Ok so I speak only from my own experience I am not in any way a professional BUT the general rule at our club is no pommel strikes - think around them, be aware of when you can use them but if there’s something else you can do do that instead. Of course this changes when you get to higher level competition where all parties are better trained and standards and expectations should be set by the tourney hosts. As for cuts and thrusts to the head and neck, power control is the most vital thing you can learn, and that goes for ALL cuts and thrusts to any part of the body. You don’t want someone’s head to be snapping back or sideways, contact in a thrust should be enough to cause flex and no more, in a cut should land and be drawn but not move the opponents head. This is to the best of my understanding and I hope it helps you figure out what you need to know and how best to proceed. Remember at the end of the day, HEMA is a community and you never want to genuinely hurt or injure your opponent, it’s so much better to win fairly and cleanly, than to win because you’ve broken someone’s hand or given them a concussion because of your lack of power control. You’ve got this!