SMC HEMA Rapier Tournament

Join Swordmaster's HEMA club for our Rapier Tournament at the UBU Expo inside the Orange County Convention Center!! Licensed and Sanctioned by AAU & The Fencing League of America. This is a bring your own Rapier Tournament so naturally they will be inspected before the tournament starts along with protective gear. Weapon Guidelines: All Rapiers must have a rubber tip or equivalent. Max length is 58 inches from tip to pommel. Only rapier blades can be used. Other blades meant for classical or olympic fencing are prohibited. Blades must be Medium/Heavy thickness with a minimum flexibility of 0.5"(12mm). We will be testing the flexibility of each blade being used. Cost for entry into the Tournament will be collected through Askfred.net (30$) and AAU membership is REQUIRED (16$) for the sake of insurance. This is only if you don't already have an AAU membership. Gear inspection will begin at 630pm with the plan to kickoff the tournament at 7pm. Protective gear required: Appropriate head protection with back of head Throat/trachea protection Heavy padded Hema jackets or padded Gambeson, light Gambeson, Modern Fencing jackets(not recommended but allowed) Hard leg protection. 3 points covered and covers the shin Hard elbow protection. 3 points covered. Protective gloves of a lighter make and model, no lacrosse or hockey, workers or gardening gloves. Groin protection required for Male fighters Chest protection required for female fighters. No exposed skin. Rapier Tournament Rules Round Conditions -A round shall consist of up to 90 seconds of guaranteed fight time. Timing begins when the director calls “Fight” and pauses when the director announces “Hold.” If the 90 seconds ends in a draw, a sudden death point will decide the bout in knockout phases. -A round will end at either 10 points, or at 90 seconds, whichever comes first. Point Values -Points will be scored by valid (defined below) cuts or thrusts in the following manner: -3 points to the mesh or bib of the helmet -2 points to the torso -1 point to the limbs Valid Strikes: Points will not be awarded for touches with the sword, but must be delivered with sufficient intent and not excessive force. With the exception of the groin: ALL AREAS ON THE BODY ARE CONSIDERED VALID TARGETS. This includes, hands, fingers, and feet. Cuts: For a cut to be considered valid it must have martial intent and force. Thrusts: Thrusts must be delivered in a committed manner, rather than pokes which make superficial contact. A sword bend is not required, but if the sword is at full extension and makes minimal contact, then the thrust is not valid. Slices: Slices to a target must use the majority of the blade edge in friction, and should affect the structure of the opponent. Afterblows If after the initial blow lands, the opponent also lands a substantial strike in tempo (the attack must have been launched within the tempo of the first strike’s period between initiation and contact) one point will be deducted from the score awarded. Simultaneous Contact If the director and judges cannot reasonably discern which strike landed first, no point will be awarded. After two such instances within a bout, 1 point will be deducted from each fighter for each subsequent simultaneous strike down to 0 points. If one fighter reaches 0, no points will be deducted from either fighter. If 5 double hits occur who ever has the most points at the time takes the match. In the result of a tie after those double hits, the next point wins. Grappling Any direct physical control of the opponent will be limited to use of the hands and arms to isolate and control the opponent’s weapon or arms. No greater than 3 seconds of grappling will be allowed prior to a call for hold and separation without point awarded. Disarms If a fighter is disarmed, the armed opponent may demonstrate a light, controlled strike for a point. Excessive force applied will be deemed an uncontrolled strike. The disarmed fighter may attempt to retrieve their blade provided that they do not expose their back to the opponent. Illegal Targets and Techniques No point will be awarded for strikes to the groin, or back of the head and neck in regions not protected by an unsupplemented helmet. Uncontrolled strikes (those deemed as flailing, unsafe, or with excessive force by the director) will not be considered substantial, and will result in a warning recorded by the director. The second uncontrolled strike within the tournament will result in a yellow card, and a third will be a red card. Any individual red carded will not be allowed to participate in the next tournament held by this organization. Any use of punches, elbows, kicks, knees, trips, takedowns, or throws, will result in an immediate red card. Unsportsmanlike verbal conduct will follow the same warning escalation as uncontrolled strikes. Unsafe body movement including rolls, slides, and dives will follow the same warning escalation as uncontrolled strikes. Strikes delivered after a hold is called or begun after an effective blow was landed upon a fighter will be considered uncontrolled strikes at the discretion of the director. Role of the Director The director is the sole authority on awarding of points, calling actions of the bout, and dispensing warnings. At a hold, line judges and fighters may politely indicate if they believe an illegal target was struck. Role of the Line Judges Two line judges will assist in calls by raising the color of the scoring fighter and indicating the scored target with the other hand. A baton held skyward will indicate no afterblow point deduction was seen by the judge, vs a baton held parallel to the ground will indicate that a valid afterblow was noted by the line judge. If a simultaneous blow is noted, the batons are crossed over the chest. Both batons are held skyward in the case of an illegal blow. Role of the Table Judge(s) 1 to 2 table judges will be responsible for noting the start/stop of the clock, advancing scoring, recording any warnings or cards given, After each bout, final stats will be recorded for each fight. These judges do not have input on scoring. If time expires, the table judge will also call for a final exchange. If 10 points are reached, the table judge is to call the match. Events Scheduled: 21 & Over Mixed Epee Preregistration opens on 05/09/2022. Preregistration closes on 07/01/2022.