Ages ago I was proud to don armor and fight in the Iron Rose tourney at Pennsic. But it took me ages to get to that point - and not for the reason most people assume.

TLDR: Women are seldom physically touched in a rough manner unless it is to control and punish them.

When starting to learn to fight heavy, most women will be taught by a man. While things are changing, like it or not heavy fighting is still a male dominated sport, so fighter practices are often male-led activities. What those trainers need to realize is women face a wide range of issues when it comes to fighting that have nothing to do with their ability, and everything to do with their psychology.

There's a ton of studies about the difference in social pressures and constraints placed on women which I won't touch on here, but there is one very salient point many folks overlook.

Women are seldom physically touched in a rough manner unless it is to control and punish them.

Young kids may play rough, but as we grow older, a majority of girls will be told such play isn't lady-like, they are too old to be playing like that, or they are made to feel ashamed for wanting to play with the boys. And we certainly are not encouraged to fight. The older we get, the less and less we experience rough physical play, even in sports. Even more aggressive sports like field hockey and soccer have limits for physical contact. Aggression is tightly controlled and very limited, especially in grown women where it is often derided with less than savory labels.

Meanwhile, boys are constantly allowed to wrestle, push and shove one another, and even get into the occasional fist fights. Football and rugby are all about tackling and slamming into one another to control the ball. Wrestling is all about manhandling your opponent into submission. Aggression is accepted and often rewarded, seen as a sign of strength to be respected.

And those two vastly different experiences goes a long way to explain why women often struggle with the very physical aspects of heavy fighting.

One of the most frustrating things for me to overcome when at practice was the subconscious feeling I was doing something wrong. Even though I mentally knew that was incorrect, that I was still learning, that no one was upset I was there, that I was encouraged to participate, that everyone was excited I'd joined the field because, "the more the merrier", etc... it didn't matter to my lizard-brain because every blow that landed felt like a punishment. Previously, the only time I'd ever been physically struck was as child in punishment, and the associated emotions of shame and sorrow were forever related to any physical hit.

So if you're a trainer for new heavy fighters, please keep the following in mind for the new women in armor:

• TEACH WOMEN HOW TO DEFEND/SHIELD EFFECTIVELY FIRST. Teach strikes on the pell only, and teach shield and foot work during sparring sessions. Keep this up until she's proficient at defense. It will go a long way towards instilling confidence before any of the following happens. You can use that confidence to help work through the rough patches later.
• Have patience. Many of us won't understand why we suddenly feel awful after working so hard to finally get on the field. We won't like these feelings, will feel weak and embarrassed for expressing them, and will want to hide them. Unfortunately, hiding is just another form of repression, which will sap our strength and hamper our abilities in the long run.
• Tell us before we start we might experience negative emotions when being hit, but that's okay. We need the reassurance that it's normal to feel bad, and we need to allow the emotions to wash over and through us, not let them stop us.
• Don't tell us to get angry, or to "use your anger". That doesn't work for us because growing up we are taught to suppress anger. Trying to use it now will just divert energy and bring up the negative associations, sapping our strength.
• Don't worry if we start to cry - there's a shit ton of emotions associated with being hit that we cannot control and are super embarrassing for us to unexpectedly experience. Ask if we need a break and pause long enough to remind us that crying is expected and is perfectly normal. It's okay to cry - tears are just the water of emotion finally breaking over the dam of repression. Once released, it will become easier to recognize the emotion and allow it to wash through us next time.
• Don't be afraid to teach FORM using unarmored boffers. This does two things: First, it teaches muscle memory, which is important to gain early without the additional stress of fatigue and frustration. Second, it allows strikes to land in a safe, less-threatening manner, which trains the brain and body to overcome negative associations. Don't worry about lack of armor or weapons weight - that will come later.

Women are seldom physically touched in a rough manner unless it is to control and punish them.

If you can overcome this truth, if you can instill confidence early and make even the worst fighter practice fun, then you will succeed in gaining a new warrior. After all, if she made it to fighter practice to begin with, then she's willing to be on the field - she will just have to fight battles on multiple fronts.

Since I started down this path of reviewing sellers on eBay that may be able to provide goods for our little Hobby, I feel I have to report the bad along with the good.

These warning titles will from here forward appear as the title of my post. For example -

CAVEAT EMPTOR - VIKINGSARMOR

My experience-

Having purchased a gorget and pauldrons from this vendor with minor shipping hiccups, I decided to see how they did with a custom order. I sent them my customization points after they told me it would be no issue.

My custom points - Sizing and Embroidering my device instead of the generic cross that the item came with.

Purchase Date - 10/11/24

Vendor Shipping Window - 3-5 days.

Received tracking number - 10/18/24

I checked tracking number daily understanding that many vendors in India send their product to a US based clearing facility and THEN use USPS. I started to send them images of the "Tracking Not Available" notification on 10/21.

Long story short - They lied about sending the product, admitting it was "still in their shop." Then they lied about it being done citing maintenance quality checks - I asked how that affected an item made of cloth. They admitted it had never been made. They told me that eBay was not allowing them to issue a refund. I contacted eBay. I received a case review notification a day later and THIRTY MINUTES after that, eBay issued the refund.

They made their decision that fast.

Do not, under any circumstances, give vikingsarmor a single penny.

