[Ansteorra-missile]Combat Archery Training and Authorization Process
Mike
meggiddo at netzero.net
Wed Oct 26 19:43:50 PDT 2005
Combat archery is combat - anyone who wants to take the field must be
authorized. This also applies to those individuals who are under 18.
Kingdom law was changed to reflect this change earlier this year. His
Grace, Duke Patrick Michael has assumed the position to authorized
anyone under 18 as Earl Marshal of the Kingdom, to ensure that those
underage do understand the rules and how to be safe on the field.
The issues that you brought up being safe on the field and being
effective are the same or should be in the initial process of training
and authorization. The training process that leads to being an
authorized combat archer needs to include active involvement or in other
words live scenarios involving heavy fighters. I noted in earlier
e-mail that it is rare for location to have enough space to conduct both
a heavy fighter practice and at the same time including combat archery
and Steppes has such a location - it is the regular Steppes Fighter
Practice held in Carrollton on Sunday afternoons at 2 PM.
Active observation will served only so far, yet it is limited and should
not be the final factor in authorizing an individual nor should it be
used in place of active participation in live scenarios that are design
to further the understanding how one is be safe, help assure the safety
of others and still have fun on a SCA battlefield. Afterall, the world
problems are solved every hour of the day, all day long and into the
future with active observation and discussion of theories.
The observation would allow a discussion of tactics and pointing
where/what one could do for this or do that for certain scenarios, in
other words playing a game of "what if". The problem with this is that
the participates are sitting on the sidelines and watching the action,
with no pressure or stress of being on the field, thus they feel safe,
with no need to make quick decisions in a matter of seconds. Those same
tactics work just fine on the sidelines - I feel the need to ask this
question:
"Will those same tactics that sound so great, logical, and reasonable on
the sidelines where it is "safe", will the tactics actually work on the
field?"
But more importantly, there several more questions needs to be asked
and that is:
"How will the individual react to be placed upon that same field and
having to make decisions when being attacked or pressed?"
or
"When to select a target?",
or
"Whether to shoot at an individual or group of opposing fighters whose
back is against the boundary line and there are on lookers on the other
side of that boundary line?"
and the questions are not limited to these either, give it some thought
and I am sure there are more that needs to be covered.
The people on the sidelines are seeing the entire field, instead of the
reduced area that one see through one's helm. This view is far different
than from the side lines. It also does not put to the test the tactics
that were being discuss on those same sidelines in "what if" theories -
it does NOT allowed for actual decisions that one would have to be made
on a SCA battlefield - so there would always be a extreme gray area when
it comes to the combat archer's actual response to any given SCA
battlefield condition following this approach.
That is until they are actual in that position, on the field and facing
a live opponent, feeling the pressure, etc... These questions or rather
concerns are driving the need to increase the amount of training an
individual receives before being authorized as a Combat Archer in the
attempt to cut down and/or eliminate as many possible negative actions
that is being attached to Combat Archers as a whole within the SCA.
Lord Eadric, when he was Ansteorra Archery Marshal, issued a training
program back in February/March 2004. I copied it and it is available in
a Word Document and it runs about 4 pages of questions and suggested
live scenarios. I will listed what I felt are the major points from that
training program that an individual needs to know and understand and
this can and should be applied to up and coming individuals who wish to
be combat archers. The major points below:
1. Written questions - on rules, safety, armor, inspection, etc.
2. Verbal questions - additional questions on the above subjects, etc.
3. Understanding what a combat arrow is and how to inspection one,
build one, repair one.
4. Armor requirements - both for heavy fighter and combat archer.
5. Point out the kill, wound, and illegal areas with an arrow
6. No fire zones testing
7. Live scenarios involving heavy fighters
a. Working with
b. Working against
The live fire scenarios that I listed in a previous email fall within
what Lord Eadric listed out back in March 2004. I have his outline and
that is what I am have been following, along with training that I
received from Lady Isolda Von Rugen prior to fall of 2001 and Lord
CinaedOHOsey since Fall 2001. Several of suggested live scenarios that
Lord Eadric listed I recognized from the Fall of 2001 (See bottom note
on Fall 2001).
Back to item 7 - Live scenarios:
Under this guide of Lord Eadric, the Authorizing Missile Marshal would
determine if an individual should be authorized as a combat archer to
see how he/she actually perform during a live and control combat
scenarios prior to authorizing and allowing them to step out on an
actual SCA battlefield.
The only method is to put them to the test of live armor combat under
control conditions. By creating or taking the time to set-up the
scenarios the individual wanting to become a combat archer will have a
basic idea(s) of what a SCA battlefield is like. The important fact or
detail here is the actual feedback of the actions taken, and not only by
the Missile Marshal, also from those heavy fighters that are taking part
in the live training scenarios.
There is also a far greater asset in live training scenarios rather just
throwing the individual into the jaws of a SCA War event and that one
can repeat various scenarios over and over again if there are issues
about one aspect or scenario. Change the tactics and or mixed and see if
the "what if" theories will actual work or not. This approach would not
work at an actual SCA melee or war event.
This would allow the marshal the time to see how they will actually
response, both positive and negative - including if they express one of
the following negative reactions to being pressured by a heavy fighter
and/or situation:
1. shows tendencies to panic when under attack,
2. to attempt to fight or
3. block a weapon or blow with their bow/crossbow or
4. to wildly spray arrows around the field,
The issue of being effective on the field as a combat archer - everyone
needs a foundation to start from and by including and ensuring that
there are live and control combat scenarios for the individual(s) to
take part in and actual demonstrate their true understanding of the
rules, of safety, of combat archery equipment, the kill zones, armor
requirements, how to conduct themselves with heavy fighters, etc...
This needs to be approach in such a matter that it remains fun and yet
get across the necessary information as well.
The so-call good old days is how combat archery got to where it is
today. In some areas, almost no combat archery is allowed with the nay
sayers growing and looking for any excuse to place addition restrictions.
The issue of any type of authorization is based upon what is seen and
how well the individual(s) responds to the outside forces that they are
placed in by the authorizing agency or authorizing individual. Thus,
only what the individual displays on any day of training/authoriziation
is what the authorizing individual has to go on at any point in the process.
Fall of 2001:
Bit of History here: I was already authorized, when the battlefield
commander for the Fray, Lord CinaedOHosey felt the need to understand
what capabilities, advantages and disadvantages I had. So he designed a
number of live scenarios to put me to the test. And the course of
several weekends, both of us and the heavy fighters found out. I have
been refining and adapting ever since to the various battlefield situations.
YIS,
Lord Michael Kettering
Combat Archer for the Condottieri
Robin Allen wrote:
> Okay I guess I'm in the dark here. Please enlighten me. Can
> someone younger than 18 actaully be authorized as a combat archer
> by Patrick Michael? I was under the impression that one had to be
> at least 18. Now once they are over 18 they can be authorized by
> any authorizing archery marshal. Is that correct?
>
>
>
> Also my 2 cents worth on authorizing: There are two things
> being discussed here. One deals with training the archer to be
> effective on the field and the other deals with the archer being
> safe (yes I know there's a bit of overlap in those two
> categories). I would think that the authroizing marshal should be
> concerned only with that second category. Once an archer shows or
> demonstrates to the marshal's satisfaction that he/she is not a
> safety issue then authorization should follow as a matter of
> course. Being effective on the field is the archer's concern and
> not necessarily the area of responsibility for the marshal.
>
> Robin
>
>
>
> The smallest minority on Earth is the individual. Those who deny
> individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities. Ayn Rand
>
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