Ludus Ferocia
School Of Historical Combat

Rules and Regulations

Spirit of our School: We honor the old ways of combat through the study of historical martial disciplines. As an organization, we seek to build a lasting, connected community of martial practitioners while fostering an environment of personal growth. We believe that every practitioner should be testing historical combat techniques through safe sparring that is both intense and unchoreographed. We practice arts from multiple cultures and encourage objective comparison and discovery between them. Our club conducts training with a balance of historical reference, athletics, and individual application.


 

Conduct For All Members

Members will acknowledge and sign the liability waiver in full and agree to allow Ludus Ferocia to keep this document securely on file. Members can request a copy for their own records. Refusal to sign the liability waiver will result in denied or revoked membership.
Members that meet the ranking requirements and are cleared to spar shall adhere to the entirety of the Safe Sparring & Practice Protocol which details safety, gear requirements, and expectations. Failure to abide by the Safe Sparring & Practice Protocol may result in expulsion without reimbursement.

No one shall participate in any class, lecture, seminar, or activity hosted or endorsed by Ludus Ferocia while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. This may include prescription or over the counter medications that may alter one’s motor control or cognitive function in a way that is unsafe for physical activity or handling weapons.
*An exception is made for viewing online classes and lectures assuming you are able to remain composed and not disturb the class. Instructors (including guest instructors) and admins have the right to mute or remove any person from any online class for disruptive behavior.

Members will be mindful of their language, actions, and behavior to best represent the club and to ensure the social and physical comfort of all members, instructors, and visitors during all activities hosted or endorsed by Ludus Ferocia, which includes, but is not limited to, voice and text in our official Discord channel. This extends to the social interactions between members when outside of Ludus Ferocia in regards to reasonable expectations of social conduct.

Ludus Ferocia Historical Combat does not intend to monitor or control personal social media activities but we ask all members that choose to publicly identify as members or affiliate themselves with Ludus Ferocia to be mindful of their conduct and choices as it may reflect on the group as a whole. Ludus Ferocia Historical Combat may request that you alter or delete material that uses our intellectual property, name, logo, or affiliation, if it is deemed inappropriate.

Members who attend a HEMA or other martial arts event as a representative of Ludus Ferocia will be expected to follow the Code of Conduct, as well as all rules of the event being attended. The sword community is small and your conduct within it reflects on the group.

Ludus Ferocia does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, profession, or military status, in any of our activities or operations. There will be zero tolerance for discriminatory language or conduct of any kind from or towards members. Unwanted sexual advances, solicitations, or harassment will not be tolerated from any member.  Any student found to be expressing hateful opinions or ideologies that threaten others to make our school alienating or non-inclusive may be expelled.  This includes online conduct outside of the school.  

Members will adhere to the following hygiene standards for studio classes and activities:
1. Members will wear clean workout attire that is washed and free of holes/rips.
2. Members will adhere to the social norms of personal hygiene.
3. Personal HEMA gear will be washed and/or sanitized regularly.
4. Members wishing to participate in wrestling classes or grappling activities will adhere to further hygiene practices as well as those listed above:
5. Nails on the hands and feet will be trimmed
6. Long hair will be tied back for class and sparring
7. All jewelry will be removed prior to practice and not to be worn during sparring or drilling.

Payments and Dues
Members will be punctual in their payment of dues and in class attendance.  Students utilizing a membership plan may cancel at any time without a fee but must do so with 30 days of their desired termination or pause date, so to not be charged for the following month.  No refunds will be given if this notice is not observed.  Those who paid an upfront, discounted cost for their yearly memberships will not be refunded 30 days has passed their signup date.  

Everyone will be respectful of each other's learning. Members and bystanders will not disrupt class and will refrain from speaking or creating distractions during times of instruction.

Members will clean up after themselves. Trash will be disposed of properly and equipment will be put away at the end of each class.

Ego and politics will be left at the door for the duration of class to ensure the comfort and safety of all members.

It is forbidden to copy and/or distribute material that is the property of Ludus Ferocia. This includes, but is not limited to, recording in part or in full, any online and in person classes, sharing links to Ludus Ferocia’s google docs or written material, taking screenshots of the discord server, and sharing any intellectual property or digital property of Ludus Ferocia to any non-members without prior permission from designated Ludus Ferocia instructors

ALL students are to always conduct themselves with good sportsmanship, including appropriate conduct to fellow fencers and staff.

Violations of conduct may result in a warning, disqualification, or removal from the premises at the discretion of the school staff. See “Misconduct” section for more information.

 
 

Kit Requirements - Clothing
⦁ All participants must adhere to the dress codes, meaning:
⦁ Shirts are required, no bare chests.
⦁ Shorts and Pants must cover the entire buttocks.
⦁ Clothing with exposed rivets, buttons, zippers, metal parts, or features likely to damage equipment are not permitted.
⦁ Appropriate athletic footwear is required in all activity areas. Closed-toed shoes are required in all activity areas, except designated locations.
⦁ In addition, we require that members refrain from wearing loose/dangling articles such as long jewelry, lanyards, cloaks, or suspenders worn loosely around the hips (they must be fastened securely at the shoulders).

A sword, fencing mask, and appropriate gloves are the minimum required gear for competitive bouts.

The only weapons permitted for use in competition are:
⦁ Training weapons are permitted with or without schilts.
⦁ Training weapons with a bar-type crossguard must have both guard caps intact.
⦁ Approved Feders for one-handed or two-handed swords.
⦁ Threaded pommels must be securely screwed on.
⦁ Training weapons, as defined by being synthetic (nylon) swords with appropriate bend.
⦁ Approved steel katana designed for sparring (no iaito or unsharpened steel katanas)
⦁ Approved spear or polearm with rubber or plastic striking surfaces
⦁ Approved synthetic training daggers
⦁ Members must wear a fencing mask, preferably from brands AF, SPES, or PBT.
⦁ Gloves must be appropriately padded. SPES Heavies or CSG Mittens (with an under glove) are preferred, but men’s lacrosse gloves are acceptable (for synthetic swords only).
⦁ A hard-shell chest protector is preferred for competition.
⦁ Participants with external genitalia must wear a cup.
⦁ Additional protective gear is not required, but heavily encouraged so long as it does not violate safety guidelines for clothing. If participants have any questions regarding gear acceptability, please seek out a staff member.