ARN - Authorization

[gtaylor]

> Actually, a person who stands still on the field and doesn't even retreat
> when attacked isn't exactly safe in my book...  But why is cringing not
> allowed?

Really?  Well, it isn't really an issue anyway.  I just said it because I wanted
to explain why I DO look for some degree of  competence.  I want them to be safe
while actually using rapier techniques.
Bad cringing (really, excessive flinching) often goes with a lack of confidence,
lack of knowledge of how to basically defend yourself, indicates that they might
lock up when they need to move to be safe, and can be accompanied with the arms
(and whatever is in the hand) being thrust defensively at the opponent with no
control at all.  I don't authorize people when they aren't trained enough to
substitute instinctive "defensive" posturing, with rapier techniques (or at
least can use footwork to get the heck away).

> > Additional stuff.  If they don't know buckler or dagger, I'll sometimes
> teach
> > them beforehand.
> >
> We tend to make them go away and come back later... sometimes the same day,
> sometimes a different event.

Depends on the circumstance.  Safety is primarily our goal.  When I ask them
before an authorization if they have used these other forms and they say, "No,"
then I usually end up showing them how to do it.  Or, I if I'm busy, I might
send them off for a while with someone whom I know can teach them how not to
buckler bash someone.

> > Butterflying the hand.

Hitting the flat of the hand so close to the body that if it were a real blade,
it would go right through and peg a kill zone.  Folks in Ansteorra usually die
from this.  Some also take into account the direction of the blow;  if you hit
me on the lateral surface of the shoulder, heading towards the chest, rather
than losing an arm, I tend to die from a chest wound.

> like "breaking your wrist" so you don't gak someone...
> fighting seated why oppenent standing, vice versa, both seated...
> fighting off hand...

In my last authorization, I discussed breaking the wrist (the fellows were from
an isolated region and had not received tons of instruction).  We don't really
get into the seated fighting in authorizations (at least I don't), except for
the corkscrewing prohibition.

> We tend to make people authorize with marshals and opponents they _don't_
> know, on purpose.   A good single authorization usually should take no more
> than 15 minutes, the advanced auths (anything past single) can take as
> little as 5, depending on which form...

That's interesting.   There are folks here who won't even authorize a fighter
whom they have not watched previously.  I authorize folks I don't know, but I
make them go long enough that unsafe "habits" that they could suppress for a
while would probably start to appear.

IGH

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