Sign Language for Fighting Activities

American Sign Language (ASL) is already in widespread use in North American Kingdoms of the SCA, both by members and through the "Silent Heralds" who provide ASL interpretation. It is my proposal that ASL also has a place on the list fields, and that everyone can benefit from its use. In addition to participants who are deaf or hard of hearing, equipment worn by fighters (such as helms or fencing masks) as well as the open, noisy spaces were fighting occurs can make understanding the marshal very difficult.

In this handout are signs that can be used by marshals (and occasionally fighters) to convey common commands on the list field, much like how modern referees use hand signals. This list is intentionally short and sticks with the most important safety-related commands so that it will be easier to learn for marshals and fighters that are not necessarily familiar with ASL. Please note this is merely a offering of something useful, not a request for this to be a requirement.

I am not completely fluent in ASL, so I received assistance in selecting these signs from multiple ASL interpreters as well as a retired modern epee fencer who is hard of hearing. The content of this page may also change over time if I receive feedback from the signing community.

A few pointers on using these:

Speak the command clearly in addition to signing. Signs are meant to supplement commands, not replace them.
Use your dominant hand for one-handed signs or for the active hand in two-handed signs. If you are ambidextrous, choose a "dominant" hand and stick with it. I have heard conflicting information on switching hands, with some saying it can cause confusion (e.g. signing incorrectly from not being used to it, or confusing the viewer who is expecting the other hand), while others say it can be necessary such as when holding something with their dominant hand.
ASL is not English. It has it's own grammar and sentence structure, and often condenses certain sentences into one or two "words." The SCA also uses a lot of in-group jargon, and so some of these signs are not literal translations of words, but rather convey the concept of the call being made. This is the case for the commands "Lay on," "Hold," and "Edge of the world." While you could use ASL signs for each literal word of these commands, they wouldn't make much sense to an ASL user.
Questions are a little funny in ASL and vary with the type. For Yes/No questions, you raise your eyebrows and hold the final position of the sign, and maybe tilt your head forward, to convey you’re waiting for an answer. The raising of the eyebrows is like the rising tone at the end of a question sentence. Other questions use a "question word" sign such as "what," "when," or "where" to explicitly indicate the sentence is a question. More on this when they come up.
Many signs have a "typical" version and then one or more variations. In particular, some two-handed signs have one-handed variations. This is especially useful if holding a marshal's staff.
There are few signs or gestures included here that are not taken from ASL directly, but instead are either SCA-specific adaptations of ASL signs used by silent heralds (drawn from the SCA Sign Dictionary by Lady Nesscia), or are common non-ASL signals already being used in the SCA. I felt it was best to stick with signals we are already are familiar with, when possible.

NOTE: Links and videos will eventually be replaced with videos of myself. Some are still missing, but will be added as soon as I get a chance to film.

Oyez!

This is a sign everyone can use, and if you only learn one, this is it.
Note the hands are held at or slightly above eye-level, because you are trying to catch people's attention.

Are you prepared?/Stand you ready?

This command is condensed down to a single word: "Ready?" The hands make the shape used to sign the letter "R." Since this is a yes/no question, raise your eyebrows and pause at the end with the hands still raised to show you are waiting for a response. This latter aspect is especially important as often when you ask this question as a marshal, a fighter may have not understood and will turn to look at you after you have finished speaking.

One-handed variation

Make the same "R" hand-shape about a foot in front of your neck, then shake it side to side.

Lay on!

This particular command is signed as the word "Proceed."

Make a nice big gesture so it can be seen in peripheral vision.

One-handed variation

Very similar to the two-handed version above, but with only the dominant hand from the center of the chest.

Does this look familiar? Many marshals already make this gesture, perhaps out of some instinctual understanding.

Edge of the World

This sign literally means "Boundary." Make sure you are in a fighter's sight line!

One-handed variation

Link to video: https://www.handspeak.com/word/search/index.php?id=5946

I'm told by one interpreter that the tip of your pinky should draw a mostly straight, horizontal line.

Hold!

This is the sign "Stop."

This is not only an important sign, but it is also one of the most problematic. Most of the time, the person you want to convey "hold" to is not looking at you, and so you should not rely on a sign alone. Keep the following in mind:

Use your voice, because other fighters will hear you and their body language often will provide more visual cues that the action has stopped.
Get in their sight-line if you can do so safely. This is especially important if you know ahead of time that a particular fighter will not be able to hear you.
Don't be afraid to put your staff between fighters as an alterative to using this. This is even mentioned in the marshal's handbook.

