Code of Conduct and Safe Guarding Policy

  • Safeguarding document for Golden Monkey Historical Fencing, or GM HEMA. 

    Below you will find the correct standards for equipment, training expectations, and your conduct as a fencer on and off piste.

    This Safeguarding document aims to protect the fencers who train with Golden Monkey HEMA, the venues which we inhabit and respect, and abides by the insurance set to ensure the club is a safe and respected environment for training.

    Below, you will find Equipment Standards, Conduct and Individual Responsibility, Warnings and Behavioural Management. 

    In between the above sections are also sub-categories related to specifics you’d expect to find in each element.

    • At a minimum, all sporting attire must be fitted and appropriate. 

    • For ALL fencing, when on piste, you MUST wear a mask. You must also follow the below additional safety guidelines for your specific weapon system.

    • For foam weapons, it is heavily recommended that you use, at a minimum, soft-gel padded gloves.

    • Beyond foam: synthetic (plastic) or steel fencing trainers must be used with Steel-Safe Protective Equipment: kit requirements listed below under “Steel-Safe Protective Equipment”. Specific synthetics which are less hard-hitting, can be used with “Soft-Safe Protective Equipment”, also listed below, but the swords in question must be checked by an instructor.

    • Any weapons which are not foam, synthetic, nor steel, and have additional materials/materials that are customised/specific to your training weapon: the training weapon must be cleared by the Head Instructor, and NOT by anyone else.

    • When ANY weapons are in-hand, they should be pointed away, up or down from other fencers, spectators, or members of the space/anyone within the training environment, until you are fighting with someone adequately protected and ready. 

    • Steel-Safe Fencing can only be conducted when there are only Steel-Safe fencers in the fighting ring/piste/designated area. The same applies for synthetic/plastic trainers.

    • Fencing masks must always be worn when: 

      • Drilling (with a partner) handling any synthetic or steel weapons with the intent of striking each other.

      • Fixed-Sparring (A mixed between drills and sparring).

      • Sparring, or fencing in any capacity.

    With no fencing masks available, reasonable adjustments will be made by the Lead Instructor.

  • Non Steel-Safe fencers are only permitted to spar using foam weapons, provided they at least have a mask to protect them.

    Steel-Safe fencers must have these protectors detailed below:

    1600N Mask

    • the mask must fit well, cover and pull past the chin, and brace impact onto the collarbone and upper chest.

    Mask Overlay

    • The overlay must cover the back of the head with no large gaps.

    • The overlay must fit the mask well and not fall off during reasonable fencing actions.

    Neck Protector/Gorget

    • The gorget must have a cuff of some degree, and cover the neck adequately (at minimum, the Adam’s apple, and most of the front of the neck is not visible when the fencer has nothing covering the gorget).

    Jacket 350N (minimum)

    • Any fencing jacket with a 350N rating is applicable. 

    • It is heavily recommended you use a HEMA specific jacket, but you are allowed sport fencing jackets.

    Elbow Protectors

    • Any plastic or hard-material shell that adequately covers the elbow.

    • It is heavily recommended you get HEMA specific elbow protectors.

    • We will not allow soft gel-pad protectors for steel sparring, but they would be fine for synthetic.

    Forearm Protectors

    • Any adequate plastic or hard-shell material covering the ulna and radius. 

    • It is heavily recommended your arm protection covers as much as possible.

    • It is heavily recommended you use HEMA-specific forearm guards.

    *Heavily Recommended

    Chest Protector/Plastron

    • For Steel or Synthetic Longsword, Sabre, Arming Sword, Sidesword: Chest Protectors are strongly recommended.

    • Chest protectors are not necessary, but heavily reduce the chance of injury, including breakage of ribs.

    • For many competitions, chest protectors and mandatory.

    *Heavily Recommended

    Knee Protectors

    • MANDATORY for FULL CONTACT.

    • This goes for all leg protection. Provided you are fencing with someone approved by the Head Coach, you may spar without leg protection, but it must be upper-body contact only. You fence at your own risk and must ensure to minimise risk by not exposing your legs with actions conducive to having them struck.

    *Heavily Recommended

    Shin Protectors

    • MANDATORY for FULL CONTACT.

    • This goes for all leg protection. Provided you are fencing with someone approved by the Head Coach, you may spar without leg protection, but it must be upper-body contact only. You fence at your own risk and must ensure to minimise risk by not exposing your legs with actions conducive to having them struck.

    *Heavily Recommended

    Fencing Trousers 350N

    • For thigh protection.

    • Note that for most competitions, this equipment is mandatory.

    • If you are fencing anyone with steel, you must at least have a fabric material to cover the skin, this is to catch cuts or thrusts and reduce/minimise impact or scratched on your legs.

    Where-possible, have HEMA-specific equipment. If custom-made, the equipment must be checked by the head instructor to ensure it is adequate. If it is not, you will not be able to do steel sparring.

    PLEASE NOTE: the MINIMUM protection for Steel-Safe Sparring is adequate protection of the top half of your body. However, you must only fence against instructor-advised fencers (if someone is new to steel, they will not be someone you should spar with without full protective gear, always check with an instructor first).

    Without the bottom half, sparring targets and training should all relate to strikes about the waist.

    Soft-Safe fencers must have these protectors detailed below:

    Soft Sparring is any Sparring involving APPROVED synthetic or plastic trainers, or any custom trainers under material that has been approved by the Head Coach.

