Historical Integrated Longsword Triathlon (H.I.L.T.)

Competition Rules for All Longsword Events

DRAFT 1.0

These rules are copyright © 2025 by Jeremy Priddy, adapted from Longpoint’s 2017 rules, copyright © 2017 by J. Norwood & M. Chidester. The Longpoint tournament was held annually in connection with the Lichtenauer Federation, of which Fenris Kunst des Fechtens was a part.

The H.I.L.T. tournament event is an annual tournament and workshop series hosted by Fenris Kunst des Fechtens, LLC – a historical fencing school dedicated to the preservation and implementation of 15-16th c. German swordsmanship. For more information, contact Fenris KdF at www.fenriskdf.com or email fenriskdf@gmail.com

CONTENTS

Summary 3

Tournament Format 4

Running a Match 5

Scoring an Exchange 7

Fighter Input in Scoring 13

Scorekeepers and Timekeepers 16

Special Situations 17

Equipment Failure during a Match 17

Injuries during a Match 17

Penalties (Cards) 18

Administrative Warnings 18

Appendix A: Equipment Standards 19

Appendix B: Disallowed techniques 21

General Instructions 21

Striking and Targeting 21

Fencing 22

Grappling 22

Appendix C: Line Judges’ Semaphores 23

SUMMARY

Matches: Each match lasts 90 seconds.

The last exchange of the match is always at least 10 seconds—if an exchange ends with less than 10 seconds on the clock, 10 seconds are added and “Last Exchange” is called.
If the match ends in a tie, a Sudden Death round is fought; the first Clean Hit/Grapple wins.
If a fighter leads his opponent by 6 points or more after a Clean Hit/Grapple, the match ends.

Staff: The Judging team consists of three Judges and a Director. Each ring also has one or two Table Crew members and a Ring Boss.

The Judges are primarily concerned with flagging the score and sequencing of each exchange.
The Director consults with the Judges on calls but is the last word on how match is conducted and scored.
The Table Crew runs the clock and manages all records of the match.
The Ring Boss manages the fighters and coaches and ensures the ring runs smoothly.

Exchanges: Each Exchange is judged as one of five types:

Clean Hit: One fighter hits the other and is not hit in return.
Failed Withdraw: One fighter hits the other but is hit afterward.
Double-Hit: Both fighters hit each other at roughly the same time.
Grapple: A ring-out, or takedown; after a verbal 5-count, the grapple is stopped.
No Exchange: Halt is called but the Judges determine that neither fighter hit.

Scoring: Each exchange is worth 0-4 points, as follows:

Point Value	Clean Hit	Failure to Withdraw	Double Hit
0	Single Handed and Limb	Single-Handed and/or Limb	Closed*
1	Single Handed, or Limb	Head/Torso	---
2	Head/Torso/Takedown	---	---
3	Single Handed w/Control***	---	---
4	Head/Torso w/Control*** Takedown w/Dominance	---	---

* A Double where the swords are in contact is called as Closed and thrown out. A Double where the swords are not in contact is called Open and incurs a foul for both fighters

*** Control means one of three conditions:

A cut or thrust to the Head/Torso while in the bind/on the sword.
A cut or thrust to the Head/Torso while disabling the other weapon with a slice or grab.
A takedown with dominance if the sword is presented as a threat. If the Judges decide a Control technique is achieved, any strikes afterward are ignored.

TOURNAMENT FORMAT

Tournaments conducted under H.I.L.T. Rules generally consist of three phases:

Pool phase: Each fighter is placed into a pool of 4-6 other fighters, each of whom fights the others. The results of the pool fights are used to calculate indicator scores, which determine overall standing in the tournament.
Elimination phase: The top fighters from the pools are seeded into a double-elimination bracket based on their overall standing. The size of the bracket is determined by the tournament organizers.
Finals phase: The final four fighters in the bracket will fight three-round matches of the best to determine 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. This can either be a single round under standard elimination conditions, or it may be fought to the best of three rounds.

A match is finished at the end of 90 seconds, or when either fighter’s score exceeds his opponent’s by six (7) points after a Clean Hit or Grapple. This is further described below, in the section Scoring an Exchange.

The tournament ring is generally square shaped, marked on the ground, approximately sixteen feet on a side. A colored mark on each side of the ring indicates the starting position for each fighter.