Please spread this information to anyone and anyplace where our fellow SCAdians may see or hear.

That item I ordered? I am now getting it manufactured by, you guessed it, The Waiz.

Have a great day everybody!

Sooo... My current Blazon reads -

Argent, a cross couped of three crossbars missing the dexter base arm and in base a crescent gules.

(Precedence for cross included)

How would I alter that to represent where I want to go with it - as depicted?

https://preview.redd.it/hm9tg46cv4yd1.png?width=880&format=png&auto=webp&s=078ac53dd2a365487bd198d4695d3f7605005b82

https://preview.redd.it/r3c7rj3ev4yd1.png?width=1882&format=png&auto=webp&s=09a6887206b8aeae4bdf1cd9b7eceb6f645aec45

I've been browsing various online stores for a while now.The famous 55-50 gallon barrel is either unavailable on Amazon or is available but at an exorbitant cost,I would like to make a lamellar type armor, what is best to use?

This might be a little out there but...

I would like to try wearing gauntlets at work. Ideally they need to be full plate, not just plates on the backs of my hands and fingers.

I have no idea where to start, my best guess was plastic and 3d printing, but I got the suggestion to ask here.

So yeah, does anyone have any ideas about solid segmented plated gloves, and am i right to think they should be called gauntlets?

They'd need to be bulky enough to have wool liners and rubber gloves underneath (ansell marigolds, used as diving dry gloves).

Lately I've got the persistent idea to make a 12ft high 15ft deep 3 panel Viking tent. Don't know if anyone would want, or buy, one. But I gotta keep challenging myself, develop more skills. Would anyone want something like that? I've always liked LARGE pavilions. A 3rd one should round out the camp nicely. I've also been playing with the idea of a 16-24ft round.

hi. yesterday i spent the day making a steel bascinet. I looked on the armour archives for a pattern and i did find several. It worked well enough but it turned out comically large. the problem of the armour archive is that its very sparse in info. it has 0 information on how to properly size it to you, so you just get a generic S/M/LG and in my case there was only S/M and i wear XL so i had to guess on the pattern.

this isnt the only time ive had this issue. a few years ago i made some small cops and shoulder pauldrons and i had to guess as for the size. they turned out "OK" but im trying to build a set for myself and i dont want to have to do this over and over again.

So what im looking for is

1: up to date patterns. preferably with more info than the armor archives has.

2: information on how to size patterns properly

3: a community that i can actively ask questions with other armourers, get feedback and potential advice/help.

If I wanted to slightly modify my coat of arms, do I resubmit an entire package, or is there an addendum? Will it nullify my current coat of arms? Is the moon made of cheese?

Can somebody succinctly explain the difference between a badge and a device?

I am looking for a site to get a rapier for rapier fighting. Preferably from a seller in Canada as the customs fees are a kick in the teeth but not limited to Canadian sellers if there is a maker that is just top notch and I should check them out.

Hi. I'm a blacksmith and thiugh I've been smiting for several years, I'd like to make sure my kit that I'm starting to be up to snuff with the sca. According to my local rules, if the steel isn't 1/16 in thick then it needs to be proven to be superior to 1/16 mild steel. Id like my armour not so fricken heavy so id like to heat treat something thinner.

What alloy is recommended? I have a forge large enough to heat treat most items. 1045 sounds easy and straight forward to me so let me know if that's a good idea. Price is also a big consideration. I don't have digital ovens so my heat treat is in the forge. If it's possible to make a kit without heat treat and just use carbon steel (hot working without hardening) that would be great too.

Edit: thank you all for the replies. It turns out it started after a concussion, and he kept fighting without giving it time to heal, and it's just gotten progressively worse. He is not going to fight for now and I've (hopefully) convinced him to see a doctor sooner rather than later. Always make sure to check into your buddies if they have problems, I'm not sure why his group let him go on like that without bringing up any concerns to him. Protect your noggin, fellas.

Hey all, I have a buddy who's been fighting heavy combat in the SCA for years now. Unfortunately, he very often seems to be taking some pretty bad and painful hits to the head to the point he's getting discouraged from fighting as a whole, I'm not much of a heavy fighter but from what I understand you really shouldn't be in that much pain so consistently from head shots. I've never been, and nobody I know in the SCA heavy scene has ever spoken about this consistent pain from head hits. He uses a multitude of helmets, even some very thick and heavy helms with what I hear is very good padding (loaner helmets from others who apparently take this safety stuff very seriously).

Obviously, the best choice would be to talk to a doctor about it and see if they have any insight, but I figured I'd ask the community to see if anybody here has known someone or has personally been in the same situation who has figured out quite why he might be feeling these so badly, and having hits even causing bad pain into the next day. Any ideas if it's a health issue, physical issue? or maybe he's just being a baby lol. Any insight is appreciated.

I very much dislike how long it takes for devices and names to be approved by the heralds... wish it was quicker, but oh well, here I patiently wait around 6 more months hoping to be approved...

Hello, i am working on charcter design for a game inspired by slavic folklore. I would greatly appreciate some help in sourcing accurate refrences of old garments. Im especially interested in clothing of the common people as ive found that harder to find. If you have aby sites especially in langanges i dont know that discuss this i would gretaly appreciate it.