Ann Arbor Sword Club Saber Tournament

32669 Warren Road,Garden City MI 48135

26 February, 2022

Description

The first Michigan HEMA tournament in 2022! The Ann Arbor Sword Club will be hosting a Historical Saber tournament on February 26th, 2022, held at Ars Gladii in Garden City, MI. The Tournament will start at 2 pm and end approximately at 6 pm. Currently, registration will be limited to 20 combatants and meant as an avenue for intermediate practitioners. Please note, the rules may change slightly from what is written here, and will be reviewed prior to tournament start. All combatants must be 18 years of age or older. COVID-19 - All participants must be vaccinated Rules Fighters will compete in round-robin bouts fighting everyone in your randomly assigned pooled group. Each bout consists of 5 passes ending in landed blow(s). Passes will end when Judges call hold. Judges can also call for a reset or a re-do of a pass if the exchange gets messy. The head judge will call the hit(s) and confer with their second if there are issues. Scoring blows requires solid cuts with the edge, thrust, or disarm. Points are location-based, 1pt for arms and upper thigh, 2 pts for the torso, head, and neck.Net points are awarded to the better hit based on doubles or within 1 tempo after blows. Passes will end when Judges call hold. If a pass last longer than 3min, the pass will move on and each competitor will score 0 points.Top 4 Fighters will move onto the final four Ties will be decided by fighters with the fewest doubles.The Final Four will fight in the same manner as aboveFirst, Second and Third places will be awardedSafety Above all else, safety is our priority. Fighters will be warned for excessive force, up to 3 times before being disqualified from the tournament. Weapons All weapons will be blunted, tempered steel, flexible in the thrust, in good repair, and free of burs or rust. Sabers will be reviewed at check-in for compliance and safety.Sabers shouldn't weigh more than 2 lbs with maximum blade length 36 in.Armor/Protective Gear Head protection must cover the entire head and front of the throat. There should be no gaps in coverage that would allow a thrust or strike to the face. A 3-Weapon Mask with SPES-style overlay or Absolute Force HEMA mask with back-of-head protection should be considered minimally acceptable protection.A solid or ridge foam gorget with throat protection are required.Clothing should be puncture-resistant, completely cover the torso and arms. Padded jackets are strongly recommended (350N or above).Rigid chest protection, such as a modern fencing chest guard, is recommended for female fencers.A hard cup is required for all male combatants, which must not be visible while fencing.Elbow: hard plastic, leather or steel that protects the back and sides of the joint. Forearms should be protected by additional heavy padding, plastic, leather, etc.Sturdy gloves with finger and wrist protection are required. Something like La-Crosse gloves or more protective is expected.All combatants must wear shoes.Waiver and Informed Consent Form - A signed copy of this form is required for participation in this Tournament.