RUNNING A MATCH

A match is a timed series of exchanges between two fighters. The following are the typical steps for running a match:

The Ring Boss (or Table) announces the immediately scheduled fighters as well as the names of those fighting in the subsequent match (e.g., “On deck”).
Fighters competing in the match must check in with the Ring Boss to verify names and color assignments.
Fighters enter the ring, dressed to compete, and take positions at the Blue and Red starting markers in accordance with their assigned colors. The Director invites the fighters forward to shake hands or similar at the center of the ring. Only the Director and two fighters may be within the ring during each match. One coach per fighter may kneel outside the ring near their fighter’s starting position.
Fighters must begin each exchange with their weapons in their hands and all equipment up to the standards given below, in the section Equipment Standards.
The Director signals to the fighters, Timekeeper, Scorekeeper, and Line Judges that the match is about to begin. The Director then begins the first exchange with the preparatory command "READY" followed by the command of execution "FIGHT" and raising his/her staff as a visual indicator.
The Timekeeper begins the clock at the word FIGHT.
Upon witnessing a valid scoring technique, Line Judges call “POINT”. When the Director hears the Judges, he/she calls the command “HALT”, lowering his/her staff and using it to separate the fighters (if necessary). Both fighters return to their starting marks. If the Director sees a valid scoring technique that the Judges do not, he/she should allow an extra beat to elapse before calling "HALT".
The Timekeeper stops the clock upon hearing the “HALT” and time remains stopped during scoring.
The Director then polls each of the Line Judges regarding the type of exchange (according to the criteria given below, in the section Scoring an Exchange) by calling “Judges?” The Director communicates the type of exchange to the Scorekeeper who records the result.
In case of a Clean Hit, Grapple, or Failed Withdraw, the Director asks the judges to signal the Quality and Target criteria by calling “Score?” The Director decides what score to assign based on this information and communicates it to the Scorekeeper.
The Director then calls “FIGHT” to signal the resumption of competition. The Timekeeper restarts time upon hearing “Fight”.
The Timekeeper signals the end of the round by calling “TIME” and the Director halts the competition. Alternatively, the Scorekeeper calls “MATCH”, indicating that the match has reached a clean six (6)-point lead or three (3) Double-hits, should such occur before time runs out.
The winner is the first fighter to exceed his/her opponent’s score by six (6) points or more after a Clean Hit or Grapple, or the fighter with the most points when time runs out. During Pool fights, if three (3) Open Double-hits are scored, the match ends immediately and both fighters are assessed a Loss.
If the score is tied when time runs out, the match enters Sudden Death. The first fighter to score at least one (1) point from a Clean Hit or Grapple wins. Failed Withdraws are thrown out (not scored), but Double-hits are still tracked and the possibility of a double-Loss remains.
After the match ends, the Director summons the fighters to join him in the center of the ring while the scorekeeper announces the final score and the next competitors. Fighters must shake hands or similar before departing the ring.

SCORING AN EXCHANGE

The basic steps for scoring are:

When a Line Judge witnesses a scoring action, he/she calls out “POINT!”
The Director will then stop the match by calling “HALT!” After a halt the fighters should immediately return to their corners. The Timekeeper stops time.
The Director will call “Judges?”

The Judges will raise their flags to indicate if there was a scoring action by either or both fighters

The Director interprets the judges’ batons/flags and calls out the type of exchange:

Clean Hit [color]
Failure to Withdraw [color]
Double-hit
No Exchange

If at least two Judges do not agree and the Director is unable to make a decisive call, the Director calls out “No Exchange” and resumes the match.

The Director calls out “Score for [color]?”, and the Judge indicates his/her call with the appropriate semaphore; if they are uncertain about further scoring, they should simply show lowered crossed flags.
The Director interprets the Line Judges’ batons/flags and calls out the points earned to the scorekeeper one color at a time (e.g., “One Point Red!”) If at least two Line Judges do not agree, the Director either decides or calls out “No Score”.
After the Director calls out the result, all Line Judges will lower their flags/batons. The Scorekeeper repeats the number of points awarded.
If either fighter has accumulated six (6) more points than his opponent (after a Clean Hit or Grapple), the scorekeeper will call “MATCH! - Red (or Blue) wins” and the final score. If neither fighter has yet accumulated enough points to win, the Director will call “Ready, FIGHT!” and the match will continue.

Types of Exchange

There are four (4) types of exchange possible, and the scoring depends in large part on which one the judges determine. The types of exchanges (and the point range for each one) are:

Clean Hit

For this exchange, at least two (2) Judges (may include the Director) must agree that (a) a fighter hit his opponent and (b) the fighter’s opponent did not hit him back. The three criteria for a Clean Hit are Quality, Target, and Control. Gaining points for each successive criterion is dependent on having also received the one before it in the pyramid, i.e., you cannot receive a point for Target if you did not receive a point for Quality. A fighter who achieves the criteria for Control may be scored as a Clean Hit even if he/she is hit in response, if the Judges conclude that a real engagement would not have allowed the opponent to disengage and the responding strike was therefore an artifact of the tournament tools.

