About:
This will be our first tournament. Its purpose is to give our fencers and other local fencers their first experience in competitive combat – in as smooth and stress-free a way as possible. We are including a foam sword format event for those who don’t have full protection yet – everyone is welcome to come and try!
This event will also help our volunteer directors practice judging in a real bout environment, while at the same time maintaining a friendly and open environment– everyone will be asked for opinions, suggestions, etc.
We will award 1st, 2nd, and two 3rd places.
The tournament check-in starts at 2 pm and ends 5 min before the beginning of the event.
The start time of each event:
Foam Rumble (Foam Longsword): 2:30 pm
Poking Fracas (Steel Rapier): 2:30 pm
Steel Brawl (Steel Longsword): 3:30 pm
Register:
Competition Rules
No one may claim ignorance of the rules
Table of Contents
Equipment
1. All equipment shall be inspected by event officials before the competition. Although every effort will be made to ensure safety, all participants enter at their own risk. They are responsible for their own equipment and will not hold event officials, organizations, or venues liable for injuries sustained.
2. Required equipment will include:
Steel weapons format
- Mask without defects with back of the head protection.
- Hard elbows protectors.
- Hard knees protectors.
- Protective Jacket.
- Protective gloves.
- Throat protector.
- Chest protector.
- Groin protection for men.
- Hard shin protectors.
All weapons must have rubber blunts, be free of sharp edges and burrs.
Foam weapons format
- Fencing mask (Our club will provide masks for foam longsword format if needed).
- Chest protector (Our club will provide chest protectors for foam longsword format if needed).
- Protective gloves (can be heavy leather gloves as well).
- Throat protectors.
- Groin protection for men.
3. Failure to meet equipment requirements will result in disqualification.
4. Equipment will be re-inspected by the director (or designated official) at the beginning of any direct elimination bout.
For more information about protective gear, please, refer to the article “What gear do you need to practice HEMA?” on our page.
Field of Play
1. Dimensions are a circle with a 16 foot diameter.
2. Starting position. Each combatant starts on opposite sides with their rear foot on the circle.
3. A fighter is out of bounds when they traverse the boundary completely with both feet. This is termed a “ring-out”.
4. A fighter who goes out of bounds may not score, however, they may be scored upon.
5. A fighter who continues to perform ring-outs may be warned and/or penalized under the rule.
Scoring and timing
- Any touch is scored 1 point for all competition formats.
- Pools are fought to 5 points or 1 round of 3 minutes.
- Elims are fought to 10 points or 2 rounds of 3 minutes.
- Double touches score no points.
- The final exchange will have no time limit. If the score is even, the bout will continue till a clear touch by either opponent is made.
- No points will be awarded after “halt”.
- The clock will not be stopped at a “halt”, however, the director may ask for time to be stopped if necessary.3
The Combat Rules
Longsword
- The target area includes the whole body except for four target zones, which, are forbidden:
- The back of the head
- The spine
- The groin
- The ankle and foot.
Hand touches below the elbow are not scored in foam longsword format.
Onehanded strikes and half-sword strikes are not scored in foam longsword format.
- The materiality of the hit. The hit must land on the valid target and with sufficient quality, within the time allotted by the director.
- Hits may be scored with the point (Thrust) or the blade (Cut or Draw Cut), including half-sword strikes.
- The quality of a hit is determined by the following:
- Edge geometry – Only cuts with the edge may score. Hits with the flat of the blade do not have quality and will not score.
- Blade placement – only cuts scoring with the upper half (foible) of the blade will be considered of quality. Hits with the forte do not have quality and will not score.
- Rotation – Only cuts with significant rotation may score. A simple touching of the target area may not have quality and will not score.
- The draw cut is correctly executed when at least half the sword edge is continuously pulled across the target.
- Half-sword and pommel strikes must be executed with control.
- Gripping of the blade: taking control of the opponent’s blade by grabbing it is allowed, however, if it is done during a cut action from the opponent, the fight will be stopped, and opponents get the point for a successful cut to the hand. The opponent also gets the point by pulling the blade from the grip aka cutting the hand.
