Welcome, new youth fighters!
We’re happy to have you and your parents in the youth combat program. Youth combat is a great way for kids to be involved in the SCA.
Kids in youth combat not only get the fun of whacking each other with padded weapons, they also learn physical coordination, self-defense, and skills like teamwork, chivalry, and service.
To begin, you need to find your local youth marshal who runs practices! A roster of warranted youth marshals and their local groups is available from the menu under Youth Marshaling.
If your group doesn’t have a Youth Marshal, maybe your mom or dad will consider volunteering to become a youth marshal. Information on how to do that is also located on the menu under Youth Marshaling.
You can also check out the list of upcoming Tournaments that you can attend. Even if your local group doesn’t have a youth combat practice, you can try out youth fighting at most events without being authorized, except for the Kingdom Youth Champions’ Tournament held twice a year, typically in the spring and fall.
Am I Authorized?
Wondering if you are authorized to fight in youth combat tournaments? The Kingdom Authorizations Clerk has a list of kids with current fighting authorizations here. If your name isn’t listed, either you didn’t send in your authorization paperwork with a signed waiver, or your authorization expired because you aged out of your previous division (Division 1 = ages 6-9, Division 2 = 10-13, and Division 3 = 14-17) and need to reauthorize at the next division up. Higher divisions have higher calibration levels (how hard you hit) and there are minor rule changes from Division 1 to Division 2.
POLICIES AND HANDBOOKS
- Æthelmearc Youth Combat Policies including armor regulations and combat rules.
- Æthelmearc Youth Combat Handbook, While this is geared more toward marshals, it also gives you a good overview of how youth combat works.
HOW-TO INFORMATION
OTHER HELPFUL WEBSITES
- Society Youth Combat page, which has some great articles including a guide to purchasing hockey helmets and instructions for making weapons, shields, and armor.
- Æthelmearc Earl Marshal’s website
CONTACTS
You have questions – we have answers! Feel free to email:
- Æthelmearc Kingdom Youth Combat Marshal: Baron Andriú mac Domhnaill
Updated October 6, 2024.