Version 1.2

“Victory belongs not to the quickest hand, but to the fencer who demonstrates superior skill, judgment, and honor.”

1. Purpose

The Indianapolis Fencing Club Pas d’Armes is intended to recreate the spirit of the medieval challenge while utilizing modern safety standards.

The object of the contest is not to collect points, but to demonstrate superior martial skill through clean, decisive, and historically sound fencing… and have a lot of fun!

Every exchange should represent a combat action capable of ending the encounter.

The tournament rewards:

• Skill
• Judgment
• Initiative
• Defense
• Control
• Honor

The tournament does not reward reckless exchanges, light touches, or simultaneous attacks.

2. Officials

Every list shall be supervised by:

• One Marshal (Director)
• Two Judges

The Marshal has final authority over all matters of safety.

Judges determine valid scoring actions.

3. Weapons

Approved weapons:

• Longsword
• Sidesword
• Arming Sword
• Sword & Buckler
• Rapier
• Rapier & Dagger
• Military Saber
• Messer
• Dussack

Not permitted:

• Spears
• Poleaxes
• Halberds
• Large Shields
• Two-handed Axes
• Flexible weapons
• Any weapon deemed unsafe by the Marshal

All weapons must pass inspection before competition.

4. Protective Equipment

All competitors shall wear equipment suitable for Longsword competition regardless of weapon.

Minimum requirements:

• 1600N fencing mask
• Back-of-head protection
• Rigid throat protection
• HEMA jacket
• Elbow protection
• Forearm protection
• Heavy HEMA gloves
• Groin protection
• Knee protection
• Shin protection
• Athletic footwear

The Marshal may prohibit any equipment considered unsafe.

5. The Circle

The contest shall be fought inside a marked fencing circle.

Leaving the circle voluntarily constitutes a Ring Out.

6. Salute

Before every Match:

The competitors shall

• Salute the Marshal.
• Salute one another.
• Assume Guard.

The Marshal shall command:

“Lay On.”

7. Valid Targets

Only Deep Targets score.

Valid targets are:

• Head (excluding the back of the head)
• Neck
• Upper Hands/Shoulders
• Chest & Body

The following do NOT score:

• Lower Hands/Forearms/Wrists/Elbows
• Hips/Legs/Knees/Feet

8. Quality of the Blow

A scoring action must demonstrate:

• Proper structure
• Correct edge alignment (where applicable)
• Proper mechanics
• Sufficient force
• Clear control

The judges shall consider:

“Would this action likely have ended or decisively altered the fight?”

If the answer is NO, no score shall be awarded.

The following never score:

• Light taps (searching for target)
• Grazes
• Flat strikes
• Whipping contact
• Incidental contact
• Sliding touches

9. Structure of the Match

A Match consists of four (4) Rounds.

Each Round is fought with one competitor designated as the Attacker and the other as the Defender.

The Attacker receives three (3) Passes during the Round.

At the conclusion of the Round, the competitors exchange roles.

The sequence is therefore:

• Round One – Fencer A attacks, Fencer B defends.
• Round Two – Fencer B attacks, Fencer A defends.
• Round Three – Fencer A attacks, Fencer B defends.
• Round Four – Fencer B attacks, Fencer A defends.

Each competitor attacks twice and defends twice, ensuring equal offensive and defensive opportunities.

If the Match is tied after four Rounds, a fifth and deciding Round shall be fenced, but points will not be counted towards determining the Champion.

10. The Pass

A Pass represents a single offensive challenge by the Attacker.

Each Round consists of three Passes.

Only the Attacker is eligible to score during a Pass.

The Defender’s objective is not to score points, but to successfully prevent the Attacker from completing the attack.

Each Pass begins with both competitors standing in their assigned starting positions under the Marshal’s command.

The Marshal shall command:

“Lay On.”

The Pass concludes immediately when:

• the Attacker scores a valid hit,
• the Defender successfully stops the attack,
• both competitors score simultaneously,
• either competitor leaves the circle, or
• the Marshal calls “Halt.”

11. Scoring a Pass

A Pass is scored only if:

• the Attacker lands a valid strike or thrust on a legal target,
• the action satisfies all Quality Requirements,
• and the Defender has not landed a valid counter-hit before or during the attacking action.

A successful Pass awards one (1) Point.

If the Defender successfully strikes the Attacker before or during the attack, no point is awarded, regardless of whether the Attacker’s weapon also lands.

The Attacker must therefore complete the offensive action without being struck.

12. Defender’s Right of Measure

The Defender is entitled to maintain proper fencing measure throughout the Attacker’s Pass.

