The fencers participate at their own risk and discretion and should follow the spirit of the tournament rules. Each match should maintain a polite quality and instructions from tournament officials should be respected. Sportsmanship is of utmost importance for this event. As such, if unsportsmanlike conduct is witnessed by the tournament staff, the fencer or team can incur a card up to and including disqualification from the event.
The fencers will receive red and gold armbands before the match and will be referred to by their colours during the match. The fencers will start the match in their corners. The match begins when the Ring Director calls “fence”. When the director calls “halt”, the fencers must separate and return to their corners, until the director calls “fence” again.
Matches are fought to seven (7) points. If the match time runs out, the fencer in the lead will be declared the winner. If the score is equal when the time runs out or the point maximum is reached, the match will proceed to sudden death. No match will end in a draw.
There will be one Ring Director and two Judges presiding over each ring. The rings will be circular, with a diameter of seven (7) meters.
A match is fought for 2 minutes or until one fencer has reached the score cap of seven points. Timekeeping is paused during scoring. In case there is a longer break in the match for any reason, the Ring Director will call for a time-out.
When the time limit is reached the table will call “last exchange”. That exchange will be allowed to be run to its end, as long as the fencers are actively trying to fence. If the exchange becomes too passive, the Ring Director will call a break, ending the match.
After the match has ended, the table will announce the score and winner of the match.
Given the nature of competition, a fencer may become overly focused on the bout, and due to fatigue, injury, and/or heightened emotions, not act as though they would outside a competitive context. Accordingly, all fencers are required to have a Second, it is the responsibility of each fencer to arrange for a Second prior to match start. The Second serves as both the fencer's advocate and coach, and should be familiar with these rules and their responsibilities as noted below.
Seconds will be held to the same standard as fencers in regards to conduct. Violations in the process outlined below will result in the appropriate penalization to the fencer they are supporting.
The following targets are illegal, worth no points. Fencers striking these targets will receive warnings, and penalties following the outline in section 5, Errors and Penalties at the Ring Director’s discretion:
Only attacks with the edge, point, and pommel score points. All strikes must be executed in a controlled fashion.
Any loss of the weapon by a fencer prior to a weapon strike will result in 2 points awarded to the fencer’s opponent.
For loss of the weapon after a strike, the match will be halted and the strike(s) will be scored normally.
Loss of a weapon is defined as the weapon no longer being held in either hand by the fencer.
Judging will proceed as follows:
The scoring semaphore is as follows:
Scores will be determined as follows (the Ring Director is considered a judge for the purposes of this section):
To reiterate; after-blows and simultaneous hits are treated the same -- as bilateral hits -- and both fencers are awarded full points regardless of who struck first. The hits from both fencers are scored independently by the judges; the Ring Director is responsible for announcing the final score of the exchange, which the table records.
Incidental strikes, cuts with questionable edge alignment, very light cuts with the point and cuts made with a very small arc are considered No Quality actions and are not awarded points.
Indicating attacks with the sword to illegal targets may still score, for example indicating a strike to the back of the head during a grappling situation.
In a grappling situation a fencer can score by striking with the weapon. The Ring Director will halt the action in case of a judge calling “point”, if the director thinks there is a safety issue, or if the grappling is at stalemate (5 seconds of grappling elapse without a weapon strike). Grabbing and maintaining a hold on a stationary sword is allowed.
Double hits are scored the same as afterblows. Both kinds of exchange are considered bilateral hits, and both fighters will be awarded full points for legal targets struck within one half-second of the initial hit.
Matches may not end in a draw. In the event that match time elapses and both fencers have the same score, or in the event that both fencers reach the score maximum in the same exchange, the match will proceed to Sudden Death, wherein the first fencer to score more points than their opponent during an exchange wins the match.
Each match should be conducted in a safe and respectful manner. The penalties for errors against these guidelines are:
Any member of the tournament staff may call a halt to an exchange due to a cardable offense. Furthermore, judges may indicate a cardable penalty during the semaphore phase of the exchange evaluation by presenting a blaze orange flag. Two or more ring staff must be in agreement in order for a card to be issued.
Process Violations
Safety Violations
*If a fencer is not present at the match call they will be penalized with a Yellow Card. After one minute they will be Penalized with a Red Card. After a total of 5-minutes has elapsed, if the fencer is still not present they will forfeit the match. If both the fencer and the second are not present at the match call they will be penalized with a Red Card. The process will advance the same as above for subsequent penalties. If a fencer is consistently late to match, the Ring Director may disqualify them from the Tournament.
**If a fencer reports to the Ring Director for check in after gear check without required protective equipment with proper markings they will be requested to fix the offending garment. If they are unable to fix or replace garments they will forfeit the match. Directors have discretion to penalize the fencer as they see fit for the infraction. Purposefully using non-regulatory equipment will result in an immediate disqualification from the Tournament.