- Illegal strikes – While historically accurate, for the safety of competition, the following techniques are prohibited and will be punished under the rules.
- Any hit with the crossguard, or forte of the weapon.
- Any cut or thrust with excessive force.
- Any cut that originates from behind the fighter: e.g. giant windmill strikes.
- Any strike to a prohibited target zone.
- A pommel strike, performed while holding or otherwise restricting the movement of the opponent’s head.
- Additional illegal maneuvers
- Wrestling, tripping, bars, and locks are not permitted.
- Strikes with the offhand are not permitted aka hits with a fist or elbow.
- Strikes with the feet are not permitted aka kicks with a foot or ankle.
- Strikes on a fallen opponent are not permitted.
- Takedowns or throws are not permitted.
- Turning back of the head towards to the opponent is not permitted.
- Disarming an opponent. If a fighter is disarmed or drops their weapon during the combat, their opponent will be awarded a point.
Exceptions:
– if the weapon was let go during a thrust toward to incoming opponent, to avoid a hard strike.
– if the weapon was dropped to grab the opponent’s weapon.
– if the weapon was dropped due to excessive power use of the opponent in push out of boundary action.
- Afterblows. Fighters must always protect themselves, even after performing a valid strike. Hits that occur immediately after a valid strike (a.k.a. Afterblows) are legal and will be counted. Afterblows that occur over one second after the valid hit aka “reaction strike” will be considered late, and not counted. The director decides if the afterblow is within the time.
- Double hits. If both fighters make a valid hit at the same time, no points will be awarded.
- Running onto the sword. If a fighter is in a position with the point of the sword directed at the opponent’s chest or head, the fighter is said to be in the in-line position. If a fighter is in an in-line position, the opponent must try to remove the threatening line. If they run onto the sword point without doing so, it potentially creates a safety hazard, and may be penalized under the rules. A yellow card will be issued if the director determines that the action was unsafe.
However, if a fighter is in the in-line position and thrusts forward or deceives the opponent’s attack, despite being hit, the running onto the sword penalty will not apply.
- Grappling. While, wrestling, tripping, throws, unarmed strikes, and joint or body locks are not permitted, fighters may engage in grappling. Grappling is defined as hand play to control the opponent’s weapon, ability to control their weapon, maneuver to gain a favorable position, and attempt to disarm the opponent. If, during the grapple, the fighting becomes confused or a stalemate is achieved, the director will stop the combat.
Rapier
That is for single rapier only competition. No daggers, cloaks, or other off-hand equipment is allowed.
- The target area includes the whole body except for three target zones, which, are forbidden:
- The back of the head
- The spine
- The groin
- The materiality of the hit. The hit must land on a valid target and with sufficient quality, within the time allotted by the director.
- Hits may be scored with the point (Thrust) or the blade (Cut or Draw Cut).
- The quality of a hit is determined by the following:
- Edge geometry. Hits with the flat of the blade do not have quality and will not score.
- Blade placement – only cuts scoring with the points or upper half (foible) of the blade will be considered of quality. Hits with the mid part or forte do not have quality and will not score.
- The draw cut is correctly executed when at least half the blade edge is continuously pulled across the target.
- Half-sword and pommel strikes are not allowed.
- Gripping of the opponent’s blade: taking control of the opponent’s blade by grabbing it is allowed, however, if it is done during a cut or thrust action from the opponent, the fight will be stopped, and opponents get the point for successful cut or thrust to the hand. The opponent also gets the point by pulling the blade from the grip aka cutting the hand.
- Illegal strikes – While historically accurate, for the safety of competition, the following techniques are prohibited and will be punished under the rules.
- Any hit with the crossguard, pommel, or forte of the weapon.
- Any cut or thrust with excessive force.
- Any cut that originates from behind the fighter: e. sabre strikes.
- Any strike to a prohibited target zone.
- Additional illegal maneuvers
- Wrestling, tripping, bars, and locks are not permitted.
