The School of Historical Fencing follows this code of conduct.
SUPER EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Behave with respect; Strive to be humble; Help other people.
SAFETY
We are all responsible for our own safety, the safety of our training partners, and the safety of other people at the school.
- If an activity will injury you – don’t do it. Ask for help!
- Call HOLD if you feel or see anything unsafe. Say TOO HARD if a blow against you is too hard.
- Any person who exhibits behaviour that, in the judgement of the Instructor, is a danger to themselves or others, shall not be allowed to participate in training until the Instructor determines the danger is no longer present.
- Persons must not attend training under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs.
- Persons must not train if they are suffering from the flu or other viral infection that may be passed on to other persons.
- Participants must not point a weapon at a nearby, unmasked person. When walking with a weapon or waiting for instruction, the point of the weapon should face downward toward the floor.
- Steel swords must be stored securely at the salle or at home according to the rules laid out by the Victorian government.
- We are committed to being a child-safe organisation, with no tolerance for child abuse. SHF instructors and representatives must also abide by the Child Safety Code of Conduct, and follow the process for reporting concerns about child safety and disclosures of abuse.
RESPECT
Respect means considering other people’s needs and feelings. We must act courteously, listen, and make sacrifices for others.
- Students will arrive on time and be ready to begin work at the scheduled start time of the class. If lateness is unavoidable, the student will enter the salle quietly, get ready to work quickly and await instructions on joining the class.
- Everyone will attend class in a reasonably clean state (the salle has a shower, if you’d like to use it), and wear appropriate attire. This is especially important when wrestling is taught, where a minimum of a t-shirt and shorts is required.
- Remember when training for a martial art we are participating in a close and confrontational situation so always ask permission to take someone to the ground or make close physical contact.
- Clearly agree when beginning pair exercises by saluting before and after drills or sparring.
- Don’t use equipment that is not yours without asking first! Put all used equipment and material back in the proper place after use.
INCLUSION
Swordsmanship training is appropriate for any person who can behave
reasonably. The School welcomes people of diverse gender, race,
ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, ability, and age.
- Treat your fellow students with courtesy and civility at all times.
- We do not tolerate harassment or abuse of any kind. Harassment includes, but is not limited to, offensive language related to gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disability, religion (or lack thereof) or physical appearance, as well as deliberate intimidation, stalking, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention
- Physical contact between persons who are training must be appropriate to the situation and necessary for the skill development of those persons.
- Any form of discrimination based on sex, ethnic origin, language, colour, or other form of differentiation will not be tolerated.
TRUTH
Historical European Martial Arts is a search for truth; biases, ego, and untruths must be put aside.
- Ask questions; if you don’t understand others probably don’t either. If the answer isn’t relevant to the task at hand your instructor may answer your question after class.
- Disagree politely and save debates for after class
- Don’t give advice or feedback unless the other person has explicitly opted in. If you or your drill partner is struggling with an exercise, ask for help from the instructor or assisting instructors.
i.e.
Student A: “Would you like some feedback?”
Student B: “No thanks”
Student A: “Ok, no worries”
ISSUE RESOLUTION
- If you have a negative experience with someone we encourage you to deal directly with the person first to try and resolve the issue.
- If this does not work or if you feel unsafe/uncomfortable in dealing directly with the person, please seek the assistance of the instructor for that class
- If your issue is with the instructor please seek the assistance of the head instructor (Gindi Wauchope).
If you have a negative experience at one of our events, we fully encourage you to report it using our Incident Report form, anonymously if you wish.