Expectations and Conduct

Gym Rules and Guidelines

• The Tucson Historical Fencing Academy accepts students 14 and older

• The exercise equipment is not to be used without explicit permission of a coach or the gym owners.

• All club equipment should be returned to it's location before the end of class, please don't make the coaches go on a treasure hunt to clean up at the end of the night

• Cleaning supplies will be available to sanitize all loaner equipment, and it is expected that it should be used as appropriate on equipment before it is returned

• Don't open external facility doors without getting a coach's permission

Member Conduct

Empathy

• Be excellent to one another. Treat each other with kindness, respect and generosity. Accept praise and criticism with equal candor, and give both with sincerity.

• Be humble and willing to accept your mistakes, but be willing to defend your ideas and goals

Safety

• Always ensure both you and your partner are appropriately equipped for any fencing activity you're participating in

• Make sure all equipment you're using is in good condition, both before and after you use it. If you're concerned about the condition of any club gear, please alert an instructor ASAP, even if you think it's only minor. We'd rather check it than regret it.

• Always make sure you and your partner are both of the same understanding of what you're working on. 

Courtesy

• Ask for, and be prepared to give, feedback to your partners.

• Come to practice prepared with goals you want to work on, and be willing to help others achieve their own goals as well

• Never pressure anyone in class to engage with activities they don't want to.

• Treat everyone's training time and space as equally valuable as your own

Bout Conduct

Scoring Actions:

Scoring actions are only ever with the blade of the weapon. Pommels, blows with the hands, blade grabs, tackles, etc. are not accepted fencing actions in THFA. As a general guideline, we’re doing fencing which means the blades of our swords are what touches our partners in the attempt to score the touch, and we shouldn't be trying to touch our partners’ blades with anything except our blades.  

Bouts done to emulate any elements that are constrained to armored combat sources; i.e. the inclusion of half-swording, wrestling, etc, must be explicitly agreed upon before the start of a bout, and are otherwise banned.

Scoring Targets, Off Target, and Banned Targets:

• Scoring targets are the parts of the body where, when the touch arrives with alignment and intention, a score may be received by the fencer whose touch has arrived.

• Off target are parts of the body where, with the same kinds of interaction that would normally be scoring, no score is awarded.

• Banned targets are parts of the body where interactions with the blade may result in penalties being awarded.
  
  

Our general convention is that scoring targets are the whole body above (and excluding) the knee, with banned targets of groin, back of head, feet, and spine. The area at and below the knee is by default off target. The default targets may be modified for individual bouts or games, and as fencer’s available kit allows. 

For example, if all fencers have knees, shins, and fencing britches, fencers may elect to have the entire leg on target. If instead fencers are fencing with exposed skin on the leg or without knee protection, the entire leg will be considered off target

Banned targets can never be made not-banned, with two exceptions:

• The foot may become a scoring target in particular thrust only light weapon games.

• In pool noodle games the whole body aside from the groin may be made scoring.