 gauge, the minimum thickness for helms, is officially l/16 inch or .0625 of an inch (about 1.6 millimeters). Striking Edge/Surface: That part of a blade or head that is assumed to be sharpened or otherwise lethal. Sword: Any weapon with a single or double cutting edge, with or without a thrusting tip, who's primary function is to cut and who's physical makeup is dominated by the striking edge(s). Thrusting Tip: The blunted and padded end of a weapon that is designed to deliver a stab or thrust. Two-Handed Weapon: Any weapon with a limited or unlimited grip area, that is intended, by design, to be used with two hands. Vambrace: A close fitting, tube-like, sleeve that protects the forearm from the elbow armor to the wrist. Work Duty Glove: Any typical, commercially available glove made of heavy cloth, canvas or leather. This may include, but is not limited to, work gloves, driving gloves, welders gloves, farm and ranch gloves, etc. Woven Wire Mesh: A tightly woven pattern of wires that resists bending or unraveling. |