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FightCamp 2012 featured 4 open
tournaments using the rules below. FightCamp 2013 will certainly
hold these same tournament, possible with new additional ones.
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The
Eggleton Cup Tournament - Medieval style nylon sidearms, eg. longsword
or sword and buckler.
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The
Pas d'Armes - Cumulative points recorded in the
Barriers (sparring arena) over the course of the event.
-
The
Assault at Arms - Basket-hilted
nylon swords, to simulate backswords and sabres.
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The Rapier Tournament - Flexible blunt
steel rapiers - Rules to follow
 The
Eggleton Cup Tournament rules - run by Matt Easton (Schola
Gladiatoria)
The Eggleton Cup Tournament is fought in memory of a
much-missed member of Schola Gladiatoria, Matthew Eggleton, who
tragically died in early 2009. It is held every year at
Fightcamp and is intended to provide a competitive demonstration
of skill at arms with medieval sidearms (nylon simulators
thereof). The winner
is awarded an Eggleton Cup (an engraved pewter cup), only one of
which is made per year. Mark Gilbert of Riddle of
Steel won the first Eggleton Cup tournament in 2009, Neil Shallcross
of ACT won it in
2010, Andy Damms of Linacre School of Defence won it in 2011 and
Simon Thurston of Schola Gladiatoria won it in 2012.
Overview:
- The High
Judge has the final say on all matters of safety and conduct.
- Competitors are expected to exercise reasonable control at all
times, avoiding attacks to the throat,
groin, knees, back of head and neck.
- Competitors are expected to conduct
themselves with good manners at all times. Un-gentlemanly
behaviour will be penalised.
- The rules are a framework to play to - the
aim is for realistic and sensible fencing, showing good skill.
Judges will favour good fencing over playing to the rules.
- Competitors will use Knight Shop nylon sword simulators (proline
extreme).
- Competitors may fight with longsword, sword
and buckler, sword and dagger, double sword or sword alone.
- Weapons can be provided for competitors
(except bucklers), but they are welcome to use their own if they
are deemed acceptable by the High Judge.
- All equipment will be checked by the Judges.
- Basket-hilts and other complex hilts are not allowed.
Protective clothing:
Minimum protective clothing is: 1600N fencing
mask (preferably with protection for the back of the head),
reinforced gloves, fencing jacket/light gambeson/padded jacket
or top, box/cup (for men), chest protector (for women). Gorgets (throat
protectors) and men's chest protectors are highly recommended.
More protection may be worn, eg.
shin or knee guards, however, competitors who wear too much protection
(such as heavy gambesons with bits of plate armour attached)
may be asked to remove specific pieces. Steel plate armour
is not allowed because of the injury it can cause and too much
protection is discouraged because it invariably leads to 'kamekaze'
fencing and poor displays of skill. No protective clothing
can be provided for competitors, so please make sure you have
what is required to compete - at least two of the traders on
site will be selling this equipment, so there is no excuse not
to have it.
Specifics:
- Competitors
will be partnered by random draw.
- It is a direct elimination pyramid-style tournament (no round robins or
pools).
- Competitors will start, pause and stop fighting when the High
Judge blows a whistle.
- Competitors not stopping on the sound of
the whistle may be penalised.
- The High Judge will be assisted by two Line Judges.
- The High Judge will stop the fighting each time a clear valid
hit is given.
- The first rounds will be decided by one person achieving 3
valid hits.
- The Semi-Finals and Final will be decided by
the first person to achieve 5 valid hits on their opponent.
- A valid hit = contact which the High Judge deems would have
wounded through clothes with sharps – not a touch, bruise or scrape.
- The entire body is a valid target,
including hands, with safety restrictions noted (avoid throat, groin, back of head,
neck and knees).
- Weapons may not be thrown.
- Blade edges and points, cross guards and pommels may be used
and may score, at the Judges' discretion.
- Strikes with the limbs and body are
allowed, but must be controlled and safe.
- Grapples are allowed, but must be
controlled and safe. Grapples will be stopped on the
whistle.
- Attacks with the body will not usually
score, but may do so at the discretion of the High Judge.
- Double hits do not score but are recorded and 3 double hits in
one fight will result in a double elimination.
- Competitors are allowed the after-blow - that is, they are
allowed to immediately strike back after being hit, within one
tempo, with no more than one foot movement. The after-blow will
however only be counted at the discretion of the Judges and must
be a valid hit (no scrapes). An after-blow will not be allowed
after a strike to the head with the edge or point of a weapon -
head hits are therefore automatic point scorers. A successful after-blow will result in a double hit
being recorded and no score.
- Competitors
will only stop when they hear the whistle, and the judges will
decide if a clear hit was made, a double hit or no hit and score
accordingly.
- Competitors are allowed to concede a valid
unanswered hit by holding a
hand up, if the judges
missed it, and will be applauded for doing so.
