GLOSSARY
FOR MEDIEVAL HEAVY WEAPONS ARMORED COMBAT
Aventaill/Camail:
An armored drape that hangs from the outside or bottom edge
of a helm.
Bars:
Bars shall be minimum of 3/16 inch in cross section. Bars
may be round, mufti-sided, or oval so long as the minimum
cross section is 3/16 inch. Bar materials shall be mild steel
or equivalent.
Basket
Hilt: A partial enclosure designed to be securely attached
to the hill or handle of a weapon that prevents blows from
striking the fingers or hand and that transfers the impact
of such blows to the weapon being grasped. Basket hills shall
be constructed with rigid materials and/or bars.
Butt
Spike: Any offensive strike capability that has been built
onto the back end of a weapon.
Closed-cell
foam: A dense resilient foam composed of closed cells. Closed-cell
foam can be identified by its ability to resist soaking up
water when compressed, held submerged and then released.
Coif:
A close fitting headpiece designed to be worn under the helm
that extends down to the shoulders or below. It may be made
of cloth, chainmail, etc.
Corkscrewing:
When facing a grounded opponent, "corkscrewing" is circling
to the right or left in such a manner that forces said opponent
to change the direction they are facing in order to maintain
face-to-face combat.
Equivalent:
Refers to the impact resistance, impact distribution, and
impact absorption abilities of whatever metal is specified.
Expanded
Steel: Steel which has been cut into a lattice and/or stretched.
It is not of sufficient strength for combat use.
Flail/Flailing:
A weapon designed to bend over and strike with a whip motion
when blocked below the head or tip, NOT LEGAL IN THIS KINGDOM.
Flat(s):
The area of a blade between the assumed striking edges. Also
the area that contains the mass that drives the assumed striking
edge when swung.
Fully
Armored (1): Presumed protection for the purpose of acknowledging
blows. A fully armored fighter is presumed to be wearing a
light-weight, short sleeved, knee length, riveted chainmail
hauberk over a padded gambeson, with boiled leather arm and
leg defenses. The head is covered by an open faced spangenhelm,
with a nasal, covering the back and sides of the head. A light,
riveted, chainmail drape is considered to be the only covering
of the face from just below the eyes to just below the chin.
Fully
Armored (2): Participation requirements for the purpose of
actually participating in SCA Armored Combat in this Kingdom.
A fully armored fighter is one who is properly wearing all
the required armor to meet or exceed the minimum standards
as sat forth in the Rules and Regulations of the SCA and the
Kingdom.
Gauge:
The U.S. standard scale of measurement used when referring
to the thickness of sheet metals.
Gauntlets:
Heavily armored gloves or mittens designed to protect the
hands and wrist. A partial or half gauntlet is one that covers
only part of the hand or wrist.
Gorget:
A piece of armor designed to protect the neck. A Gorget usually
takes the form of a high collar with a front and back flap,
constructed with rigid materials and padding.
Grip:
The area of any weapon approved to be grabbed or gripped (i.e.
most any area assumed not to be an edge or striking surface).
Grounded:
The condition of a Combatant which has arisen because said
Combatant has lost the use of a leg by being struck with an
opponent's weapon. The Combatant then must fight from the
ground. In Ansteorra, a Combatant may not move once grounded
(this is not the case in all Kingdoms).
Haft:
The pole or handle upon which a head has been mounted.
Hand-and-a-half
weapon: Any weapon that is designed to be used with either
one or two hands.
Head:
Refers to the enlarged, padded end of a mass weapon.
Head
Weight: Head weight is determined by supporting the butt end
of the weapon while it is held parallel to the ground and
attaching a scale to the head and.
Heavy
Leather: Stiff leather, 8 ounce or more, a minimum of 1/4
inch thick. Also acceptable: two or more layers of leather,
glued over the entire area of contact between the layers,
to form one stiff piece that is 1/4 inch or more thick
Hilt:
Typically refers to a grip that is one-handed.
Kidney
Belt: A wide armored girdle worn to protect the circumference
of the midsection, especially the kidneys and lower "floating"
ribs.
Lanyard:
A strap or cord of sufficient strength and length to prevent
a weapon from flying away should it be accidentally dropped
or released during combat.
Light
Leather: 4 or 6 ounce leather (1/8 inch to 1/4 inch thick).
No lighter leathers shall used on required pieces of heavy
weapons armor.
Mail:
Any fabric of small metal components, either linked (like
chainmail) or attached to a flexible backing (like ring or
scale mail).
Mass
Weapon: Any weapon which relies primarily on weight to crush,
smash, or chop rather than relying on any actual cutting ability.