Failure to Withdraw

A Bad or Failed Withdraw (Abzug) is when a fighter lands a successful hit as given above but fails to defend himself afterward. Once a hit is scored, the Director will allow a moment to elapse before the exchange is stopped (roughly the time required to execute a single step), during which time the other fighter can attempt a “revenge strike.”

Any fighter who Fails to Withdraw safely following a valid strike (i.e. fulfilling the criteria for Contact) has their score reduced by one. Thus, if the scoring blow was determined to be to a Limb, the fighter receives no points for the action.

Note: Points gained from a Failed Withdraw that raise the lead of any fighter above five (5) points will not end the match. A match will only be stopped (through points) after a Clean Hit or grapple.

Double-Hit

Double-hits are those which occur when two fighters strike each other at the same time, often as their first action.

Double-hits also include near-simultaneous hits, such as those landing immediately after a successful hit from the opponent but which began at the same time as the successful attack.

Double-hits may be open or closed.

An open double-hit means that the blades made no contact and the blows were delivered “freely” along non-intersecting lines. An open double hit suggests that neither fighter made an attempt at defense.
A closed double-hit happens when the weapons are in contact but both blows managed to go through anyway, indicating a failed defense or counter-attack under cover.

Only open double hits will be penalized as a foul against both fighters. Closed double hits will be thrown out as “No Exchange”.

If three (3) open double-hits are accumulated in a single pool match, the match will be stopped and both fighters will record a loss for that match. If three (3) or more open double-hits are accumulated in an elimination match, the winner will progress to the next fight, but his/her next opponent will begin the match with 2 points. There is no additional penalty for open double-hits in the finals.

Grapple

As with Clean Hits, there are specific scored criteria for Grappling; however, since there is only one category of technique that fulfills each criterion, those techniques are referred to by name: Ring-Out and Takedown. If a fighter succeeds at both a Clean Hit and a qualifying Grapple in the same match, he/she will be awarded the higher score value between the two.

Grapples which do not result in a scoring action will be halted by the Director after a verbal five (5)-count.

Note that techniques like disarms and limb wraps are not scoring actions but should be used to set up strikes. Only the strike after a disarm or wrap is scored (as a Clean Hit, or as a Failed Withdraw if the opponent escapes and strikes back before the HALT).

Scoring Criteria

The following scoring criteria apply to all Clean Hits; Failed Withdrawals are judged according to these criteria but receive a one-point subtraction. Any hit delivered one-handed will also receive a one point deduction, except in the case of a pommel strike or exchange assessed as Control.

Strikes

Strikes are scored in three tiers or levels, depending on the details of how the strike landed. Generally, only the first hit is scored, though if multiple hits are landed by the fighters before the HALT (or the "revenge strike"), the Judges should consider the highest-scoring hit.

Quality. To earn this point, the blow must have been delivered with sufficient authority, force, stability, balance, and poise. This does not mean that the blow needs to be “hard”. To earn this, the fighter must be in full control of his/her movement—balanced or grounded, not stumbling, falling, or wildly lunging. This criterion is worth one (+1) point.

Sufficient Force: Sufficient force in scoring Quality is defined by the following criteria:

Cuts: The blade must travel approximately 45 degrees or more and strike the target with obvious intent. The blow must hit with the weak (schwech) of the weapon. Light snips that travel little distance, lazy blows, and strikes with the strong or flat will not score Quality points.
Thrust: Any touch with the point with forward motion of the blade (motion towards the opponent with the point) that obviously makes contact. Bending the blade is not necessary. A thrust that only touches the opponent at full extension may be denied Quality.
Slice/Press: Drawing cuts must be clearly demonstrated, drawing or pushing at least half the length of the blade. Pressing slices against the hands or forearms do not need to demonstrate a slicing motion and earn the Quality point if firm contact is maintained until the HALT, or if the press is used to discernibly lever the opponent’s arms to one side.
Dominance: Finally, a fighter who has his/her opponent in a position where he/she is unable to defend need not complete the strike to receive Quality. For example, an opponent who is on the ground, is held in an arm or head wrap, or is stumbling while presenting an illegal target (back of the head, neck, spine). In this case merely demonstrating the ability to strike to the Judges should be sufficient to have HALT called.

NOTE: A Quality Strike sets the minimum criteria for any other score assessment. Any strike not abiding by the requirements outlined above may be ignored by the judges without halting the exchange or thrown out at the discretion of the Director even if “POINT!” has been called.

