Code of Conduct

Document Purpose

This document highlights expected behaviors and conduct of club members that reflect CKDF’s consent-based/opt-in safety culture, include rules for drilling, sparring, and instructor conduct.  

With the adoption of our Inclusivity Statement and a focus on building an exemplary club atmosphere where all are welcome to study, practice, and learn, this document lays out expectations for club members and serves as a reference for safety rules and practices.

All CKDF members must understand and embody the practices listed below.

Inclusivity Statement

CKDF is dedicated to providing and maintaining a safe training space for Historical European Martial Arts. All are welcome, and we will not tolerate discrimination based upon sex, gender identity and expression, race, sexual orientation, disability, nationality or national origin, ethnicity, age, or religion. Harassment of any sort is similarly not tolerated. Club members who demonstrate a lack of respect and compassion for their training partners will be reprimanded, and may be asked to leave the club.

Behavioral Expectations

All members are expected to demonstrate behaviors exemplifying the CKDF Inclusivity Statement. All members will treat each other with respect and courtesy. This includes using correct pronouns and names while accepting that a member’s pronouns and name may change. Discriminatory language, behavior, or any sexual misconduct will not be tolerated.

Reporting Behaviors

Members who experience harassment, unwanted attention, unsafe training, or unsafe sparring scenarios are encouraged to report these incidents to an instructor or to info@capitalkdf.org. Their anonymity will be preserved. Council Members are all designated safe people and will proceed with taking the necessary actions with the offending party. A list of Council Members is located here.

 

Drilling Rules

“Drilling” refers to a structured exercise during class led by an instructor that demonstrates a fencing concept. 

In accordance with CKDF’s consent/opt-in safety culture, you must:

1. Wear minimum safety gear.

   • Groin protection appropriate for your personal needs is required at all times. If in doubt, ask an instructor.

2. Be a good partner - no winning the drill.

   • In a drill, the agent is the one doing “the technique” while their partner feeds them the correct stimulus. 

   • When you are the partner, you must identify the correct stimulus for the drill and provide only that stimulus, refraining from applying other techniques to beat the agent or spoil their technique as if the drill were sparring.

3. Save fencing advice for after class, unless your partner asks for your feedback.

   • During class, do not volunteer unsolicited fencing advice, make tweaks to your partner’s fencing, or otherwise offer instruction to your partner. Only instructors and designated co-instructors are allowed to make corrections or offer advice to improve technique during class.

   • If a drill is not working, flag down an instructor. Or, ask your partner “I think I see what the issue is that’s messing up the drill, can we make a tweak and see if it helps?” before proceeding. If that doesn’t fix the drill, flag down an instructor.

   • Instead of volunteering advice during a drill, ask your partner “I think I see some tweaks that could help with X technique. If you have time after class, I’d be happy to show you.”

   • On the flip side, feel free to ask for advice/feedback from your partner during a drill, if you're interested in their opinion! More senior members often have lots of tips and insight to share, but should hold their insight until their partner asks for advice.

4. Tap, and adhere to your partner’s tap.

   • “Tapping” is when you tap on your partner’s body signaling them to immediately stop what they are doing. Usually, this is during a joint manipulation like an arm lock or practicing other kampfringen.

   • Tapping is both physical and verbal -  say and listen for “tap tap tap” or agree with your partner to another verbal cue to signal the tap.

Techniques involving levels of joint manipulation will always be explained in detail during class and will have extra supervision from instructors and assistant instructors. Locks are prohibited in sparring.

 

Sparring Rules

In accordance with CKDF’s consent/opt-in safety culture, you must:

1. Treat sparring as a training tool.

   • Sparring is a drill where each partner is attempting to fence successfully while also preventing their partner from doing the same. Sparring is not a competition to “win,” but rather a way to train your aptitude in dynamically solving fencing problems in the manner taught by the historical fencing system you are studying.

   • You must not engage in sparring unless you are mentally prepared to treat it as a training tool.

   • By treating sparring as a series of problems to solve, as opposed to a competition to win, we allow ourselves the emotional bandwidth to remember the following rules.

2. Wear minimum safety gear.

   • Groin protection appropriate for your personal needs is required at all times. If in doubt, ask an instructor.

   • Steel/Pentti: A mask is required for sparring at any speed. Gloves are required at faster speeds. Full sparring kit is required for full speed - ask an instructor to clarify what full sparring kit means.