***See section 3 in-regard to roles of the second.
Cards remain in effect for the duration of the Tournament.
Fencers receive no points for any exchange in which they received a Card.
Each warning is recorded in the match protocol. If a fencer, second, or member of the audience is disqualified, they may be required to leave the Tournament premises immediately.
Unsportsmanlike conduct includes, but is not limited to, using foul language, throwing equipment, and threatening tournament officials.
In cases where an offense cannot be properly addressed by the Ring Director during the match it is possible for the Director or any of the fencers to make an appeal to the Tournament Manager. The Tournament Manager has the authority to remove match points from a fencer for a violation that hasn’t been fully addressed during the match.
While many violations specified above occur within the structure of matches and thus their consequences are easily implemented, some may occur outside of a match.
For those that occur outside of the structure of a match, the infraction will result in the appropriate penalty being leveled at the beginning of the next match the fencer is participating in or disqualification of the fencer from the Tournament grounds.
Ring Directors have the option to cause a no-fault forfeiture of a match for safety or mental health concerns.
If a fencer is injured by another fencer during the match, the Ring Director will call a three minute time-out and the first aid staff will examine the fencer and give them an opportunity to recover, if appropriate.
Once first aid has been provided, and there is no recommendation by first aid staff for urgent care or emergency services, and doing so does not pose a risk to other fencers, the injured fencer may choose to continue fencing at their own risk. The injured fencer may also decline to continue the match -- if they do so, they forfeit the match and the other fencer will not be penalized.
If on the other hand first aid staff recommend further medical care (urgent care or emergency services), the fencer who delivered the injurious blow will be disqualified from the tournament regardless of intention.
Injuries which occur without fault may result in a no-fault forfeiture of match by the injured party.
In the event of a suspected no-fault injury, a fencer may opt to take one 30 second timeout per match to self-assess for injury. Examples of a self-assessment might include removing a glove to check for bleeding, or testing the mobility and comfort of a limb joint. Subsequent requests for self-assessment timeouts are not allowed -- suspected injuries thereafter will require assessment by first aid staff.
The Ring Director will call a time-out for broken, malfunctioning, or displaced equipment.
If a fencer, judge, or audience member notices an equipment failure, they should point it out to the Ring Director immediately regardless of the status of the match. They may do this by shouting “Gear!”
If a piece of personal protective gear is broken, the fencer has three minutes to fix it or find a replacement. The fixed or replaced will be gear checked by the Ring Director. The timer stops when the fixed or replaced equipment is presented to the Ring Director. The timer will restart if the fixed or replaced gear is deemed unsuitable. If fixed or replacement gear is not possible, the fencer will forfeit the match.
Gear that is used mid-match as a replacement for previously-checked equipment needs to go through a full gear check and be cleared by tournament staff before the fencer can continue with matches. Fencers not present for match call due to equipment problems may be penalized with Cards.
This section describes the roles and responsibilities of the Tournament Staff.
Fencers and seconds may address the Ring Director after an exchange has been scored, e.g. by responding "not ready" to the director's question of "ready?" immediately prior to the match.
Members of the audience can direct their questions and comments to the Tournament Manager. The Tournament Manager can address the Ring Director between exchanges should the issue warrant attention during the match.
Anyone who has a question, complaint or comment between matches should communicate their issue to the Tournament Manager.
The tournament will consist of two rounds of pools and a final pool of five finalists. The first set of pools will be seeded by 1) rating and 2) club; to avoid as much as possible having fencers in the same club fight each other in pools. The second set of pools will be seeded by the results of the first set of pools.
The “wins and points” indicator algorithm from HEMA Scorecard will be used to rank fencers by their performance in pools.
The final pool will be seeded by the best-performing fencers from the combined results of pools 1 and 2. Cards/penalties will carry over between pools.
All fencers will be assigned to one of two competitive tiers based on their HEMA Rating.
The 15 highest rated fencers will be grouped together in Tier A. The 15 lowest rated fencers (including unrated fencers) will be grouped together in Tier B. If the tournament staff are unable to split contestants evenly, the final decision of what bracket the fencer is in will be left to the Tournament Manager.
Fencers are responsible for the equipment they use in the ring being functional and meeting tournament requirements.
The equipment checks that take place during the tournament are only to help the organizer to monitor the compliance to the regulations and aid fencers to comply with the same. Equipment checks may not be invoked to eliminate fencers’ responsibility in the case of a violation of requirements.
All equipment must be whole, clean and adequate for the tournament. Bare skin must not be exposed at any time. No loose equipment, attachments, or other clothing that might tangle or fall off will be allowed.