A Judge will also withhold the Quality for unintentional or grazing blows and other sloppy strikes. A fighter who falls, fumbles their weapon, or runs out of bounds immediately following his/her strike will not be awarded the point for Quality.

Target. This bonus point is awarded for strikes to the head, neck, and torso (except for blows to the back of the head or neck, which are disallowed). The top of the shoulder, to the “seam” at the point of the shoulder, is considered part of the torso, as the inside of the hip and any torso or hip area normally covered by the fighter’s jacket just above the hip. This criterion awards one (+1) point, for a total of two (2). If a fighter purposefully uses a limb to cover the area of an incoming strike, (using a hand to “block” a strike to their head, for example) the target point will be awarded, regardless of the strike hitting the “blocking” limb.

Control. These bonus points are awarded when the scoring action is performed on an opponent who is unable to immediately respond due to active, intentional techniques performed by the scoring fighter. Examples include attacks from crossed swords or the bind which momentarily trap or frustrate the opponent’s weapon, off-hand grapples which allow for an undefended strike, and slicing or pushing actions which unbalance an opponent prior to striking (the follow-on strike must still be performed). This point is not awarded for striking an opponent who has missed wildly, fallen, voluntarily turned their back, or has otherwise become ineffective through their own actions; to earn this point, the Judges must rule that the scoring fighter has actively controlled his opponent’s ability to immediately respond or defend himself with his weapon. This criterion awards two (+2) points, for a total of four (4).

Grapples

Grapples are scored in four tiers just as strikes are, but there is only one scoring action for each tier.

Inconclusive Grapple. If fighters begin grappling but no dominance or scoring action is achieved after the Director gives a verbal five (5)-count, the action is stopped and the fighters returned to their starting positions, but no (0) points are awarded.

Ring-Out. A fighter is out-of-bounds when both feet clearly leave the ring, whether they touch down or not. It is the Director’s responsibility to assign fouls for this situation. If the Director or any Judge determines that a fighter has been forced out-of-bounds, the fighter leaving the ring will earn one warning on the first occurrence. Subsequent ring-outs incur one (1) foul.

A fighter does not need to physically push or throw his/her opponent out of the ring; any method pressuring an opponent out of the ring is acceptable.
If a fighter strikes his/her opponent and then travels out-of-bounds (even under his/her own power), the exchange will be treated as a Failure to Withdraw, and a warning/foul is accrued as appropriate.
If both fighters exit the ring before the Director stops the exchange, it will be judged as a Double-hit; if both fighters were in contact during the Ring-Out then it will be thrown out as a Closed Double, whereas if the fighters exited the ring separately (including one fighter shoving the other out and then stumbling out after him/her) then it will be recorded as an Open Double.

This call should only be made once a fighter has obviously exited the ring; if there is any uncertainty as to whether the fighter is still in the ring, then the action should be allowed to continue.

Takedown/Throw. A Takedown is defined as an intentional technique whose result is to bring an opponent to the ground and immediately establish a position of dominance while maintaining contact with the opponent. A Throw is defined as any technique whose inherent nature is to project the opponent to the ground; these include shoulder throws, hip throws, and tripping or shoving techniques. The opponent is “on the ground” when any part of his/her torso, hips, head, or shoulders touch the ground. The Director will determine the assessment of these points in conversation with the Judges. A clean Takedown or Throw earns two (2) points total, equivalent to the Target criteria. Note: Throws which project the opponent away from contact and/or whose purpose or design is to force the victim specifically onto their head are strictly forbidden.

If both fighters go to the ground but neither establishes clear dominance before the Director's verbal count reaches five (5), the exchange will be stopped, and the fighters will return to their marks with no points awarded.

Takedown or Throw with Control. This is actually a special case of the Control criteria listed under Clean Hit. A fighter who sends his/her opponent to the ground as described above, and also retains his/her sword and shows capability to immediately strike the grounded opponent with a scoring hit, has achieved Control. This criterion awards two (+2) points, so a Takedown or Throw with Control awards four (4) points total.

STAFFING A RING

A H.I.L.T. Staffing Team consists of fifteen to twenty officials and is assigned in advance of the tournament. Seven officials are active at a time, filling four primary roles: the Director, the Ring Boss, three Line Judges, and two Table Crew. The roles are defined individually below.

Line Judges

The role of Line Judges is to observe, identify, and indicate valid scoring techniques performed by the competitors in accordance with the rules. By default, the rules assume three Line Judges per ring. Each Line Judge has one blue and one red flag for signaling his/her votes. Each Judge watches the action between the fighters and determines the sequence of blows for the purpose of classifying the Exchange, and scoring the result.

