[Ansteorra-archery] Combat Archery Authorizations

[Jed Tressler]

So a question for consideration and debate.  The impetuous for this question
comes from considering the requirements of combat archery in regard to our
other contact activities.

Why do you have to go to a melee practice to get authorized as a Combat
Archer?

Before we jump to the obvious response protocols please consider..

A new fighter, who has never fought anything besides sword and shield at a
small local practice can get authorised at that same small local practice
and fight in the war.  He has never even seen a melee before, let alone
demonstrated any ability to comport himself on the battle field.  He may not
even have been asked questions about the melee rules in his authorization
aside from being asked to die defensively.  But with his freshly inked
temporary authorization card, he can walk onto the melee field, where he
will most likely be put in the front lines, where it is the loudest, and for
most scariest, carrying a 2-5pound club, and a potentially dangerous
shield.  Worse still, in our kingdom, he can grab his buddies gauntlets and
glaive and swing a 7 foot weighted lever that he may never have even touched
before.

How is this fighter less dangerous than a combat archer, who has been asked
to demonstrate knowledge of the rules, shown he can call a good blow,
demonstrated an ability of control with his shots, and who, if they get
"freaked out" and loose there cool essentially cant make there weapon hit
harder?  Yes we haven't SEEN him take part in a melee, but for those who
are, or have been privy to authorizing marshals, how many times have you
seen a new fighter participate in a melee before their authorized?

I ask this question because I believe the necessity of a melee practice for
authorization is a major block for allot of people joining this activity.
Also, I believe that if we look very carefully at what it is important for a
combat archer to demonstrate in that melee, we can actually design
authorization techniques that require only a few people (say 5ish) instead
of the 20 I see more often looked for.

The other possibility of coarse is that the above mentioned armored
combatant IS unsafe, and should not be allowed on the melee field. Which
means we need to be talking to the marshalate to required that all
combatants be required to participate and be observed in a melee before
authorization, or perhaps separate authorizations for single combat and
melee or....  it can get out of hand fast.

Something to Consider
Bastian Eisengart
Who wants to be protecting more archers behind him, than he's blocking in
front of him.
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