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05-rapier.md

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Convention rules for rapier and side weapons fencing

##How to score hits

  1. The rapier is a thrustinging and cutting weapon.

  2. All cuts made with the flat, long and short edges of the blade count as hits.

  3. Hits through the blade, which simultaneously hit the body's valid striking surface and the opponent's weapon, are valid whenever they hit the valid striking surface cleanly.

Valid target areas

  1. Only hits that fall on a valid target areas are valid.

  2. The entire body of the fencer, including the grip of the weapon, clothing and protective equipment, excluding the back of the head, the spine, the back of the feet and the back of the knees, is valid target area.

  3. It is the responsibility of the referee to judge the severity of cuts and thrusts to an invalid target area and the referee must penalize the fencer who has taken the hit accordingly, as described in the second group of fouls.

  4. The referee in charge of the match shall penalize the fencer who replaces a valid target area with an invalid target area, either by covering or by abnormal movement, in accordance with the first group of disciplinary offences.

Determination or invalidation of hits

  1. Hits are to be assessed on the basis of the observations of the referee and his assistant who is in charge of the match and observing the action.

  2. Any foul shall invalidate a hit by the offending fencer.

  3. Only the referee in charge of the match has the final decision on the factuality of the hit. He may not take into account hits before "go!" and after "stop!"

  4. If a hit is outside the valid target area and is not valid.

Validity and priority of hits

  1. The referee in charge of the match alone decides on the validity or priority of a hit, taking into account the following convention rules for long-sword.

  2. All correctly executed attacks shall be defended or avoided completely and the fencing shall be continued in a correct manner.

  3. Attacking footwork includes lunges, step lunges, flèche and dynamic cross steps. A simple cross-step forward and any advancing step is considered as a preparation and does not take priority over any simple attack.

  4. An attack is properly executed when, during continuous extension of the arm, the tip or edge of the blade continuously threatens the valid target area, preceding the initiation of the attacking footwork.

  5. In judging the correctness of attacks, the following shall be taken into account:

    1. a simple attack, whether direct or indirect, is correctly executed if the extension of the arm with the point or edge threatening the valid target area precedes the initiation of the attacking footwork.

    2. a complex attack is correctly executed when the beginning of the extension of the arm at the presentation of the first feint precedes the initiation of the attacking footwork and the hit is received at the latest at the footwork’s completion.

    3. A simple or complex action, move or act with the arm withdrawn is not an attack, but only a preparation which provides the opportunity to initiate an attacking or attacking-defending counter-attack.

  6. The following factors shall be taken into account in determining the priority of an attack:

    1. If the attack is initiated when the opponent is in line (i.e., with an outstretched arm, with the point threatening a valid target area - langort/long point), the attacker must first deflect the opponent's weapon. The referee officiating the match should note that mere contact of the blades is not considered sufficient to deflect the opponent's weapon.

    2. If the attempt to deflect the blade fails, the right of attack passes to the opponent.

    3. If the attack is launched when the opponent is not in line (e.g. long point/langort), the attack may be executed by a straight thrust (cut) or dodge, or by prior effective action that forces the opponent to defend.

  7. In assessing the correctness of complex attacks, the following factors shall be taken into account:

    1. In compound attacks, the actions must be correctly presented, i.e: feint with thrust is made by extending the arm while the point is constantly threatening the valid target area; feint with cut is made by extending the arm, while the blade and the arm form an obtuse angle and the edge of the blade constantly threatens the valid target area.

    2. If, in a compound attack, the opponent intercepts the blade during one of the feints and blocks its original path by a bind or an attack on the blade, he gains the right to the riposte.

    3. In a compound attack, the opponent has the right to make a counter attack. However, for it to be valid, the counter attack must precede the completion of the attack by one fencing time, i.e. the counter attack must hit before the attacker has begun the last movement to complete his attack.

  8. Attack with an attack on the blade or bind:

    1. In an attack with an attack on the blade or bind, the attack is considered to be correctly executed and takes priority when the attack on the blade falls on the weak part of the opponent's blade, i.e. 1/2 of the blade furthest from the guard.

    2. In an attack on the blade or in a bind, when the blade stroke falls on the strong of the opponent's blade, i.e. on the 1/2 closest to the guard, the attack is considered to be incorrectly executed and this attack on the blade gives priority to the opponent's immediate riposte.

    3. Grabbing the opponent’s blade with the off-hand while it's unmoving, is considered to be a correctly executed attack on the blade.

  9. Parry

    1. A correctly executed parry or avoidance of an attack gives the right to a riposte (counter-attack): the simple counter-cut (or thrust) can be direct or indirect, but to nullify any further action by the attacker it must be executed immediately without hesitation or pause.