Line Judges begin the match standing at roughly equidistant points around the square. Each Line Judge may move anywhere along his/her half of the ring. Line Judges should endeavor to not bunch up with each other; they should also be careful not to obscure the view of other Line Judges working on their side of the ring.

Line Judges call “POINT” when they witness a valid scoring technique during the match, and signal with their flags to indicate votes after the Director has halted the action and called such. Line

Judges’ semaphores may vary from year to year; the current standards are found in Appendix C.

Line Judges participate in the scoring process and may be called upon to explain their calls. These explanations should be given loudly enough for the fighters and audience to hear them. The Director may also call all Line Judges to the center of the ring to confer and resolve some event not covered by the rules or to clarify particulars of the rules or any particular call.

Directors

Directors govern matches between fighters, maintain safety in the arena, and enforce the rules of the tournament. Directors carry a staff to serve as a symbol of office and to safely separate fighters as required.

The Director is responsible for the safety of the competitors and officials within the ring. The Director may halt the action and/or stop the clock for any reason including, but not limited to, grappling stalemates, immediate safety hazards, injuries, equipment failures, Ring-Outs, or any other reason.

All competitors, coaches, and spectators must obey the Director at all times. Violations of this rule are punishable by yellow card, red card, or ejection from the tournament and/or the venue depending on severity.

The Director is the most experienced Judge in the ring and often has the best line of sight to the action. As such, the Director has the final responsibility for assigning points to competitors for all scoring actions, thought he/she makes these decisions with input from the line judges; while the Director has the ability to overrule the Line Judges at any time, this will generally take the form of supporting a minority opinion against the majority. The Director should never overrule if the Judges are in unanimous agreement (excepting unanimous calls of "No Exchange"). If the Director chooses to overrule a majority judgment, he/she must declare to Line Judges and the fighters what was seen and why the other Judges are in error (for example, a hit that was scored as Quality but which he/she saw to be flat).

The Director frequently takes the lead in making calls regarding Double-hits and Grapples, both of which are further discussed above in the section Scoring an Exchange and may do so without consulting the Line Judges.

When necessary, the Director coordinates with the other ring officials to resolve any problems or issues arising from the concerns of the competitors.

Ring Bosses

Ring Bosses manage the fighters, support the Judging Team, communicate with the Tournament Administrators on behalf of the ring, and perform other tasks as requested by the Director.

The Ring Boss is responsible for ensuring that all fighters are ready when their time to fight comes. This may include calling fighters who do not present themselves at the tournament area in advance or reporting their absence to the Tournament Administrators. The Ring Boss also

performs gear inspection for the fighters assigned to his/her ring, either alone or alongside the Director, unless this task has already been performed by the Tournament Manager or Head Ring Boss.

During a match, the Ring Boss ensures that all fighters are prepared to fight when their names come up, and that they are assigned the correct colors and ribbons. He/she also oversees the Scorekeepers and Timekeepers and ensures that the records are verified and forwarded to the Tournament Administrators.

The Ring Boss is the only ring official apart from the Director who communicates with fighters, coaches, and members of the audience. When the Director is conducting a match, the Ring Boss acts as the sole point of contact for the Staffing Team, including intercepting anyone who might be disruptive to the operations of the ring.

Scorekeepers and Timekeepers

Scorekeepers document the results of each exchange and match, based on the conclusions of the Director. Scorekeepers document the number of Clean-Hits, Failed Withdraws, Double Hits, Grappling actions, and penalties. Scorekeepers also announce the results of each match and which fighters will next compete in each arena.

Timekeepers start and stop the timeclock in accordance with the direction of the Director. The Timekeeper signals the end of regulation time to the Director, who will halt the fighters. Time will only run between the calls of “FIGHT” and “HALT” to maximize opportunities to fight.

Any concerns or issues regarding the officiating shall be addressed only to the Director, rather than to the Table Staff (Score- & Timekeepers). Addressing the Table Staff, except when instructed to do so by the Director or Ring Boss, may result in an Administrative Warning for the fighter or the coach's fighter.

If there are not enough staff for a full Table Crew, the roles of Scorekeeper and Timekeeper may be filled by the same person.

SPECIAL SITUATIONS

The following uncommon situations may arise during a match and have specific procedures for handling them.