To prevent the Attacker from advancing into unrealistic striking distance during preparation of the attack, the Defender may execute a Stopping Action.

A Stopping Action consists of:

• extending the weapon toward the Attacker,
• with or without extending the weapon arm(s),
• without stepping forward.

If this stationary action produces a valid hit upon the Attacker before the attacking action begins, the Marshal shall rule that the Attacker entered measure improperly.

The Pass is immediately lost.

No point is awarded.

The Defender does not receive a point.

This rule encourages historically correct measure and prevents competitors from beginning attacks from unrealistically close distances.

A Defender who advances forward while executing a Stopping Action forfeits the protection of this rule, and the exchange shall continue under normal fencing rules.

13. Simultaneous Actions

If both competitors score simultaneously, neither competitor wins the Pass. The Pass is repeated (if any left). Repeated doubles are considered poor fencing.

Three simultaneous exchanges in one Set result in a Warning.

Five simultaneous exchanges during one Match award the next Pass to the opponent.

14. Grappling and other techniques

Permitted:

• Blade binds
• Disarms
• Half-swording
• Pommel strikes (with control) for all weapons

Not permitted:

• Joint locks
• Wrestling of any kind
• Neck cranks
• Throws onto the head
• Ground fighting
• Striking after the halt

Competitors must release immediately upon the Marshal’s command.

14. Ring Outs (leaving the Circle)

A competitor who completely leaves the circle loses the Pass. If forced out by the opponent’s pressure, the opponent wins the Pass.

15. Unsportsmanlike Conduct

The Marshal may issue: Warning (Yellow or Red Card), 1 Point Penalty, Disqualification (Black card)

Examples include: Ignoring commands, Excessive force, Dangerous conduct, Disrespect, Equipment abuse, Intentional doubles.

16. Weapon Selection

All fighters must have at least 2 different weapons to be used during each Match.

At the beginning of each Round, the Attacker shall declare the weapon to be used for that entire Round.

After the Attacker has declared their weapon, the Defender may choose any approved weapon or weapon combination in response.

Once both competitors have declared their weapons:

• no weapon changes are permitted during that Round,
• substitutions are allowed only between Rounds.

This preserves the strategic element of historical Pas d’Armes while ensuring fairness for both competitors.

17. Tournament Format

The IFC Pas d’Armes shall be conducted as a Round-Robin Tournament.

Every competitor shall fence one Match against every other competitor entered in the division.

No elimination bracket shall be used.

The Champion shall be determined by the competitor’s overall performance throughout the tournament.

18. Tournament Scoring

Each Match consists of four Rounds.

Each Round is scored independently.

The competitor who scores the greater number of successful Passes during a Round is awarded one (1) Tournament Point.

If a Round ends in zero successful Passes, no Tournament Point is awarded for that Round.

At the conclusion of the Match, each competitor may have earned between zero (0) and six (6) Tournament Points.

Example:

Match:
Fencer A (red)
Fencer B (blue)

Round 1:
Attacker A – 2 points
Round 2:
Attacker B – 1 point
Round 3:
Attacker A – 3 points
Round 4:
Attacker B – 2 points

Total points:
Attacker A – 5 (winner); Attacker B – 3;

Match Result: Fencer A gets 1 Tournament point;

19. Determining the Champion

At the conclusion of the tournament, the Tournament Points earned in every Match shall be added together.

The competitor with the highest total Tournament Score is declared the Champion.

Because every competitor fences every other competitor, the Champion is determined by consistent performance across the entire field rather than by elimination.

20. Tie-Breaking

If two or more competitors finish the tournament with an equal Tournament Points Score, ties shall be resolved in the following order:

1. Total number of successful Passes scored during the tournament.
2. Fewest Passes lost while defending.
3. One additional tie-breaking Match conducted under the standard Pas d’Armes rules.

Honor

Competitors are expected to display:

Courtesy.

Self-control.

Respect.

Honesty.

Martial spirit.

Victory earned without honor is no victory.

The Marshal’s Decision

The Marshal’s decision regarding safety and procedure is final.

Judges determine scoring.

No competitor may argue after the decision has been rendered.

The Oath

Before the first Match of the day, all competitors shall stand together and recite:

“I enter these Circles freely. I shall fence with honor, respect my opponent, obey the Marshals, and pursue victory through skill rather than recklessness. May my conduct bring honor to the art and to those with whom I cross swords.”

Appendix A — Guiding Principles

1. A single decisive action is superior to many light touches.
2. Defense is equal in importance to offense.
3. Simultaneous blows represent failure, not success.
4. Every Match should resemble a historical duel, not a game of tag.
5. Honor and control define the true victor.