Inclusiveness and Conduct

PLVA is an inclusive group for all that enjoy HEMA. Hateful language, expression of prejudices or intolerance of any kind, or general rudeness will not be tolerated. We believe that HEMA is for everyone and do our best to create a comfortable and safe environment for all our members.

Make sure your partner is comfortable with the specifics of an exercise and respect their wishes to stop at any point. Everyone has the right to step out of a lesson at any time if need be.

Our aim is for people to participate to the best of their ability and desire. There are members who are here for a bit of light activity and socializing, there are some trying to perform at very high levels, and there is a range in the middle. All are welcome and groups work to the lowest preferred intensity level in drills. Further, if you are new to HEMA, do not be alarmed to see experienced students working at higher intensities, they can do so with safety because of experience and competency; you are not expected (or allowed) to practice at such a level until you are ready.

Our training often involves close personal contact. Please refrain from making sexually suggestive or explicit remarks. These include, but are not limited to, remarks about sexual orientation, anything sexually or otherwise suggestive, and generally rude comments. We encourage participants to communicate with other members about any modifications they may require.

If you feel that your partner has taken things beyond martial contact and touch, please let us know so we can take appropriate action and remove the person as soon as possible. If you feel uncomfortable at any time, please speak with your class instructor or the club’s Welfare Officer.

We ask that you follow our inclusivity guidelines at any club-aligned social event. Good relations with club-mates are not only polite, but in the context of what we do, a safety measure.

Hygiene

While this is an athletic endeavor and perspiration is inevitable, we do expect everyone participating to respect their classmates by arriving to class having recently bathed, with clean hands and trimmed fingernails, in freshly laundered clothes, using deodorant, and having fresh breath. It is an embarrassing matter, but we do get up-close-and-personal with each other.

As we will from time-to-time practice in a rented facility, all participants are required to moderate language (i.e., mind the profanity), respect the facilities, and respect the staff, officers, members etc. of any facility we are using. When training at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Milford, the use of the word “ni” as an expletive is expressly banned (any Portuguese speaker using it as “neither” is okay).

Safety & Training Principles

We abide by the HEMA Alliance Safety Policy.

Please review the PLVA Disciplinary & Grievances Procedure here.

The goal is to study this martial art in safety while still striving for martial realism in our practice. We are all responsible for our own and each other’s safety. Please speak up if you feel you cannot participate safely or see something that concerns you in the class.

Improvement is the goal in drills and in sparring, not “winning”. Be a kind and considerate training partner to everyone at all levels of proficiency. Being otherwise can lead to immediate and permanent expulsion from training.

Who to speak to if you have concerns

If you feel these policies are being violated or have issues with the general conduct of class, please reach out to Jason L. Cook at perlavitaacademy@gmail.com or 203-727-0364 or the Club’s Welfare Officer at PLVAWelfareOfficer@gmail.com.

All communications will be kept confidential. 

Non-disparagement

Disparaging or derogatory statements regarding PLVA, its officers, instructors, or fellow club members made in a public forum may result in your immediate expulsion from PLVA. If you have an issue with the conduct of any member of the organization, there are a number of avenues (see “Who to speak to if you have concerns”) for seeking redress of any grievances. If you feel compelled to make disparaging or derogatory statements regarding the organization, its officers, or members, then clearly this is not a group you really want to belong to.

Personal insults are fairly obvious examples of what we seek to avoid. More subtle examples include comments that disparage the overall training philosophy, policies, or curriculum of PLVA in a way that goes beyond polite disagreement.

Examples:

1. “I don’t really like this technique’s interpretation; I can’t get it to work.” Acceptable, we encourage discussion and debate over our art. You probably should be having this conversation with your instructor or other members of PLVA, but a public discussion that is polite and respectful is fine.

2. “I don’t really like the way class is conducted; we should really be doing x instead of y. It’s dumb!”– Borderline and will probably trigger a warning if in a public forum. Again, this is a topic that should be discussed in-house, but it is understandable to vent to a friend.

3. “My instructor is really rigid. They won’t listen to me about how we should practice. They don’t know what they are doing and it’s ridiculous.” Why are you here?

Attendance

Registration for classes is mandatory and can be done by clicking the sign-up link in the class announcement. If you register but have to cancel, you are required to contact the class instructor as early as possible. If you register for class and do not show up or contact the class instructor before the start of class, you will be given one verbal warning.

After you have been warned, if you again register and fail to show up or notify the instructor you will be on a three-month probation. During this probationary period, you will be required to pay for your class at the time of registration in order to hold your spot. Payment must be completed by sending $10 to the club’s PayPal at perlavitaacademy@gmail.com at the time of registration. When you get to class, if you have a valid prepaid card you would prefer to use, let us know and we will punch your card and refund you $8. The remaining $2 will be considered a donation to the club.