Equipment Failure during a Match

In the event that competitor-provided equipment fails in some way during a match, the Director or any other person may call a “Safety Halt”. The timekeeper will immediately stop the clock and the Director will assess the equipment failure. The match may resume immediately if the issue can be corrected immediately. Fighters who have frequent equipment issues (three or more in a match) or whose equipment issues take longer than 1 minute to resolve (cumulative across all issues within a match) may be penalized with a yellow or red card (Director’s discretion).

Injuries during a Match

Fighters must act in a prudent and reasonable manner at all times in order to avoid injury to themselves, their opponents, tournament staff, and spectators. Any fighter who acts in an unsafe or malicious manner may receive a red card or be disqualified from further participation in the tournament at the discretion of the Tournament Administrators.

No fighter, coach, or spectator will enter the arena to assist with an injury unless called for by the Director or Tournament Administrators.

If a fighter injures his opponent to such an extent that he/she is unable to continue participating in the tournament following a five-minute recovery period, the match will be recorded as “incomplete due to injury”. In evaluating such cases, the Director will ask the injured party if he/she can continue; however, the ultimate decision to allow the injured fighter rests with the Director, Tournament Administrators, and the on-site medical personnel.

If the competitor later feels they can complete the match, AND if opportunity exists within the tournament schedule, as determined by the Tournament Administrators, the completion of the match will be allowed. If for any reason the match cannot be completed, it will be recorded as a Loss for the injured participant.

Injury inflicted on any other party (Director, judges, administrative staff, spectators), accidental or otherwise, may result in disqualification, depending on the circumstances and at the discretion of the Tournament Administrator in conference with the match Director and the match Line Judges.

In all cases of injury, the Judging Team and Tournament Administrator will make an assessment as to whether the injury was inflicted maliciously. A fighter who injures his opponent maliciously shall be disqualified from the tournament.

Penalties (Cards)

The Director may assess penalty points to a competitor, after a warning, for any disallowed technique.

Yellow Card. The first time a fighter uses a disallowed technique, the Director shall issue a penalty warning.
Second Yellow Card. If the infraction is repeated, the Director may assess a three (3) point penalty to be removed from the fighter’s current score.
Third Yellow Card or Red Card. If the infraction is again repeated, the violating fighter will lose the match by disqualification.

In the event that the Director, in conference with the Line Judges, determines that a competitor has egregiously and intentionally used one or more disallowed techniques, the Director may escalate such penalties immediately to point penalties (second Yellow Card) or disqualification (Red Card). This includes fouls that are determined to have been committed to spoil the Last Exchange, such as fleeing the ring.

Fighters who are identified by the Tournament Administrators as consistently using disallowed techniques across multiple matches may be ejected from the tournament (a.k.a. Black Card).

Administrative Warnings

All fighters and coaches are subject to a three-warning system for actions made in or out of a match. Any fighter to receive two formal warnings in a single match will lose the match. Any fighter to receive three warnings over the course of the tournament will be eliminated from the tournament. Any warning issued to a coach is applied to that coach’s fighter. Warnings may be issued by the Director or a Tournament Administrator. These warnings are specifically for outside- of-match conduct, separate from the penalty system for in-match actions described above.

APPENDIX A: EQUIPMENT STANDARDS

All fighters will present themselves and their equipment to the equipment inspector prior to the beginning of the tournament for compliance inspection and approval. Modifying or removing required equipment after it has passed inspection is grounds for removal from the tournament, unless the fighter notifies a tournament official and is re-inspected.

The Longpoint 2017 Women’s Longsword and Tier A and Tier B Open Longsword tournaments are “Bring Your Own Steel;” weapons will not be provided by the event. Longpoint will provide Purpleheart Armory synthetic longswords (Type III or better) for the Rookie Training Tournament, but participants may also use their own appropriate weapons.

Participants must provide and wear the following:

Weapon: Fighters will provide their own sword from this approved list, all of which have seen extensive use in international competitions (or comparable events) and have reputations for durability, safety, and quality. Fighters wishing to use a sword not on this list must inquire with contact@fightlongpoint.com at least one week before the tournament date. The Tournament staff and administration will not review off-brand/off-model weapons on-site at Longpoint 2017 unless previous arrangements have been made.

All models of sword not featuring an integral safety tip/button/rolled tip at least 1 cm wide must be tipped with a metal washer (or equivalent) and sturdy leather or arrowhead blunt properly secured with strong tape.

Approved makers and models for 2025:

Albion Meyer
Arms & Armor Fechterspiel
Arms & Armor Fechtbuch Sword
Baltimore Sword and Knife Works Feders
Castille Armory Feders
Chlebowski Feders
Comfort Fencing Dobringer Feder
VB Standard and Tournament Feders

Danelli Feders
Darkwood Armory Feders
Ensifer Feders
Landsknecht Feders
Neyman Feders
Pavel Moc Feders
Purpleheart VB Feders
Regenyei Feders
SGT Blades Feders

Additional models may be approved in advance by contacting fenriskdf@gmail.com with photos, measurements (include weight, length of blade, length of hilt, point of balance, edge width at narrowest point, blade width 6 inches from the point), and maker contact information or website.

