TOURNAMENT REGISTRATIONS NOW CLOSED
We are delighted to announce that there will be four tournaments at FightCamp this year, with lots of prizes to be won from our wonderful sponsors The Knight Shop, Sigi Forge, SPES and Zoltan Armoury:
- Sabre Tournament (submitted to HEMA Ratings)
- Single Rapier Tournament (submitted to HEMA Ratings)
- Open Tournament (scoring across unlimited numbers of fights, held on Friday and Saturday)
- Melee Tournament (group fights between teams of 6)
Please note tournaments are only open to FightCamp attendees. Book FightCamp here.
The sabre and rapier tournaments will be pre-booked using the form below. The register will close on Saturday 11th July. The form will disappear when you click submit, please only submit your form once.
You do not need to fill this in if you want to enter the Open or Melee, or to attend classes. This is only for Sabre or Rapier tournament entries. Please select the one/s you would like to register for before submitting the form.
Tournament Rules
- All matches will consist of 5 exchanges.
- Each exchange scores points. The match is decided by the fighter with
the most points after 5 exchanges, equalling a win/lose/draw result. - Draws decided by further exchange.
- An exchange is where one or both people score a hit, and time for an afterblow tempo (with one step) is allowed.
- An afterblow is limited to a single tempo of movement. An afterblow must be a qualifying type of attack for that weapon.
- Disarms, grabs, grapples etc do not score in themselves, but a hit delivered afterwards will score as normal. If a grappler receives a scoring hit on the way in, that will be deemed as the first hit of the exchange and anything after as an afterblow.
- Corp-a-corps is expected to be carried out in a controlled way and not with the evident intention of causing a real injury. No arm bars or chokes/head holds. No throws allowed.
- No score for ring-out. No weapons to be thrown. No deliberate striking to the back of the head/neck or groin.
- Yellow/red card system for dangerous or discourteous conduct – this includes hitting too hard after one warning. Yellow card awards 3 points to the opponent for that exchange. Red card loses the match and disqualifies.
- Arguing with the judges/staff is not allowed, but each person is allowed one polite protest per match by raising the hand.
- Fighters can declare hits on themselves or give up an awarded point where they believe it did not have quality.
Sabre / Longsword / Sword & Buckler:
3 POINTS Strike first with no afterblow received
2 POINTS Strike first but hit by afterblow
1 POINT Striking second with afterblow
0 POINTS Pure Double
- All good QUALITY cuts or thrusts count ANYWHERE
- The offhand may be used to grab and defend, but a quality strike received in the process will be counted
- Quality cut = with the edges (front only for sabre), with at least 45 degrees rotation. Push or draw cuts only counted in very clear cases
- Quality thrust = visible impact/flex. Non-quality hits are discounted.
- Strikes with the buckler or hilt score to the mask front only (must be controlled).
- Exchanges only replayed when judges are undecided
Single Rapier / Rapier & Dagger:
3 POINTS Strike first with no afterblow received
2 POINTS Strike first but hit by afterblow
1 POINT Striking second with afterblow
0 POINTS Pure Double
- THRUSTS COUNT ANYWHERE
- QUALITY CUTS* count ONLY to the HEAD or LIMBS
- The offhand may be used to grab and defend, but a quality strike received in the process will be counted
- Quality cut = with either edge, with at least 90 degrees rotation. Push or draw cuts NOT COUNTED. Tip cuts NOT COUNTED. Quality thrust = visible impact/flex. Non-quality hits are discounted
- Strikes with the buckler or hilt score to the mask front only (must be controlled).
- Exchanges only replayed when judges are undecided
Target areas for scoring:
- Head and Neck
- Torso between waist & shoulders
- Limbs
Any ambiguity scores against the higher scoring area
Pools
Assignment to pools will be random. Advancement to the next stage will be decided by number of fights won (not points). Points are not carried forward from a match. Where draws occur, further pool fights will be held to decide between tied fighters.
Final Rounds
The FINAL there will have 3 FIGHTERS and pools are arranged accordingly.