If you are a club member, you can sign up for the waitlist instead of prepaying by adding your name to the appropriate thread in the Discord server. You will be put at the bottom of the waitlist and will be notified if there is space for you in the class. Non-members and those on a trial period do not have an option to sign up for the waitlist.

If you register and fail to show up or notify the class instructor a third time, your ability to participate in club activities will be terminated.

Class Fees

“First hit is free” - Your first class is totally free of charge.

During your 1-month trial, you can purchase an Unlimited Class Pass for $40.00, which allows you to take any classes you are eligible for over the course of the month so you can get a feel for what you like and what works for your schedule.  This Pass expires when your trial period expires.

Session fees thereafter are $10.00 per class in cash or through PayPal at the time of class.  Multi-Class Cards of up to 10 sessions may be purchased at a discounted rate of $8.00 per class, for a minimum of 5 sessions.  

Multi-Class Cards must be presented at the time of class.  Lost, stolen, forgotten, or misplaced cards will not be honored.  If you do not have your Card with you, you can purchase another Card or pay $10.00 for the session.  If you are unable to pay, you will be asked to sit out the class.

PLVA Membership

One month after your first paying session with us, you will have to decide if you want to continue. To do so, you will have to pay an Annual Non Refundable membership fee of $30.00 to PLVA. This goes mainly to cover the annual cost of registering the club with the HEMA Alliance.  You will also have to join the HEMA Alliance as a member, see “HEMA Alliance Membership.”

Membership gets you access to the club’s Discord server where you can ask questions and discuss HEMA with clubmates; access to the waitlist for full classes (on the Discord server); and access to the Member Resources section of the club’s website, which contains the club’s curriculum, additional training videos, and other resources.

One overriding goal for the fee structure is to do our best to match fees to club costs and try to build a small reserve for more club gear, bring in a guest instructor, or have a year-end party.

HEMA Alliance Membership

After your first session, the club will register you with the HEMA Alliance’s Introductory Class Coverage. The HEMA Alliance registration requires only your name and email, is zero cost, and creates no commitment during your trial period.  

After your trial period, you will have to join the HEMA Alliance as a member and maintain an annual membership with them.  Since this membership is what provides your insurance coverage, you will be required to show proof of membership to the club secretary every year upon renewal.

As the club is a HEMAA affiliate, you are eligible to sign up for an In-network Discounted Alliance Membership of $26.00 per year.  The insurance coverage goes with you to other clubs and events. Furthermore, discounts to HEMA Alliance members are available at various events and from suppliers of HEMA gear.

Sign up for a HEMA Alliance membership here.

Device Policy

Once class is called to order and through the end of formal instruction, cell phones, tablet computers, beepers, gaming devices, and anything else in the sole judgment of the instructor deemed not essential to training are banned from the training floor. Smart watches, Fitbits, and the like are acceptable during solo drilling for the sake of fitness tracking, but should not be used to receive messages or cause other distractions. They should be removed during paired drilling and sparring.

The use of a device during class is not only a safety issue, but is discourteous and disrespectful to your classmates and instructor(s).

If you absolutely need to access one of these devices, such as in the event of an emergency, please step off the floor quietly and take care of it.

During open floor, it is acceptable to use a device for training purposes (i.e. filming a bout, using the timer, or checking drill instructions). However, any such use that results in continuous browsing or other unsafe behaviors, is not allowed. If device usage during open floor time becomes an issue, you may be referred to disciplinary action.

The first violation of this policy will result in expulsion from class without a refund. A second violation will result in expulsion from the club. You will not receive a refund for your membership in PLVA, the HEMA Alliance, or the balance of your prepaid class card.

Gear and Sparring

Over time, you will be expected to acquire your own gear, with the priorities being appropriate closed-toed shoes, fencing mask, protective gloves, and sword (special note: our club standard is a steel blunt for training rather than a feder). The above and a fencing jacket and groin protection for both men and women are required for sparring. For clarity, it is required that you use your own gear for sparring; club gear is for use in drilling and light free play. Speak to your instructor for gear recommendations and requirements only after you read the gear recommendations on the website if you have additional questions.

Sparring requires clearance from the instructor that you are safe to yourself and others to undertake the activity and that you have proper equipment. Full Criteria can be found in our Curriculum, available to members.

We have club standard rules for sparring, including equipment, which will be made available to you as you progress towards clearance to spar.

Open Floor Time

After most classes there is a period of open floor time where you can practice on your own if you want. It is not the instructor’s responsibility to assign you drills at this time; think about what you feel you need to work on and get to it. The instructor will answer questions during this time, though they may also wish to get in their own practice or sparring, so please respect their time as well.

A KEYNOTE: Anyone who is waiting to spar but is not engaged as a judge has an obligation to assist less experienced students if they ask and if they are able, though they can disengage when their turn comes up to spar. Please be mindful that someone coming off a match who is tired is entitled to recover as well before assisting.