- Strikes with the offhand are not permitted aka hits with a fist or elbow.
- Strikes with the feet are not permitted aka kicks with a foot or ankle.
- Strikes on a fallen opponent are not permitted.
- Takedowns or throws are not permitted.
- Turning back of the head towards to the opponent is not permitted.
- Disarming an opponent. If a fighter is disarmed or drops their weapon during the combat, their opponent will be awarded a point.
- Afterblows. Fighters must always protect themselves, even after performing a valid strike. Hits that occur immediately after a valid strike (a.k.a. Afterblows) are legal and will be counted. Afterblows that occur over one second after the valid hit (aka reaction strikes) will be considered late, and not counted. The director decides if the afterblow is within the time.
- Double hits. If both fighters make a valid hit at the same time, no points will be awarded.
- Running onto the opponent’s blade. If a fighter is in a position with the point of the weapon(s) directed at the opponent’s chest or head, the fighter is said to be in the in-line position. If a fighter is in an in-line position, the opponent must try to remove the threatening line. If they run onto the blade’s point without doing so, it potentially creates a safety hazard, and may be penalized under the rules. A yellow card will be issued if the director determines that the action was unsafe.
However, if a fighter is in the in-line position and thrusts forward or deceives the opponent’s attack, despite being hit, the running onto the sword penalty will not apply.
12. Grappling. While, wrestling, tripping, throws, unarmed strikes, and joint or body locks are not permitted, fighters may engage in grappling. Grappling is defined as hand play to control the opponent’s weapon, ability to control their weapon, maneuver to gain a favorable position, attempt to disarm the opponent. If, during the grapple, the fighting becomes confused or a stalemate is achieved, the director will stop the combat.
Penalties
- If a second yellow card is issued within the same bout it becomes a red card.
- Some penalties, depending upon severity, may be given an immediate black card.
- Any fighter given a black card will have their name stricken from the record and be replaced by “FIGHTER EXCLUDED”. All prizes, ratings, or honors are forfeited.
Yellow card (Warning)
- Failure to follow the director’s commands (ignoring “Halt!”, False starts, courtesy warnings, etc…)
- Delaying the bout (including continued ring-outs after a warning)
- Unjustified appeal
- Unsafe actions (includes willfully turning back to the opponent, tripping, intentionally falling, running onto the sword.)
- Out-of-control actions (including falling)
Red card (Penalty – 1 point awarded to the opponent)
- Performing prohibited or dangerous moves/strikes (2nd offense is a Black card)
- Hitting an opponent in a prohibited target area (non-intentional – does not include a substitution of illegal target)
- Substitution of an illegal target (i.e. turning back to the opponent in an attempt to get the opponent to hit an illegal target.)
- Offense against sportsmanship*
Black card (removal from the competition) can be given:
- Fighter aggressively using dangerous moves/strikes
- Offense against sportsmanship*
- Use of illegal equipment
- Intentionally hitting an opponent in a prohibited target area
- Vindictive, retaliatory, or rage strikes.
Additional penalties can be given to spectators, coaches, or non-combatants. A warning may be issued. An additional offense will result in ejection from the venue. In severe cases, ejection may occur immediately and without warning.
- Offense against sportsmanship
- Disturbing order
- Interference
*Sportsmanship
Sportsmanship is a broad term used to describe behavior and attitude during a sporting event. Participants are expected to exhibit good sportsmanship. This includes but is not limited to honesty, respect, fairness, and emotional control. Offenses against sportsmanship will be penalized under the rules.
It is considered poor sportsmanship to criticize officials’ decisions during the competition.
A fighter may address the director (not the side judges) to ask for clarification. It must be done in a respectful manner.
Appeals
A fighter may appeal to the tournament committee during the bout if they believe the officials have breached the rules. If the committee decides the appeal is unjustified, they will penalize them under the rules. The opinion of the judges on materiality cannot be disputed.
Contact
Please, contact organizers if you have any questions or suggestions