Mass
Pole-arm: Any weapon that's physical make-up is dominated
by a haft and is over 5 feet in length, with or without a
thrusting tip, and designed to hack, chop, cut, etc.
One-handed
Weapon: Any weapon that is intended by design to be wielded
using one hand.
Open-cell
foam: A resilient foam comprised of open cells that is less
dense than closed-cell foam. Open-cell foam can be identified
by its ability to soak up water. When seeking to find an equivalent
thickness of open-cell foam to closed-cell foam, use a 3 to
1 thickness ratio and allow for about a 50% compression of
the open celled foam. When used for helm padding for example:
1 & 1/2 inches of open-cell foam compressed to 3/4 inch
will be considered equivalent to 1/2 inch of closed cell foam
(minimum padding).
Overall
Weight: Overall weight is considered to be the total weight
of the finished weapon including any head, basket hilt, and/or
pommel weight if applicable.
Padding:
Quilted or mufti-layered cloth material, such as mattress
pads, moving pads, carpet, felt, or the equivalent.
Perforated
Steel: Steel that has had small holes punched or drilled into
its surface, but otherwise has not been significantly stressed.
Period
Materials: Those materials that would have been available
and used during the time period being recreated/studied by
the SCA.
Pommel:
The back or butt end of a grip or hilt on a weapon.
Pommel
Weight: A weight attached to the pommel of a weapon typically
to achieve a desired balance and/or overall weight.
Prohibited
Targets: Areas which are never to be intentionally struck
during Combat (i.e. hands, knees, lower legs).
Progressive
Resistance: In regards to thrusting tips or other padded striking
edges, the progressive resistance is the give that must be
demonstrated when pushing or squeezing by hand on the area
of the weapon that is required to provide such progressive
resistance. This must not allow contact with the base material.
Quillions:
The cross guards located just above the grip on swords.
Resilient
Padding: Materials such as closed-cell foam or open-cell foam
that have the ability to be compressed and will then quickly
return to their original shape and thickness when released.
Rigid
Materials (includes the following):
1.
Mild steel of not less than 18 gauge
2.
Aluminum of not less than 16 gauge
3.
Stainless Steel of not less than 20 gauge
4.
Other metals of sufficient thickness to give similar rigidity
to those listed above.
5.
High impact resistant plastic such as ABS or polyethylene
of sufficient thickness to give similar rigidity to those
metals listed above.
6.
Heavy leather that has been hardened in hot way, or soaked
in polyester resin or treated with some other material that
provides a similar stiffening effect.
7.
Other materials approved by the Sovereign and the Earl Marshal
on a case-by-case basis.
Secondary
Weapon: An additional weapon intended to be used as a backup
in the event the primary weapon is dropped, lost, etc. Such
a weapon is not normally in hand during the Combat, but is
carried attached to the Combatant in some manner so as to
be readily available d needed.
Shield
Hook: A firm protrusion built onto a weapon's haft or head
that is designed to manipulate shields and/or other weapons.
(Such a hook should NEVER be used on an opponent's person).
Spear:
Any weapon that's physical make-up is dominated by a haft
and that's offensive use is limited solely to thrusting.
Splints:
The flange-like projections assumed to be striking edges placed
on top of the progressive resistance on the heads of mass
weapons.
Steel:
Hot or cold rolled mild steel in sheet form. Note that commercially
available sheet steel is frequently rolled significantly under
the U.S. standard gauge that the sheet is declared to be but
is often sold as sheet steel meeting that declared gauge.
All such steel used for armor construction that is required
to meet a minimum gauge should be checked by an accurate measuring
device before being used for such purpose. Note that l6 gauge,
the minimum thickness for helms, is officially l/16 inch or
.0625 of an inch (about 1.6 millimeters).
Striking
Edge/Surface: That part of a blade or head that is assumed
to be sharpened or otherwise lethal.
Sword:
Any weapon with a single or double cutting edge, with or without
a thrusting tip, who's primary function is to cut and who's
physical makeup is dominated by the striking edge(s).
Thrusting
Tip: The blunted and padded end of a weapon that is designed
to deliver a stab or thrust.
Two-Handed
Weapon: Any weapon with a limited or unlimited grip area,
that is intended, by design, to be used with two hands.
Vambrace:
A close fitting, tube-like, sleeve that protects the forearm
from the elbow armor to the wrist.
Work
Duty Glove: Any typical, commercially available glove made
of heavy cloth, canvas or leather. This may include, but is
not limited to, work gloves, driving gloves, welders gloves,
farm and ranch gloves, etc.
Woven
Wire Mesh: A tightly woven pattern of wires that resists bending
or unraveling.