The following equipment is mandatory for all fencers:
Metal equipment, aside from the mask mesh, codpieces, and minor details in gloves, is not permitted. Additionally, metal gorgets made by Winter Tree Crafts are permitted if worn under the jacket collar.
No bare skin may be exposed when the fencer stands in any guard.
Fencers may be disqualified for failure to adhere to gear requirements.
If any part of one’s gear protrudes and is struck during a match, this will be considered a hit. For example, if one’s pluderhosen is struck with a thrust, it will be considered a thrust to the lower opening regardless of whether the part of the pluderhosen struck was covering the fencer’s leg. If the Tournament Manager deems any attachments to be a safety issue, they have the right to disqualify the gear until attachments are removed or a suitable alternative is provided.
Throat guards, athletic cups, and chest protectors are to be worn under the outermost layer of clothing. However, codpieces and breastplate-style plastron chest protectors worn on the outside are also permitted.
All fencing masks must be three-weapon FIE masks, in good condition, with no tears, large dents, or rust. The mask must fit the fencer; a mask that comes off too easily will be disallowed.
The mask must include an overlay with protection for the back of the head.
Horsebows masks, and Leon Paul Melmets will be allowed, so long as they are free of deep dents, rust, and are otherwise in good condition.
No additions to masks (e.g. a sallet) will be allowed, regardless of whether the sallet is worn up or down, due to the added risk of injury from a thrust.
The gorget must be rigid and constructed so that it will protect the trachea from a committed thrust.
The gorget must be worn under the jacket collar.
Hard plates in a jacket collar, fencing mask bib, or otherwise are supplementary protection - they do not replace the need for a fencer to wear a gorget.
The protective jacket must be reasonably padded and constructed so that it will stop a thrust from a broken blade. Jackets with armpit holes or jackets that are open in the front are not allowed.
The jacket must be made of puncture resistant fabric rated for 350N or more. The penetration protection is not required for the back of the jacket. The jacket must continue to cover the torso when the arms are raised.
The fencer must also wear pants made of 350+ N puncture resistant fabric and the coverage of the pants must extend over the knee.
Gloves must protect all fingers, back of the hand, and wrist. An underglove must be worn with gloves that have an "open palm" (e.g. Sparring Glove Mittens). If you have a model of glove not expressly identified below, it must be cleared with tournament staff in advance.
Allowed Gloves:
Prohibited Gloves:
Elbow and knee guards should not displace easily. Wearing elbow and knee protection that covers the side of the joint is highly recommended.
Shin guards must protect the shin bone from the base of the knee guard down to the ankle.
Forearm guards must provide rigid protection for the forearm from the end of the elbow cup to the cuff of the glove. Forearm guards integrated into the glove are permitted also. If the gap between the elbow cup and forearm guard is deemed to be a safety risk to the fencer they will be asked to provide an alternative.
Shoes must enclose all toes and leave no skin exposed.
Groin protection must be rigid and worn beneath one’s fencing pants regardless of gender or presentation.
Codpieces worn on the outside of one’s pants are not considered suitable groin protection, and must be accompanied by groin protection worn beneath one’s fencing pants.
During gear check, tournament staff will request verbal confirmation that groin protection is present, and verbal affirmation by the fencer is considered a verbal signature.
Chest protectors are not required but highly recommended. Chest protectors should be rigid enough to protect in case of a blade break.
Feders must be made by a reputable HEMA sword manufacturer, have a blade no longer than 102 cm (40.16”), and have an overall length (OAL) no greater than 135 cm (53.15”). This length is without safety tip.
Feders must weigh at least 1.25 kg, and less than 1.7 kg.
Additionally, feders must flex with less than 18 kg of pressure. Blade flex will be measured when gear is checked using the Franklin method by pulling down at the cross; numbers claimed by the manufacturer will not be used to assess if a blade's flex is appropriate for use. Blades must return to their initial shape after flexing without being manually bent.
While all feders will be tested at the event to ensure they meet the aforementioned flex requirements, generally the following makes and/or models pass:
Based on our ongoing testing, the following models generally do not pass:
Blunts are not permitted, save for these exceptions:
Swords must be free from rust and burrs.
Regardless of whatever safety certification the weapons may have received, tournament staff reserves the right to refuse any equipment which is deemed unsafe or unsuitable for tournament use.
All blade tips must be covered, regardless of whether the metal tip is rolled, flared, spatulated, etc. Thermoplastic is the preferred tipping solution. Any other tipping solution must be covered with electrical tape; no bare metal, leather, or other material should be visible. Rubber tips are not permitted. Fencers are urged to tip their feders before the event, though tournament staff will apply tape as necessary.
