Fechtschule Sacramento 2017

WHAT

Fechtschule Sacramento is a public gathering for the display of skill and control with the Dussack and Longsword.

The Dussack Tournament is hosted in conjunction with the Davis Historical Fencing Club and is suited for beginner and intermediate Dussack fencers. Synthetic Dussacks from Purple Heart Armory will be provided for competitors in this event.

The Longsword Tournament is hosted with support from the Meyer Freifechter Guild Region VI. This event is an open steel tournament and fencers will be expected to provide their own federschwert from approved suppliers. Blunt steel longswords are not appropriate for this event. 

This is an official event of the NorCal Historical Fencing League. 

WHERE & WHEN

Date : Saturday, 26 August 2017
Location: Sacramento Turn Verein,  3349 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95816

Schedule:
The event will run from approximately 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with an awards ceremony and competitors dinner to follow. Exact details and time lines will depend on the number of competitors in each event. 

HOW MUCH

- HEMA Alliance Member, $50, Box Lunch and Awards Dinner included
- Non-Alliance members $60, Box Lunch and Awards Dinner included
Fencers may choose to participate in either or both Longsword and Dussack

Awards Dinner:
- Guests, $10

Spectators:
- FREE

Pre-registration will close August 10th. After 8/10/17 prices will increase to the Non-Alliance Member Price. Awards dinner and Box Lunch only included with Pre-registration.

Snacks and beverages will be provided for competitors throughout the tournament. Boxed lunches will be available for purchase. Competitors are barred from the consumption of alcohol before or during the event. 

FECHTSCHULE SACRAMENTO - TOURNAMENT OVERVIEW

LONGSWORD and DUSSACK

We will be using the KnifePoint Rules.

THE KNIFEPOINT RULES FORMAT

Fencer's will be grouped into pools. There will be 1 round of Pool Matches, followed by a round robin. Each fencer will have a number of lives determined by the total number of competitors and initial pool size.

- When you win a fight, you score a point.

- When you lose a fight, you lose a life.

- If you Double in a fight, you lose a life.

- When you are out of lives, you are out of the tournament.

The First Round 

Fencers may Win or Double, Ring out will be scored as a Draw*

The Final Round Robin

Fencers may Win, Draw* or Double, no penalty for Ring Out.. 

After the first round of pools fencers all fencers will be sorted into 1 large progressive round robin pool. The lowest ranked fencers will fight first. The fight continues until 30% of the original fencers remain. If there are any ties in the top 3, they will compete in sudden death matches.  

Each pool will have 4 Corner Judges and 1 Referee. The Judges will be made up from Meyer Freifechter Guild Members who are not competing. The top 30% of fighters will be recognized for their accomplishment with the top 3 being rewarded.

SCORING

All targets, except for Hands are valid.

Intentional attacks to the Back of the Head and Spine are prohibited and a warning may be issued by the Referee for use of excessive force. The First Warning is a verbal notification. The Second Warning will result in the loss of 1 life. The Third Warning will result in expulsion from the tournament. 

All valid targets score the same. There is no point difference.

All fights between fencers will be for one "clean" exchange. If there is a debate or question between Judges about the outcome of the fight, it will be thrown out by the Referee and the match will be fought again. Combat does not end after a strike until the attacker has completed their withdrawal or the referee breaks up the fight.

*HIGHEST “BLEEDING” HEAD WOUND RULE

This applies in the case of a Double (simultaneous successful strikes from both fencers) or Afterblow (a successful counterstrike that follows immediately after the opponent’s successful initial strike) situation.

Any strike that falls below the head may be negated by a strike to the opponent's head. The order of strikes does not matter. In the event this occurs:

- The person struck on the head will be counted as a loss.

- The person who delivered the blow will not receive a point for a win, but neither will they lose a life.

Gear Requirements

Dussack

Head = Head protection must cover the entire face and front of the throat for drilling and slow sparring, and the entire head and front of the throat must be covered in competitive sparring. It must be sturdy enough to withstand impacts. There should be no gaps in coverage that would allow a thrust or strike to the face.

Throat = A covering to protect the throat.

Torso = Clothing to cover the body. (Padded gear is unnecessary.)

Groin = An internal or external cup.

Elbow = Hard elbow covering to protect the joints.

Hands = Sturdy gloves or gauntlets must be used to protect the hands and wrists. Gloves must include protection on the sides and tips of the fingers sufficient to resist hard strikes from steel or synthetic weapons. An un-supplemented lacrosse glove is not sufficient. Steel Gauntlets need additional interior padding of some sort. A mechanic’s-style glove has minimal padding and when used inside a metal gauntlet would not be sufficient. Most HEMA-dedicated synthetic gloves or gauntlets, such as Sparring Gloves and Black Lance, are adequate. Finger breaks and hand injuries are the most common and organizers should be conscientious of these risks.

Legs = Hard knee covering to protect the joints.

Feet = Covering of some sort.

Trainer = The trainer must be free of splinters or burs. The tip must not come to a point. Edges must be blunt or blunted. (These are provided by the Tournament).

Longsword

Head = Head protection must cover the entire head and front of the throat must be covered in competitive sparring. It must be sturdy enough to withstand impacts. There should be no gaps in coverage that would allow a thrust or strike to the face.

Throat = A covering to protect the throat.

Torso = Clothing to cover the body. Clothing should be puncture resistant, or three layers.  

Groin = An internal or external cup.

Elbow = Hard elbow covering to protect the joints.

Hands = Sturdy gloves or gauntlets must be used to protect the hands and wrists. Gloves must include protection on the sides and tips of the fingers sufficient to resist hard strikes from steel or synthetic weapons. An un-supplemented lacrosse glove is not sufficient. Steel Gauntlets need additional interior padding of some sort, however a mechanic’s glove has minimal padding and when used inside a metal gauntlet would not be sufficient. Most HEMA-dedicated synthetic gloves or gauntlets, such as Sparring Gloves and Black Lance, are adequate. Finger breaks and hand injuries are the most common and organizers should be conscientious of this.

Legs = Hard knee covering to protect the joints.

Feet = Covering of some sort.

Trainer = The trainer must be free of splinters or burs. The tip must not come to a point. Edges must be blunt or blunted. (Federschwert only, no blunt longswords, no montante or similar weapons. These are to be supplied by the competitors.)