    2. The purpose of the parry against thrusts is to prevent the point from reaching the target area, so the defence is correct if, at the end of the action, the opponent's point does not threaten the defender.

    3. The purpose of the parry against cuts is to prevent the hit from reaching the target area against which the opponent's cuts are directed and the opponent's point does not threaten the defender.

    4. The execution of the parry is correct when, before the completion of the attacking action, it resists the arrival of the opponent's hit, closing the line in which this attacking action is to be completed and preventing the opponent's point from endangering the valid target area.

    5. If a parry has been correctly made, the opponent's attacking action shall be deemed to have been parried by the referee in charge of the match, even if the flexibility of the attacking blade causes the point of the blade to reach the target area, for example, by bending over the guard.

  10. Detailed examples and descriptions are given in the Appendix: Priority

##Close combat

  1. Priority is lost when the strong part of the weapons meet (including the guard) and/or in wrestling actions. If the fencers hit each other immediately after contact of the strong part of the blades, a point shall be awarded against both of them. Otherwise, they may move away and continue fencing (under the convention rules of rapier fencing) or move to wrestling (under the rules of wrestling).

Judging of hits

  1. A valid hit may be scored by an attack when, at the moment of initiation, the fencer was not directly threatened by his opponent.

  2. When both fencers in a fencing match make a hit at the same time, it is either a simultaneous action or a double hit.

  3. A simultaneous action results from the simultaneous conception and execution of an attack by both fencers; in this case, the points are scored as follows:

    1. a point shall be awarded against both fencers if both fencers attacked with a thrust or both fencers attacked with a cut.

    2. a point shall be awarded against the fencer who made the attack with a cut if the other made the attack with a thrust.

  4. A double hit, on the other hand, is the result of a faulty action by one of the fencers. Consequently, if there is not a fencing time difference between the two hits:

    1. The fencer who is attacked is alone counted as hit::

      1. if he does a counter-attack against a simple attack launched from an appropriate distance;

      2. if, instead of parrying, he attempts to avoid the hit by increasing the distance, but fails;

      3. if he stops for a while after a successful parry (late riposte). This gives the opponent the right to repeat his attack (doubling, repeated cut (thrust), repeated attack);

      4. if he does a counter attack against compound attack without the advantage of a fencing time difference;

      5. if his point in line (long point/langort) has been deflected by the opponent with an attack on the blade or a bind and he then attacks or returns to the line instead of defending the directly executed hit of the attacker.

    2. The fencer who attacks is alone counted as hit:

      1. if the opponent attacks without deflecting the opponent's blade in line (long point/langort). The referee in charge of the match shall note that mere contact of the blades is not considered sufficient to deflect the opponent's weapon.

      2. if he wants to attack or bind on the blade but cannot make contact (because his opponent has dodged) and so continues his attack.

      3. if, in a compound attack in the course of which his opponent has caught the blade, he continues his attack while his opponent immediately ripostes.

      4. if, in a compound attack, he withdraws his arm or pauses for a moment while his opponent hits him with a counter attack or attack and he continues his attack.

      5. if in a compound attack he receives a counter attack (cut or thrust) one fencing time before he finishes his attack;

      6. if he attacks with a repeated attack, doubling or renewed attack, despite the correctly executed parry of the opponent and an immediate, simple riposte (cut or thrust) executed in one tempo and without retraction of the arm.

  5. In a counter-attack, if there is doubt about the timing (in relation to the final movement of the compound attack), the double hit may be the result of an error by both parties. Since this is not a tactically neutral/symmetrical situation (i.e. not the result of a simultaneous attack), the referee will not award a point. (The attacker's fault may be: indecision, slow execution, inefficient action. Defender's fault may be: delay or slow execution)

Actions involving a dagger as a side weapon

  1. It is allowed to parry with the dagger, as long as it is used for defensive actions only.

  2. It is allowed to engage the opponent’s blade using the dagger

  3. It is forbidden to attack with the dagger, and depending on the outcome, it may belong to the first or the second group of offences.

  4. It is forbidden to throw the dagger at the opponent, it belongs to the fourth group of offence, and will be penalized with elimination from the tournament.

Actions involving a cloak as a side weapon

  1. It is allowed to parry with the cloak, as long as it is used for defensive actions only.

  2. It is allowed to engage the opponent’s blade using the cloak.

  3. Cuts aimed at the cloak covered hand or body or the cloak itself are not considered valid.

  4. Thrusts aimed at the cloak covered hand or body are considered valid, as long as the thrust hits valid target through the cloak, and satisfies the general requirements of valid attacks.

  5. It is forbidden to throw the cloak at the opponent. It must be wrapped around the unarmed hand. Dropping or letting go of the cloak without the opponent’s interaction belongs to the first group of offences.