EXPECTATIONS & SAFETY
If your common sense is asking whether something is allowed, that means it probably is not.
Please review the equipment requirements, which are an important part of safety.
- Actions whose effectiveness comes from joint injury are forbidden, such as small joint manipulation, full arm bars, and kicks to the knee.
- Punching is not permitted. The use of the open hand to push in wrestling is permitted.
- In mixed weapon, buckler punches are not permitted. While a valid action it is too likely to cause concussion in tournament.
- Similarly, pommel strikes to the top of the head are not permitted.
- Strikes to the groin or to the back of the head are not permitted.
- Anything you would describe with the word flying – flying kick, flying tackle, flying Double Swedish Forbidden Grip – is something you already know is not a good idea.
Safety violations will receive a warning. Safety violations judged as intentional may receive any level of punishment up to immediate ejection from the tournament, even if no warning has been issued.
Some things are permitted but only in some cases:
- Push kicks above the belt are permitted but do not score. Other kicks are not allowed.
Anyone who see other safety issues, such as loss of part of the equipment or antelope running across the ring, should immediately call halt. Time will resume once the issue has been remedied.
ROUNDS
The round continues until one of the following:
- 1.5 minutes of fighting time has elapsed
- Scoring time is excluded, the clock will stop on each halt.
- There have been 6 passes
- A pass ends when or more fighters scores a point.
- If “point” is called, but no hit is called for either fighter (“nothing done”), it does not count as a pass. Any scoring action counts as a pass, whether it is a hit, throw, disarm, or ringout.
- If a halt is called for safety or similar reason, this does not count as a pass.
- A pass ends when or more fighters scores a point.
- One fighter’s score exceeds 10 points
Notes on round length: with only six passes, making good use of them to score is important (see Ranking below). Ten points is obtainable in three passes at best (see Scoring, 2 points doubled for a clean hit makes 4 points the best possible pass).
SCORING & RANKING
- Strikes:
- A strike must be with the edge or point, or pommel to the grill of the mask only.
- To score, a strike must demonstrate sufficient intention and ability to injure.
- A strike with the edge must travel approximately 60 degrees of arc
- A thrust must travel at least six inches
- A slice must travel across the target and push back the body or limb sliced
- A pommel to the mask must travel a few inches and have the arm behind it – we are looking for a pommel thrust, not a sideways backhand pommel
- Points are awarded for strikes as follows:
- 2 points for head and torso. The torso includes the shoulder and extends to the bottom of a standard jacket.
- 1 point for a strike to any other area except groin or back of head/neck
- Other scoring actions:
- Throws with dominance: 2 points. Dominance requires either remaining standing while your opponent is down or ending the throw on top and in control. Throws which do not clearly demonstrate control will not earn a point or count as a pass unless there was another scoring action.
- Down shall be considered three points down, i.e. two knees and a hand on the ground, shoulders and hips, etc.
- Special note: if you trip or otherwise throw yourself while your opponent remains standing, even if they are across the ring scratching their head, they will be awarded the 2 points without having to unsafely fling themselves on your prone body. Stay on your feet.
- Disarms: 2 points. A fighter shall not be counted as disarmed until they are separated from their opponent. Therefore, loss of weapon during wrestling does not score until the fighters separate.
- Ringouts: 1 point for the fighter remaining in the ring. If both fighters exit the ring, this is a non-scoring pass. A fighter is not out of the ring until both feet are completely out.
- Since someone asks every year, waving a foot in the air above the ring is still technically in.
- If you are falling out and hit your opponent after you are out, that strike does not score.
- Throws with dominance: 2 points. Dominance requires either remaining standing while your opponent is down or ending the throw on top and in control. Throws which do not clearly demonstrate control will not earn a point or count as a pass unless there was another scoring action.
- Afterblows/doubles:
- When a judge sees a scoring action on his designated fighter, they call “point.”
- The referee will pause for one tempo, and then call “halt.”
- The FIRST scoring action by EACH fighter that occurs before “halt” is called counts. If a fighter scores twice before halt is called (for example, a strike to the arm and then the head) only the first blow scores.
- Clean hit bonus:
- If one fighter scores (excepting ringouts), and the opponent does not, that fighter’s score is DOUBLED
- When BOTH fighters score:
- If one fighter scores 2 points, and the other scores 1 point, the fighter who scored 2 points receives the difference, i.e. 1 point.
- If both fighters score the same number of points, both fighters receive 0 points for the pass.
- Fighters are ranked based on number of wins.
- Ties are broken based on number of points scored.
- Further ties are broken based on points scored against.
STAFFING
For each ring, there will be:
- 1 referee
- 2 table staff
- Timekeeper
- Scorekeeper
- 4 judges (2 judges will adjudicate hits on each fighter)
- Judges will confer on hits