Re: Suspension of Certain Combat Arrows

[Donald Wagner <polearmed@att.net>]

Poster: Donald Wagner <polearmed@att.net>

MTR/AAHR wrote:
> 
> Question?
> How can one lose an eye or suffer a devestating injury to the face if they
> are wearing  prper head gear, i.e. a helm with the proper spacing between
> the bars allowed by Kingdom rules, which I believe to be a 1" space verticle
> or horizontal.  I saw a Balder Blunt, ain't no way, one of these could fit
> into a 1" space.
> In other words, I too, don't understand how, after just ONE injury,a weapons
> form is pulled.  I could see if it was after several injuries in a row or
> so. I mean, RAPIER is far more dangerous then combat archery. Come on, a tip
> could fall off on the way to a strike and seriously injure someone, or a
> person can get over zealous and slash a person across the leg or arm, and
> believe you me, it don't feel too good when it happens.
> Just wondering.....
> -Wolfe

Wolfe,

The arrow bounced straight back without turning and entered the grill
nock first, about two inches below the eye.

Os, I know you're not trying to be an a**hole.  Stephan is simply trying
to determine if this is something that we can expect from the blunts.  I
haven't seen bounce backs from markland blunts but the Baldr blunts seem
to store more energy, especially when used on a fiberglass shaft.  I
have no doubts that we will once again use Baldr blunts and the archers
should rest easy(besides, if they can't use them in Atlantia, they can
sell them to blind or popeyed Ansteorrans and Trimarians); however,
there may be different requirements for heavies(eye protection) or
changes made to the nock side of the arrow.

The scary part of this is that the arrow bounced straight back
approximately ten feet without turning blunt first, and at an speed
adequate to bruise and cut a lip, and loosen bridge work in the
recipients mouth.  It may be one incident, but it is extremely
significant.  Archers don't want to seriously injure people any more
than you do.

It is my assumption that an appropriate divot cut out of the direct
front of the Baldr blunts would force the arrow to bounce another
direction instead of straight back.  If the arrow bounces off an
immovable object and bounces any other direction but straight back, the
aerodynamics of the fletches will force it to turn blunt first rather
than retraces its path into someone's visor.

Now I'm not trying to be an a**hole either, but.........
Give Stephan real and useful feedback.  We all understand that great
investment for the blunts has been extended and we empathize with those
caught in this so midstream(I bought a bag for our archer corp to use
myself).  Continued bitching, moaning, and general whining because "it's
only one incident" is elementary behavior and serves no intrinsic
purpose but to bring attention to the fact that you'd rather take a
chance in putting someone's eye out than to wait a little and discuss
the results, or be involved in the testing process yourself.

Stephan's actions prove that we are a mature organization whose interest
in martial combat is only matched by our concern for the safety of its
participants.  


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