====== Youth Combat ======
**Youth Combat** is a form of martial activity that involves padded weapons (called "Boffers" or "[[activities:martial:boffer_combat|Boffer Weapons]]". The SCA’s Youth Combat program gives children from ages 6 through 17 the opportunity to participate in a kid-friendly version of adult armored and fencing combat. The program emphasizes courtesy, honor, and service as well as skill and safety.

Children of all genders divided into three age brackets, called Divisions:
  * Division 1: ages 6-9;
  * Division 2: ages 10-13,; and 
  * Division 3: ages 14-17.

Note that the divisions are guidelines, rather than hard and fast rules; a child may be in a higher or lower division based on their physical size and maturity, in order to ensure that fun is had.

Just like [[activities:martial:armoured_combat|Armoured Combat]], Youth Combat can be single combat or melee combat, with tournaments and even battles organized at events.

In addition to Youth Combat (which is analogous to Armoured combat), there is also a [[activities:martial:youth_rapier_combat|Youth Fencing]].

===== See Also =====
  * [[people:people_by_interest:Youth_Combat|List of People Interested in Youth Combat]]
  * [[activities:martial:youth_rapier_combat|Youth Fencing]]

===== External Links =====
  * [[https://www.sca.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/YouthMartialHandbook.pdf|Youth Combat Handbook]]