🚀 go-pugleaf

Among the other recent suggestions about "reforming" fighting was one
comment that no weapons styles that could not be documented to pre-1450
Western Europe be allowed.  One of the proposed styles to be banned was
spear and sword.  This was a weapon`s style which was extremely popular
with the Norse.  A short slashing sword was commonly used in conjunction
with the Norse halberd (which is apparently a wide bladed spear).  It 
believe that there is a reference in Grettir`s Saga.  I`ll try to track it
down.

In any case, the point I'm trying to make is that banning weapon`s styles
as being unperiod is going to be more than a little difficult.  Give a few
days, I can probably document just about any form you want using some 
(possible obscure) reference.  If you want to crack down on inauthenticity,
there are a lot better places to start than some of your proposals.
For example, those $%^&$&* plastic shields from the bridge battle last Pennsic.
They were so flexible, they were impossible to hook.  

On the plus side, the worst offenses which I have seen seem to be among the
newest fighters.  In general, the longer some one stays with things, the better
their armor and equipment tends to look.  The cultural assimilation process
does seem to work fairly well still.

			hrothgar