Rules

• Treat each other with respect. Bullying or harassment of any sort will not be tolerated. Discrimination of any sort based on gender, race, sexuality or any other part of a person’s identity will not be tolerated. We make every effort to make everyone feel welcome in the club regardless of who they are.

• Training weapons are, and should be treated as weapons. They should be handled with the respect of real swords, they are not toys. When swinging a weapon it is your responsibility to ensure you have the space to do so safely. If in doubt please perform a safety check by pointing out the sword in all directions in a slow and controlled manner. If another person is within this range or you do not feel comfortable swinging a sword with them at their current location please ask them to move away or refrain from swinging your sword until it is safe to do so.

• It is every member’s responsibility to ensure they try their hardest to avoid injury to themselves and others. Always be in control of your movements and sword, especially when drilling and in sparring. All blows in full contact sparring should be pulled, the strikes should be performed with the minimum force required to complete the technique effectively, NOT the maximum force the protective gear can withstand. All efforts should be made to avoid accidental injury in all circumstances, and to minimise the damage should an accidental injury occur.

• Any reckless sparring will be stopped immediately and participants may be temporarily or permanently banned from sparring or asked to leave the club. Any attempt to intentionally harm another person or excessive use of force will be considered as reckless sparring.

• Members are responsible for the maintenance of their weapons and to ensure they are in a safe serviceable condition. Steel swords should have flex and meet the club’s safety standards. Any swords that do not meet the safety standards of the club cannot be used in training or may only be allowed in limited activities. Steel swords should be free of burrs, nicks and sharp edges or points which can cause harm to other members. Swords which have taken a set and appear unsafe to flex will not be allowed in sparring. Shinai must be free of cracks and cannot be used for thrusting in full speed, full contact sparring unless performed by high level members where thrusts are pulled on contact.

• All weapon and gear should be inspected by an exec prior to it being allowed for use in training. If there is any concern a weapon or piece of gear may not be allowed for use in training or only in limited applications. These decisions are final so please check with execs prior to purchasing gear if you are unsure.

• Members must have the minimum protective equipment on before attempting an activity which has a protective equipment standard. For drills protective equipment will vary based on intensity and the level of the practitioners.

  • Technical sparring is where two practitioners do slow and controlled unscripted movements simulating sparring. This should not be done at full speed and the goal should be to stop before or at the touch. No force should be transmitted on blows. This can be done with shinai, synthetic swords or steel sparring swords with gloves and a fencing mask. High level members who have received clearance from execs may be allowed to practise this without gloves and a fencing mask.

  • Boffer sparring is where two or more practitioners do unscripted movements at or close to full speed with foam padded boffer swords to simulate live combat. Techniques should still be pulled and excessive force is not to be used, however, strikes are aiming to hit the opponent’s body. This is to be done with fencing mask, gloves and groin protection or chest protection as appropriate based on individual anatomy.

  • Full contact sparring is where two or more practitioners do unscripted movements at or close to full speed with synthetic or steel sparring swords, or in limited instances, shinai. This simulates live combat as closely as it can be done safely. Full gear is required for this to the minimum protection standard outlined in gear and equipment.

• “STOP” should be said if there is concern for you own or anyone else’s safety. Upon hearing “STOP” all members should stop what they are doing and point their swords’ tips to the ground. Anyone can call “STOP” if they feel unsafe and the safety of the situation can be assessed by an exec. It is to be respected even if you feel what you are doing is not unsafe. Alternative words with the same meaning should also be respected such as “HALT” or “FREEZE”.

• If any member has any medical or physical condition preventing them from engaging in a part of training it is their responsibility to let the execs and training partners know so that we can all keep you safe. Training activities may be modified or you may be asked not to engage in certain activities if they are high risk for you based on your condition.

• All members must ensure they have basic cleanliness and hygiene. You may be asked to leave if you or your gear has an unpleasant odour or is deemed a biohazard risk. Sparring jackets can be washed in the washing machine on a cool wash and hung to dry for a few days out of the sun and this should be done on a regular basis.

• Members should keep training spaces clean and organise their gear such that it does not become a trip hazard.

• If gear is borrowed from the club or from another member and it breaks, it is the responsibility of the person borrowing the gear to replace it or cover the cost of the gear in new condition, regardless of the condition of the piece of gear upon lending. This is to discourage excessive lending of gear and to avoid the lender letting people off for breakage of gear. Fixing or repairing the piece of gear is NOT sufficient.

• Due to the nature of the activities we perform, children under 18 are not allowed to partake in full geared sparring for their own safety. The level that they can participate in will be determined by their suitability as viewed at time of training. There may be some exceptions to this but these will be determined by execs and will be the rarity, not the norm.

• Fighting outside of the club or using the martial arts taught at the club to bring harm to other people is not allowed. Please obey all laws and do not otherwise bring shame or disrepute to the club.

• Training under the influence of alcohol or drugs is not permitted. If you appear intoxicated you will be asked to leave training without proof of intoxication. Some prescription drugs may affect your safety during activities as well and you may not be allowed to train while on these drugs. These include, but are not limited to: anticoagulants and blood thinners, antipsychotics, 1st generation antihistamines and sedatives. If you are unsure please check with execs prior to training, we do not need to know the medical reasons for why you are taking a certain medication, only if you are safe to train.

• Filming is permitted so long as you have the permission of everyone included in the video or photos’ permission to film them for that particular session. You will also need separate permission to post filmed footage or photographs on social media from everyone included in the footage.

• Special training activities such as archery and test cutting have their own safety talks and extra rules. Before participating in these special training activities you must have attended a safety talk specific to that activity and uphold the extra ruleset for those activities.

• In the case of incidents or risk of incidents the rules may change. They do not need to be updated on this rules list for them to be in effect. If an exec asks you to stop a certain activity for any reason you are to comply. All queries, concerns and complaints should be brought to execs.