- If two people reach 3 points through a double hit, then both
will be out.
- The High Judge’s decision is final and absolute.
The FightCamp Pas
d'Armes - run by Paul Bennett (Schola Gladiatoria)
- Paul Bennett will have final say on any and all issues.
- All bouts will take place entirely within the barriers.
- Only 2 fighters per bout.
- All bouts will have a judge. The judge will volunteer or be
appointed by Paul Bennett.
- Bouts will be fought to 5 points (10 points for dagger).
- A point will be a clean hit, submission, or where the judge
has decided there is a clear martial advantage (eg, a throw or
disarm where one fighter could not reasonably continue to press
an attack).
- Double hits are not counted.
- A hit to any target other than the head may be followed with
an immediate after-blow. No step may be taken by the
person executing the after-blow and it must be delivered in the
same tempo as the initial strike.
- If an after-blow lands, it shall be considered a double hit.
- Any other individual rules for individual bouts may be
instituted by agreement of the fighters and judge.
- Any weapon combinations are permitted, however the material
must be the same (ie steel with steel, plastic with plastic).
- Protection must be adequate for the weapons
and material used.
- Bouts in full harness must be between 2 fully armoured
fighters.
- Steel impact weapons (eg. maces, warhammers) are not allowed.
- Sharp weapons are not allowed.
- All results must be relayed to Paul Bennett immediately after
each bout.
Point system for the Pas d'Armes:
On the completion of each bout:
1 point will be awarded for participation (Valour)
2 points will be awarded for a win (Glory)
Prizes will then be awarded for the highest points for Valour
and Glory.
The fighter with the highest combined points total shall be
named "King/Queen of FightCamp".
FightCamp
Assault at Arms - run by Matt Easton (Schola Gladiatoria)
This tournament is primarily for backsword and sabre fencers.
The rules are essentially the same as the Eggleton Cup
tournament. Matt Easton of Schola Gladiatoria won
in 2009 (when it was run by Martin Austwick), Scott Brown of Schwert am Schwert won in 2010, Mark
Gilbert of Riddle of Steel won in 2011 and again in 2012.
Weapons:
The only allowable weapons will be Knight Shop nylon swords with
a closed basket-hilt or sabre hilt, to simulate a backsword or military
sword/sabre. There will be a number provided for entrants, but
people owning their own Knight Shop swords may of course use
those.
Protective equipment:
Minimum equipment is gloves (both hands), fencing mask, groin
protector for men, chest protector for women. Arm/elbow guards,
throat protectors
and men's chest protectors are also recommended. Fencing
jackets / light gambesons are acceptable. The Judges may
ask Competitors to remove some items of protection if they are
deemed to be too bulky.
Format:
The format will be a simple knock-out tournament, no round
robins or leagues.
In early rounds the winner will be the first to score 3 clean
hits with edge or point.
The semi finals will be first to 5 hits.
The final will be first to 7 hits.
Specifics:
A hit is defined thus:
- A blow with the edge or point of the blade against the
opponent's head, torso or limbs.
- A hit with the pommel or hilt to the opponent's head, a punch
or similar hand blow to the opponent's head may score a point at
the judges' discretion.
- A disarm, or grapple that ends in either a submission or
either of the opponent's knees, hands or any point of their
torso or head contacting with the ground.
- Kicks will not be allowed.
- Grapples are allowed, but any grapple where
both fighters go to ground will be stopped.
- Double hits will be called at the discretion of the Judge and
will score for neither party. 3 double hits will result in
both fighters being knocked out of the competition.
- An after-blow will be allowed and will
result in a double hit being recorded, at the judges
discretion, unless the original hit is to the head, in which
case no after-blow will be recognised.
- An after-blow must land immediately after
the initial blow in order to be recognised, and with with no
more than one step.
- Fighters will only start or stop fighting when instructed to
do so. Ignoring this rule may result in disqualification.
- Participants may inform the judge that they were hit.
Any participant attempting to inform the judge that they were
not hit, or that they hit their opponent will be offered a
warning. If this happens again they will be excluded from
the rest of the competition and the fight will be awarded to
their opponent.
- The judges decision is final and no discussion will be entered
into.
- The judge may stop a fight and award it to one participant at
any point if (s)he feels that it would be unsafe to let the
fight continue.
FightCamp
Rapier Tournament - run by Matt Easton (Schola Gladiatoria)
Overview:
The FightCamp Rapier Tournament made a return in 2012 and we are
used new experimental rules, designed with experience from
other rapier tournaments to be simple and also to encourage both
more rapier-like technique (especially to limit the sport
fencing sabre-style tip flick cuts we have been seeing in
competition) and increase safety.
These rules were experimental and we accepted that some people
may not like the limitation on valid cuts, but the tournament
went very well, with some excellent fencing, and the experiment
was deemed to have been a success. It is very likely that these
rules will return in 2013, with only minor changes if any.