Mask w/ Back of Head Protection: 3-weapon mask in good condition with no discernible rusting, breaches of the mesh, tongue, or bib. The mask must completely cover the participant’s ears and be neither too large nor small to snugly fit the competitor. Other headgear (i.e. steel helmets) will be allowed pending inspection for similar criteria as above.
Neck Protection: Some form of rigid neck protection that covers the larynx must be worn.
Gauntlets: Fighters must wear gloves or gauntlets which protect the hand, fingers, and the portion of the wrist nearest the hand. Gauntlets must have rigid and padded protection; unpadded gloves are not sufficient. Steel gauntlets are acceptable but the wearer shall NOT use hand-based striking techniques in a match.

Steel Tournaments – HF Black Knight gloves, Absolute Force gloves, Black Lance gloves, Comfort Fencing gloves, Destroyer Modz gloves, St. Mark Koning gloves, Sparring gloves (“Ensifers”), SPES plastic clamshell gauntlets, steel gauntlets, or modified lacrosse/hockey/Red Dragon gloves with significant rigid exoskeleton and fingertip protection are required. Unmodified Red Dragons and lacrosse/hockey gloves are expressly forbidden. Contact us if you have any questions about the acceptability of your gloves. Gloves not on this list must be pre-approved. No exceptions will be granted on the day of the tournament.
Rookie Invitational Tournaments – As steel tournaments, plus Red Dragon gloves (fingertip protectors required), and lacrosse or ice hockey gloves with some rigid material outside of the padding, no gaps in coverage over the back of hands or fingers, and which have padding or similar protection along the outer sides of the pinky and index fingers and along the fingertips. Motocross gloves with rigid knuckle protection are NOT acceptable hand protection, nor are Field hockey gloves, ladies lacrosse gloves, padded fencing gloves, or equivalent.

Groin and Breast Protection: Use of rigid groin protection (cup/box) is mandatory for males. Rigid breast protection is mandatory for females. Pelvic protectors are recommended for female participants. Rigid chest protection is recommended for all participants.
Jacket: Fighters must wear a padded jacket that completely covers the torso, back, and arms. Fencing coaches jackets or padded reproduction gambesons are recommended. Gaps in the armpits are not acceptable. An unpadded jacket is acceptable if combined with a padded under-layer such as a hockey shirt.
Elbow and Knee Protection: Use of rigid elbow and knee protection is mandatory. The protection must completely cover the knee and elbow.
Shin and Forearm Protection: Rigid or semi-rigid shin and forearm protection is only mandatory for steel-weapon events, but is recommended for all participants. Gloves with long cuffs may satisfy the forearm requirement provided they are long enough to cover most of the forearm (when worn with the elbow protection).
Footwear: Fighters must wear some kind of enclosed toe footwear. Historical reproduction footwear is acceptable, as are minimalist shoes.

APPENDIX B: DISALLOWED TECHNIQUES

Penalties for striking disallowed targets or using disallowed techniques are covered above, in the section Special Situations. Point awards are covered in the section Scoring an Exchange.

General Instructions

Fighters are expected to conduct themselves in a mature and sportsmanlike manner throughout the tournament. There will be no derogatory insulting, back-talk, or baiting of other fighters, coaches, Director, Line Judges, staff, or spectators by any fighter or coach during the tournament. Violators will be given an Administrative Warning, Yellow Card, or Red Card, as appropriate.
Any means of delaying the action via the tournament administration processes are forbidden. Examples include, but are not limited to, walking slowly back to the corner between exchanges, communicating with anyone other than the fighter’s own coach (who is outside of the ring during the match), and excessive celebration. Violators may be given a Yellow Card at the Director’s discretion.
Fighters may not dispute calls made against them, or calls made in their favor (except as explained above, in the sidebar Fighter Input). A fighter who attempts to protest or negotiate with the Director or Judges may be deemed disruptive and warned or issued a Yellow Card.

