This page is designed to help train new members to fight safely, confidently and well. However before anything we must give the standard caveat:Wychwood Warriors cannot and will not be held responsible for any personal injury or damage to possessions resulting from following our guides and fighting scripts. These are designed for our own personal use as responsible and trained re-enactors and should not be used by people without the correct equipment and experience to fight safely. We do not recommend their use by anyone other than training officers of established re-enactment societies.
We would like all members to read about the risks of combat and how to avoid them. The society's rules require you to protect yourself to a certain degree and the rest of it is up to you. Decide the risks you are willing to take and equip yourself and act accordingly.
Combat Manual
Here one can download Wychwood's combat manual, this is the full overview of our saftey rules, combat system and how to train someone to be a competent fighter within the Society. What is written here are extracts from the full manual.
Safety
Wychwood typically trains people brand new to re-enactment in fighting in what are usually quite public areas, as a result safety is crucial! A few important points at a glance are:
- All people participating in combat must be members of the Society, over the age of 18 and in good enough health and judgement to fight safely. (eg. If you were under the influence of alcohol that would make it dangerous to fight, both for yourself and others)
- Those participating in combat must either have passed a competancy test in the weapon(s) they are using, or are under the supervision of a society combat trainer.
- If someone says they have been hit too hard they are always correct. We fight with steel weapons and they can hurt if used incorrectly.
- No one should not be pressured into combat they don't want to do, or to continue fighting whilst exhausted. Breaks between fighting should be encouraged and members can participate in as much, or as little combat as they wish.
Safety gear is also important. Wychwood requires all members to wear the following in combat:
Additional safety gear can also be worn, though it is not mandatory. These include jock and chest cups, knee, elbow, and shin pads and mouth guards.
We do not advise fighting while wearing glasses, whilst some members have in the past it is strongly suggested that members either go without glasses (assuming this can be done safely!) or to wear contacts.
Weapons and armour must be in good condition to be used, this means they must be well cared for! When at a show they must of course conform to authenticity standards.
The Combat System
Wychwood has a combat system that is quite similar to other large Dark Ages Re-enactment societies. These focus, as did the real fighting back in the day, on opposing shieldwalls.
The following weapons, alongside the trusty shield, are used currently in Wychwood combat:
- Seax, and other fighting knives of the era
- Sword and Langseax
- One handed spear
- Two handed spear
- Hand axe
- Javelin
- Sling (partially, it is in need of new training/knowledge)
Wychwood does not currently fight with the (in)famous daneaxe, or involve archery in its fighting. It may in the future but currently we lack the knowledge in order to safely fight with them.