Having a sign for "hold!" has other benefits. By giving the command a visual component, the marshal can "point" at the issue causing the hold, which is helpful for everyone else, especially in a melee. It also helps when a fighter heard the sound of the call, but is not certain of what the call actually was. If they turn and glance at the marshal, they will then see the sign and be able to confirm they heard right.

Variation with closed fists

Similar, but the wrist of the dominant hand comes down on the wrist of the non-dominant hand.
This version works when wearing clam-shell gauntlets, allowing a fighter to make the sign as well. It was created by William de Wolfe and Suzanne de la Ferté (our current Society Sign Herald).

Variation with a marshal's staff

Same as above, but with the staff gripped in the non-dominant hand. This version also makes the gesture bigger and more visible.

Are you satisfied with the conduct of this bout?

This is signing "Satisfied?" This is based on a rule specific to Atlantia but possibly may be used in other Kingdoms. Remember, raise your eyebrows and hold the final position of the sign to show it's a question. This sign is particularly useful if fighters are winded and may not have understood what you just said until they turn and look at you.

One-handed variation

Exact same gesture, but only the dominant hand is held to the chest.

Yes

A basic ASL sign. Note the position of the thumb is in front of the fingers, as in the letter "S." A common mistake is signing with the thumb on the side, which is the letter "A."

No

Another basic ASL sign.

What happened?

This is a fairly standard ASL sentence and is composed of two signs: a "what" question modifier, and the word "happen." This is best used when two fighters stop mid-bout and appear to be conversing, but it's not clear why they stopped. It is an open-ended question without presumption, which is good marshal etiquette.

Check your tip

Hold your dominant hand as though holding a sword, and use the thumb, index and middle finger of the non-dominant to mime twisting the tip of your invisible sword.

This is a rapier-specific command but I felt it was too important to leave out, given the extreme danger an un-tipped rapier presents on the field.

This is not a "standard" ASL sign per se, but rather is an adaptation of the sign for "sword" extrapolated into miming the action of checking the tip. Some marshals already do this gesture, and it's easy to understand, so why mess with it?

Multi-Word Announcements

These are signs that can be combined to convey different short sentences that are often done when addressing the populace. You will probably want to precede these with a call/sign of "Oyez!" to get people's attention.

Inspection

You would generally follow this with either "open" or "closed" below. That is, it conveys "Inspections are now open/closed."

Link to video: https://www.handspeak.com/word/search/index.php?id=5479

Field

You would generally follow this with either "open" or "closed" below. That is, it conveys "The field is now open/closed."

Link to video: https://www.signingsavvy.com/sign/FIELD/5049/1

Open

Like opening the lid of a box.

Link to video: https://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-signs/o/open.htm

Closed

Simply "open" in reverse.

Link to video: https://www.signingsavvy.com/sign/CLOSED/4972/1

Staff Signals

These are pre-existing visual signals already used throughout the SCA, though they don't appear explicitly in any document I've found. I am documenting them here because they are useful in their own right and it's often best to use signals people already recognize.

"Ready" and "Lay On" for single combat

This can be done by one or two marshals (on either side of the fighters), but they must act in unison for it to be practical.

When the fighters step into position, the marshal extends their staff so the end is between the fighters (or close to being so) and in their sight line. The marshal then asks if the fighters are ready, and after receiving confirmation, raises the staff up and withdraws away from the fighters while calling "Lay on!"

"Ready" and "Lay On" for melees

This signal is especially important when there are multiple marshals. One marshal must be chosen to act as Marshal-in-Charge for this particular scenario, usually the event MIC for that discipline, but sometimes this is delegated to another marshal.

Each marshal should determine their immediate area is safe and nearby fighters are ready for the melee. They should then raise their staff over their head and wait for the Marshal-in-Charge to make the call.

Once the Marshal-in-Charge can see that all other marshals on duty have raised their staves, and they are satisfied the scenario can begin, they should raise their own staff, give a call of "Make ready!" as a final warning. They should then shout "Lay on!" and bring their staff down in front of them, with all other marshals following suit.

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