The Rapier Tournament in 2012 was won by
Piermarco Terminiello, of School of the Sword.
Competitors are expected to be fully aware of all the rules
and conditions below before competing:
- The tournament will be limited to 16 competitors - if more
people register then some (drawn at random) or all those
registered will be required to take part in qualifying rounds
prior to the main tournament.
- The tournament will be conducted by direct elimination.
- The High Judge has the final say on all matters of safety and
conduct.
- Competitors are expected to exercise reasonable control at all
times, avoiding attacks to obviously vulnerable areas (such as
the back of the head).
- Competitors are expected to conduct themselves with good
manners at all times. Un-gentlemanly behaviour may be penalised.
Weapons:
- Competitors may only use a single rapier. Off-hand weapons
such as daggers, cloaks, bucklers or another sword are not
allowed in this tournament.
- Competitors will use their own fencing-safe rapiers, tipped
with a spent brass rifle cartridge case, well secured on the end
(7.76mm or .303 often fits), or with a forged blunt blade tip
(flat head or rolled). Weapons must be made by a well-known and
reputable manufacturer, such as Darkwood Armoury, Arms and Armor,
Peter Regenyei or Hanwei. Weapons must be cleared by the
organisers prior to the tournament and blades must be free of
burrs, be as straight as possible and free of any kinks or
dangerous bends. It is competitors' responsibility to ensure
that their weapons and those of their partners are safe for
fencing with.
Protective clothing:
Competitors are expected to meet these requirements in order to
fence with steel rapiers at FightCamp. This clothing will be
checked prior to the main competition, but it is up to
individual fencers to make sure that they and their partners are
adequately protected at all times.
Minimum protective clothing is:
- Fencing mask in good condition (preferably with
protection for the back of the head).
- Leather gloves with cuff covering the sleeve junction
(preferably with reinforcement on the top or padding).
- Fencing jacket, fully enclosed with collar, either
padded and reinforced (eg. coach's jacket) or FIE rated for
fencing competition.
- Additional throat protection (eg. Gorget) underneath or
built into the jacket
- Plastic or metal chest protector under the jacket - for
both men and women
- Box/cup (for men)
More protection may be worn, eg. shin or knee guards, plastron,
fencing breeches.
No protective clothing can be provided for competitors, so
please make sure you have what is required to compete - at least
two of the traders on site will be selling this equipment, so
there is no excuse not to have it.
Competing and scoring:
- The High Judge will be assisted by two Line Judges with red
and blue paddles.
- The High Judge will start and stop the fighting each time a
clear Valid Hit is given, with the blow of a whistle.
- The first rounds will be decided by one person achieving 3
Valid Hits.
- The Semi-Finals and Final will be decided by the first person
to achieve 5 Valid Hits on their opponent.
- Competitors will start, pause and stop fighting when the High
Judge blows a whistle.
- Competitors not stopping on the sound of the whistle may be
penalised.
- A Valid Hit = A thrust to any part of the body, or a cut to
the head only.
- Cuts to the head will not score as Valid Hits if with the
foible or tip of the sword blade - they will only score if given
further down the blade than around 6 inches.
- A strike with the hilt or pommel may score a Valid Hit if
given to the front of the fencing mask only.
- Strikes with other parts of the body and grappling are not
allowed, with the exception of grabbing the opponent's sword arm
or sword.
- Weapon grabs and disarms are allowed, but may be stopped by
the High Judge if inconclusive or unsuccessful after a second or
two. A successful disarm will not score as a Valid Hit, but may
facilitate the giving of a Valid Hit.
- The left hand may be used to defend thrusts only - defending
the head from a cut with an arm will still count as a head cut.
- Weapons may not be thrown, 'halfsworded', or swung by the
blade.
- Double hits score nothing, but are recorded separately and 3
double hits in one fight will result in a double elimination
from the tournament for both competitors.
- Competitors are allowed the after-blow - that is, they are
allowed to immediately strike back after being hit, within one
tempo. The after-blow will however only be counted at the
discretion of the Judges and must be a Valid Hit. A successful
after-blow will nullify the original strike and result in no
points to either person.
- If two people strike each other and it is hard to call as a
double or an after-blow then it will be assumed to have been a
double.
- If two people reach 3 points through a double hit, then both
are knocked out of the tournament, regardless of how many
doubles they had previously.
- Competitors are allowed to concede a valid unanswered hit by
holding a hand up, if the judges missed it, and will be
applauded for doing so. However, this is completely voluntary.
- Competitors may stop the fight for whatever reason (eg.
Equipment malfunction), by holding their hands up and/or saying
"stop".
- The High Judge or Line Judges can stop the fight at any time
by blowing the whistle (High Judge) or crying "stop".
- The High Judge’s decision is final and absolute.
All of the above tournament rules may be
subject to change before or during the event, but the final
rules will be explained at the opening of each tournament.
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