Striking and Targeting

The entire body is a valid target area except for the groin, back of the head, neck, and spine. Strike delivered to non-valid target areas will result in warnings or penalties (Yellow or Red Cards).
Intentionally striking a fallen or incapacitated opponent is forbidden; however, A fighter demonstrating that he/she is able to strike a fallen opponent may be awarded points at the Director’s discretion.
The point and edge are valid striking surfaces of the sword over the entire target area. Pommel strikes are only valid when demonstrated as unimpeded to the mask but are scored normally in that case.
Striking with the cross of the sword is forbidden, including punching with the cross and mortschlag-type techniques.
Throwing the sword or other equipment is forbidden.
Only “straight” kicks above the waist and below the neck are allowed. Kicks are not scoring techniques but may be used to set up follow-on techniques (e.g., to gain a Control point), to create space, or to push an opponent out of bounds.
Closed-fisted punches are forbidden. Open-palm strikes, “straight-arms,” pushes, traps, and checks are allowed (though non-scoring) hand/arm-based techniques. Fighters wearing metal or “clamshell” styled gauntlets may not strike with their hands in any fashion; violators will be penalized with a Yellow or Red Card, at the Director’s discretion.

Fencing

Incidental strikes, which strike a valid target with a valid striking surface unintentionally may be recorded or may not be counted at all, at the Judges’ discretion.
A strike which connects solidly but ricochets, caroms, or otherwise makes multiple contacts from a single blow will be scored as a single hit against the first target struck.
Fighters who lose their weapon for any reason before, during, or immediately after a strike cannot earn the Quality point. Fighters may discard their weapons when performing grappling techniques with no penalty.
Fighters who fall immediately before, during, or after performing a strike will not earn the Quality point. Fighters who fall to the ground repeatedly will be warned and then penalized as with other disallowed techniques. If the Director perceives that a fighter is falling to the ground to exploit the rule against hitting fallen opponents, he/she will be penalized immediately and may forfeit the match at the Director’s discretion. A fighter is considered “fallen” if any part of his body other than his feet, or more than one hand or knee (or one hand and one knee), touches the ground.
Blade grabbing is allowed provided the weapon’s energy has dissipated or the weapon is generally static. For example, grabbing a blade immediately after parrying is acceptable; grabbing a blade as it executes a cut is not. Grabbing a thrusting blade is acceptable provided the grab is performed in fashion consistent with the direction of the thrust. Judges have discretion in determining whether a blade-grab has been performed or whether to score a hit against the grabber for the blade contact.
Fighters who step completely out of bounds with both feet for any reason will be penalized by awarding one (1) point to the opponent (i.e. recorded as a Ring-Out). Fighters who do this repeatedly or are judged to be doing it intentionally will also be penalized with a Yellow Card, and a further 3-point penalty at the Director’s discretion.

Grappling

Grappling is allowed in all competitions covered by these rules. All grappling will be halted once the Line Judges or Director identify a scoring technique, or after a verbal five (5)- count, whichever comes first.
All throwing techniques whose inherent nature is to deposit an opponent onto their head are forbidden. Regardless of the intent, throwing an opponent onto their head will result in ejection from the tournament (Black Card).
Submission grappling techniques whose inherent nature is serious injury (fractured bones, dislocated joints, suffocation, and the like) MUST be stopped short of full application by the competitors. Failure to do so will result in ejection from the tournament (Black Card).
Neck-wrenching and small-joint manipulation techniques are forbidden.

APPENDIX C: LINE JUDGES’ SEMAPHORES

All baton positions should be held out along bold, clean lines, to prevent confusion. When not scoring an action, the batons should be at rest, pointed vertically down beside or behind the Judge. It is appropriate for a Judge to speak their ruling out loud as well as signaling.

Semaphores for Type of Exchange

Clean hit for [color] – Baton of the fighter who delivered the clean hit held horizontally to the side.
Failed withdraw for [color] – Baton of the fighter who made the initial (lead) hit held horizontally to the side; the other baton held directly upward.
Double-hit (Open)– Both batons held out horizontally to the sides.
Double-hit (Closed) – Both batons held out horizontally to the front, above each other.
Ring out for [color] – Baton of the fighter who exited the ring pointed at the ring border
Abstain/Nothing Seen (0 pts) – Flags held crossed in a downward position.

Semaphores for Scoring the Lead Hit

Contact Only/No Quality (0 pts) – Batons held crossed in front of the chest/neck.
Contact + Quality (+ Target) (1 pt/2 pts) – Baton held out horizontally, then brought in to point at the body part struck. If baton is directed at the Head, Neck, or Torso, points are awarded for Target.
Control (4 pts) – Baton raised directly upward and spun, then brought in to point at the body part struck.
Abstain/Nothing Seen (0 pts) – Batons held crossed in a downward position.
Judge Requests Conference – Baton pointed at the Director. The Director should get all other Judges’ votes before calling them together for conference.