   • Boffers: No special gear is required at slow to moderate speeds. A mask is required and gloves are recommended at faster than moderate speeds.

   • If in doubt about minimum gear, ask an instructor.

3. Discuss the sparring parameters of:

   • Intensity/speed - no faster than appropriate for the least-geared partner

   • Level of ringen/grappling

     1. The levels are: No ringen; To the entry; To the lift; To the throw. Ask an instructor what these mean in practice.

     2. Joint manipulation is prohibited in sparring - e.g. arm locks, kampfringen.

   • Injury-related limitations including off-limits targets, movement limits, other “off-limit” techniques.

4. Salute, and fence at the slower of the two speeds.

   • Both partners salute at the speed that each one wants to fence. 

   • The speed of the subsequent sparring must be at the slower of the two salute speeds.

5. Immediately pause sparring if at any time you feel unsafe and express to your partner what made you feel unsafe.

   • Unsafe actions could be increase in speed, too much force, targeting the back of the head / spine, simulating joint locks, initiating ringen beyond the agreed-to level, or anything at all that feels unsafe in that moment.

   • If your partner pauses sparring to tell you that you’ve done something that feels unsafe to them, make sure to fully understand the issue so that you can refrain from doing it again. 

   • If you are unsure whether you can refrain from doing the unsafe action again, like if you’re fatigued and it’s harder to maintain control, recognize that it’s time to conclude the sparring session instead of risking injury by continuing.

6. Pause and confirm changing sparring parameters.

   • The speed of sparring tends to ramp up when both partners feel safe and confident. However, as soon as you realize that the agreed-upon speed has changed, pause to verify that your sparring partner is comfortable with the faster tempo. Say “That last exchange was faster than before - is that speed OK, or should we slow it back down?”

   • Similarly, the level of ringen can ramp up above the agreed-upon level. If that happens, you must pause to verify the level of ringen with your sparring partner. Say “That last grapple lifted me up, but we agreed to the entry. Let’s keep it to the entry, OK?”

   • Always fence to the slower speed/lower level of ringen preference.

7. Pull strikes to the head, especially with boffers.

   • Masks do not protect the brain, so you must protect your partner’s brain by refraining from forceful hews, thrusts, and other strikes to the head in sparring. This is called “pulling” your strikes.

   • Aim to merely touch the head, or simply demonstrate that you could strike the head with a clear opening. Contact is not necessary to show your success in targeting the head. You can also target the shoulder as a concussion-proof head alternative.

   • On the flip side, remember to acknowledge when your partner has refrained from striking your head despite gaining a clear opening to do so, and protect yourself by always defending your own head.

8. Recognize your mental capacity and monitor your partner’s as well.

   • If at any point you observe frustration, freezing, poor decision making resulting in “movement loops,” or repeated failure to defend attacks, it is time to end the bout and take a break.

   • Sparring is a series of multiple simultaneous decisions.  Sometimes our brains get tired before our bodies do.  It is important to recognize decision overload and give ourselves time to rest and reflect on our fencing exchanges.

 

Instructor Expectations

When members take on an instructor role, they are held to a higher standard and are subject to additional expectations.

Instructors will refrain from inappropriate relationships with students.  Inappropriate relationships may result in an instructor being asked to step down and in severe cases to leave the club as a whole. Sexual misconduct or discriminatory behavior of any sort will not be tolerated.

Instructors will provide coaching in friendly and respectful ways. Demeaning or abusive feedback will not be tolerated. Physical contact should not be relied upon when providing feedback. Instructors should be proficient in body positioning to a point where words and descriptions can be used to achieve desired feedback. Instructors should always seek consent prior to physical contact with students and refrain if the student does not provide consent. Inappropriate physical contact will not be tolerated. This includes but is not limited to caresses, gropes, and intentional contact with breasts, buttocks, and genitals.

Instructors should lead safe classes at appropriate training levels for the student population.  Unsafe training tactics will not be tolerated. Lessons should be scalable and a safe atmosphere should be enforced at all times. Instructors should encourage students but not push them to participate in environments where they feel unsafe or vulnerable to injury either mental or physical. Drills where intensity may be a concern will also need to be explained clearly so students can determine how they will participate.

Instructors should ensure that the necessary safety equipment is worn for all class activities.  Equipment requirements should be made clear at the beginning of all drills.  Students who fail to follow these requirements will be excluded from participating in drills for their and their partners’ safety.