Protective Clothing
Steel feder/longsword, sword & buckler & sabre:
- 1600N mask with back of head protection added
- Gorget
- Padded purpose-made fencing/HEMA jacket (350N minimum) with long sleeves and fully enclosed from neck to waist with no openings
- Groin protection/cup/chest protector (latter for women)
- Fencing breeches OR a purpose-made fencing skirt
- Hard elbow, knee and shin protection
- HEMA sparring gloves REQUIRED – Red Dragon minimum for sabre (must be better than Red Dragons for longsword)
- No exposed skin anywhere (within reason)
Rapier minimum:
- As above, but lighter gloves allowed (we strongly advise thick leather at least) & elbow cups optional PLUS chest protector REQUIRED under jacket
Synthetic weapons minimum:
- Fencing mask (350N minimum)
- Long-sleeved upper body garment
- Elbow cup on weapon arm/s, vambraces where padded jacket not worn, plastic chest protector OR fencing jacket
- Groin protection/cup for men – chest protector for women
- Gloves on both hands (Red Dragon/hockey recommended minimum)
Steel Weapon General Regulations
- Blade tips MUST either be rolled, nail, thickened and flared (8mm thickness minimum), OR have a metal casing (eg. .45 Colt brass cartridge) or kydex or leather covering added. Tips must be checked by staff
- Rubber tips are NOT allowed
- Blades MUST have a reasonable level of flex in the thrust – if they are deemed too stiff then they may be disallowed. The degree of flex is also related to the type of blade and tip used
- Steel blades must be in good serviceable order and without signs of blade fatigue, including serious bends, fracture lines/cracks, or deep nicks. If a weapon takes a concerning bend during the competition, then it will be resigned from service
- Blade edges must be blunt and smooth to the touch
- Hilts must not have dangerous projections, burrs, cracks or sharp angles/edges
- Weapons will be checked before every tournament and if a staff member has doubts about a weapon, then it will be disallowed
Weapon-specific regulations (for competition)
Sabre: Must weigh at least 780g and balance at least 3cm in front of the guard. Blade not to be over 89cm long (this is ‘heavy (military) sabre’ – we will look at a ‘light sabre’ category in the future)
Rapier: Must weigh at least 950g and blade not to be more than 125cm long, measured from the top of the grip
Longsword/feder: Must weigh at least 1000g and blade not to be more than 105cm from the grip. Simple crossguard only, no side-rings etc
Sidesword/Arming sword 1: Must weigh at least 800g and blade not to be more than 94cm from the grip. Any form of guard allowed
Arming sword 2: Must weigh at least 850g and blade not to be more than 92cm from the grip. Simple crossguard only
Nylon Weapon Regulations (for melee)
- Nylon weapons must be Red Dragon brand* and in good order. Longsword blades fitted to single-handed hilts are NOT allowed.
*We have nothing against other brands, but in competition the stiffer and heavier blades of some other brands (eg. Black Fencer) offer a great advantage and we therefore see them as unfair. You are very welcome to drill with them in classes or spar with them – they just aren’t allowed in the competitions for fairness.
FightCamp Melee Tournament
In the FightCamp Melee Tournament fighters will declare hits on themselves, so honourable conduct is essential.
The tournament is intended to be fair as well as fun.
If people do not declare hits, then the tournament will not work. Repeated failure to declare will be punished with disqualification of that fighter from their team for that match. Judges will be looking for non-declaring of hits.
Teams of 6 fighters will use an assortment of medieval weapon simulators (nylon – Red Dragon allowed only).
The weapon selection puts the fight in a medieval context and represents the sort of weapons that an unarmored group of skirmishers or rioters might have had in the 14th to 16th centuries.
Weapons
Red Dragon Rawlings Range only. Any number of fighters with either:
- 1 Longsword
- 1 Arming Sword* and Buckler
- 1 Arming Sword* alone
*Normal blade length – no longsword blades used in one-handed hilts.
Fighters must provide their own weapons and protective clothing, in line with what is required for the solo tournaments.
Fighting In the Melee
Fighters may not exchange weapons between team members during a fight. When someone is hit they must take their weapons with them.
- Each match between two teams will consist of a series of bouts.
- Each bout lasts until all the fighters on one team are out.
- Points are denoted by the number of fighters left in play at the end of the bout.
- The first team to score 7 points in total wins the match.
The following rules apply during the Melee:
- No wrestling or strikes apart from with the weapon count.
- All cuts and thrusts score with swords
- Pommel/hilt/buckler strikes are not scored
- No throwing of weapons is allowed
- A fighter receiving a hit and being out will exit the marked arena immediately by the shortest route possible, whilst holding their weapons and hands above their heads
- If a fighter drops their weapon they are deemed out
- Fighters must use restraint when hitting in the back or when an opponent has fallen
- Fighters must use restraint when outnumbering/outnumbered
- One weapon hit anywhere on the body, including extremities, knocks a fighter out
- Double hits result in both fighters going out. Afterblows count if given with one step and send both people out
- If both the competitor’s feet leave the rectangular marked arena then they are out
- If the judges call halt, all fighters must freeze exactly where they are
Melee Judging
It is important that there is minimal interruption to a team fight. The following judging pointers will be applied:
- Fighters call their own hits
- Fighters repeatedly not declaring their hits will be removed from the match. Video footage may be consulted
- Line judges will be used in addition to one main referee
- Line judges can tap a fighter on the head three times with their long stick to say that they are out, if they feel the fighter has not taken a hit
- Line judges or the referee can call halt to freeze a fight
- The referee’s decision is final