    350N Mask

    • The mask must fit well, cover and pull past the chin, and brace impact onto the collarbone and upper chest.

    *Heavily Recommended

    Mask Overlay

    • The overlay must cover the back of the head with no large gaps.

    • The overlay must fit the mask well and not fall off during reasonable fencing actions.

    Neck Protector/Gorget

    • The gorget must have a cuff of some degree, and cover the neck adequately (at minimum, the Adam’s apple, and most of the front of the neck is not visible when the fencer has nothing covering the gorget).

    *Heavily Recommended

    Jacket 350N (minimum)

    • A COVERING PROTECTIVE FABRIC IS NECESSARY! It does not have to be 350N rated, but is worn at the risk of the fencer.

    • Any fencing jacket with a 350N rating is applicable. 

    • It is heavily recommended you use a HEMA specific jacket, but you are allowed sport fencing jackets.

    Elbow Protectors

    • Any plastic or hard-material shell that adequately covers the elbow.

    • It is heavily recommended you get HEMA specific elbow protectors.

    • We will not allow soft gel-pad protectors for steel sparring, but they would be fine for synthetic.

    *Heavily Recommended

    Forearm Protectors

    • Any adequate plastic or hard-shell material covering the ulna and radius. 

    • It is heavily recommended your arm protection covers as much as possible.

    • It is heavily recommended you use HEMA-specific forearm guards.

    *Heavily Recommended

    Chest Protector/Plastron

    • For Steel or Synthetic Longsword, Sabre, Arming Sword, Sidesword: Chest Protectors are strongly recommended.

    • Chest protectors are not necessary, but heavily reduce the chance of injury, including breakage of ribs.

    • For many competitions, chest protectors and mandatory.

    *Heavily Recommended

    Knee Protectors

    • MANDATORY for FULL CONTACT.

    *Heavily Recommended

    Shin Protectors

    • MANDATORY for FULL CONTACT.

    *Heavily Recommended

    Fencing Trousers 350N

    • For thigh protection, and most competitions, this is mandatory.

    As fencers who are usually use synthetics are beginners or novice, my advice will always be to have adequate, full protection, even if you are sparring with upper-body targets only. However, on a case-by-case basis, approved by the Head Coach, you may do upper-body target sparring without leg protection, provided you have checked with the Lead Instructor of the session.

  • How should you conduct yourself as a fencer in a Golden Monkey HEMA space?

    In training spaces, or our online community

    • As a whole, you must conduct yourself with respect and kindness for others. 

    • We will not tolerate discrimination against: sex, race, disability, age, gender, maternity, civil partnership, religion, nor sexual orientation.

    • GM HEMA club venues and online spaces are safe spaces. Speech or action related to extreme politics is unacceptable.

    • We are proud supporters of the LGBTQIA+ Community.

    In sparring

    • Sparring is a privilege. If these rules are not followed, your right to sparring can be removed until behaviour improves, or in the worst cases, you will be removed from the club.

    • Basic sparring expectations: sparring is 1-1 friendly training between two fencers. It can range in levels of intensity, speed and goals, but largely, it should never be at “Competition Intensity”, unless in special cases. Anything which may be beyond competition intensity is strongly discouraged, and in some cases outright banned. See below “Competition Intensity” for further information.

    • You must know your sparring partner’s limits and needs. Relevant limits or needs include (but are not limited to): sparring intensity, valid targets to strike, grapples, asthma, injuries (to avoid striking), respect/conduct.

    • It is heavily recommended you have a dialogue including a three-step-check: #1 what intensity would you like to spar at? #2 what injuries do you have, or should I avoid striking anywhere? #3 what actions are allowed/banned (CHECK, do not assume: if your partner accepts kicks, grapples, throws)?

  • The Head Coach, Lead Instructor, and Appointed First-Aid Leads have a responsibility to give warnings, and under specific circumstances, are allowed to remove people deemed as safety hazards, which includes non-fencers (audience/non participants) from the venue and space if they prove a risk to themselves or the other fencers in the environment.

    Warnings: One for Safety, Two for Conduct, Three for Accidents.

    A leading instructor safeguarding the space has three clear types of warnings to deliver, before removing someone from a space.

    Three Warnings for Accidents. For actions where you are accidentally causing an issue, but it is not a severe issue, you will get three within a session. 

    After that, you are likely having a poor day, but the clumsiness happening three times or more can become a serious health concern. We would need to have a chat before things become serious, or if the warnings have been escalating, you may be asked to leave.

    Two Warnings for Conduct. For lack of respect to an instructor, or lack of kindness and respect to a fellow fencer in the GM HEMA space, you will be given two warnings by a lead instructor. The first for a misunderstanding is reasonable, but if a second warning occurs, you may be kicked out for repeated misconduct. 

    With the time, try to reflect on why your conduct was considered inappropriate.

    One Warning for Safety. For an action which compromises safety, regardless of intent, you will be asked to step away from what you are doing, or potentially asked to leave the session entirely to re-evaluate what is a reasonable and appropriate way to conduct yourself in a fencing community and space.

    A safety warning can include verbal violence or threat of such, and also severe accidental incidents.

  • Finally, if you have any complaints or issues related to another fencer, Safeguarding Lead or Instructor, you can email contact@gmfencingclub.org. This email will be read by the head of the club, and also can be accessed by the secretary. 

    If you wish to report in-person, find the Lead of the lesson. 

    If you wish to report the Lead of the session, you must find a different Coach or Instructor from the person you wish to raise a concern about.