Fencing:Equipment Specifications

General Equipment Requirements

1. Sharp points, edges or corners are not allowed anywhere on any equipment.
2. All equipment must be able to safely withstand combat stresses.
3. Equipment that is likely to cause bodily injury or break a blade or damage other equipment is prohibited.
4. All equipment shall make an attempt at being period in appearance.
5. Where a test is specified, all equipment must be tested at least once every two years.

Protective Equipment (Armour)

Definitions

Abrasion-Resistant Material

Material that will withstand normal combat stresses (such as being snagged by an unbroken blade) without tearing. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• broadcloth
• a single layer of heavy poplin cloth (35% cotton, 65% polyester; "trigger" cloth)
• sweat pants
• Woven knit tights or lycra /spandex mix tights.

Nylon pantyhose and cotton gauze shirts are examples of unacceptable materials.

Puncture-Resistant Material

Any fabric or combination of fabrics that passes the Standard Fencing Armour Test set out under rule 3.2.1.5. Examples may include, but are not limited to:

• 2 mm leather
• four layers of heavy poplin cloth
• ballistic nylon rated to at least 550 Newtons
• commercial fencing clothing rated to at least 550 Newtons.

Kevlar is not an acceptable material, as it degrades rapidly. Initially, these materials need only be tested at the marshal's discretion; all other materials must be tested the first time new equipment is used, or if no marshal on the field knows a given piece of equipment to have been tested under rule 3.1.5.

Rigid Material

Puncture-resistant materials that will not significantly flex, spread apart, or deform under pressure of 12 kg applied by a standard mask tester repeatedly to any single point. Examples of rigid material that may comply with the standard for Rigid Material are:

• 0.8 mm stainless steel
• 1.0 mm mild steel
• 1.6 mm aluminium, copper, or brass
• One layer of hardened heavy leather (8oz, 4 mm).
• The mesh of a standard fencing mask

Resilient Padding

Any material or combination of materials - equivalent to 6mm (1/4 inch) of closed cell foam - which absorbs some of the force of a thrust or blow. The standard padded bib of a fencing mask may meet this requirement, depending on construction.

Standard Fencing Armour Test

Used for testing Puncture Resistant Material. Acceptable field inspections shall deliver a consistent force. Tests known to be acceptable include:

• Cloth or garment manufacturer's commercial certification that a fabric is rated to 550 N. (Documentation must be available at the time of inspection.)
• Use of 550 N garment punch test devices, manufactured by sources acceptable to the Deputy Society Marshal for Rapier Combat. Such a device shall be used in accordance with its instructions.
• Use of a drop test device as described in instructions found in Appendix 3 of the Society Rapier Rules.

For all tests, if the material in question has been completely penetrated, or penetrated in more than one protective layer, it fails. If only one protective layer (where other equivalent or sturdier layers exist) has been damaged, then it passes.

General Protective Equipment Requirements

1. There shall be no visible bare skin. There shall be sufficient overlap between separate pieces of protective clothing, regardless of the combatant's stance or movements, that the minimum protection for that body area be preserved.
2. Additional protective equipment (beyond what is described herein) may be used as long as it does not interfere with the proper acknowledgment of blows.

Head

1. The front and top of the head must be covered by rigid material to below the jaw line and behind the ears. Standard 12 kg fencing masks are known to meet this standard. If built to this standard, fencing helms are also acceptable.
2. The face must be covered by either 12 kg mesh (eg, a standard fencing mask) or perforated metal. Such perforated metal must not have holes larger than 3 mm (1/8 inch) in diameter, with a minimum offset of 5 mm (3/16 inch) and shall also meet the definition of rigid material.
3. Masks and helms must be secured to the combatant, so that they cannot be easily removed or dislodged during combat. The combination of snug fit and the spring-tongue in a conventional fencing mask is NOT sufficient, by itself, to secure the mask to the combatant. Conventional fencing masks require a supplementary closure that will prevent the mask from being dislodged from under the chin. An example is a tie attached to the bib below the jaw line, securing around the neck.
4. The exterior and interior of masks and helms shall be inspected to confirm compliance with the rigid material standard and provisions on coverage, a snug fit and no evidence of impending failure. Examples of unacceptable conditions include (but are not limited to):
   • the interior padding or suspension system has decayed and fails to prevent contact between the wearer and any rigid part of the helm during combat;
   • the presence of rust which weakens the metal involved;
   • dents or other defects which spread open mesh and/or broken weld points.

   If there is concern about the face mesh of a modern fencing mask, it should be tested using a standard commercial 12 kg mask punch. Marshals doing the testing shall be trained in the use of the punch.

5. All parts of a fencing mask or rapier helm that might cause injurious contact with the wearer's head shall be padded or shall be suspended in such a way as to prevent contact with the wearer during combat. Either method should ensure a snug fit with minimal shifting of the mask or helm on the fighter's head during normal fighting and upon impact. There shall be NO major internal projections; minor projections of necessary structural components shall be padded. All metal shall be free of sharp edges.
   • The interior of fencing masks must have a minimum of 6 mm (1/4 inch) open-cell foam or equivalent resilient padding to create separation between the mask and the wearer. Modern fencing masks (e.g. FIE and USFA type masks) in good working order meet this requirement without additional padding.
   • For rapier helms that utilise a suspension system which does not, on its own, prevent contact between the wearer and any rigid part of the helm, additional padding must be present. This padding must consist of at least 6 mm (1/4 inch) open-cell foam or equivalent resilient material.
   • Rapier helms without a suspension system and which rely on foam must use a minimum of 6 mm (1/4 inch) closed-cell foam or equivalent resilient padding which provides progressive resistance to create separation between the hard outer shell of the helm and the wearer. Similarly, parts of the inside of the helm that might come in contact with the wearer's neck or body should be padded.
6. The rest of the head must be covered by at least puncture resistant material.
7. For Cut and Thrust rapier combat, the entire head must be covered by rigid material.
8. It is recommended that, in addition to the required puncture resistant material, the back of the head be padded with a minimum of resilient padding where the wearer expects to face rubber band guns in melee. The padding is intended to help cushion the skull from projectile impacts.

Neck and Throat

1. The entire neck and throat must be covered by rigid material.
2. Resilient padding or puncture resistant material (such as a hood) shall back the rigid materials. The use of resilient padding is highly recommended.
3. The cervical vertebrae shall also be protected by rigid material, provided by some combination of gorget, helm, and/or hood insert.

Torso and Other Incapacitating Zones

1. The entire torso (the chest, back, abdomen, groin, and sides up to and including the armpits) must be covered with puncture-resistant material.
2. Acceptable minimum armpit coverage is provided by a triangle of puncture resistant material extending from the armpit seam, covering the lower half of the sleeve at the seam, and extending down the inner/under arm, one-third the distance to the combatant's elbow.
3. Rigid groin protection shall be worn by those having external genitalia. Marshals performing an armour inspection should ask fencers whether they are armoured appropriately per the rapier rules, and leave the choice of appropriate protection to the fencer.

Arms and Legs

1. Gloves made of abrasion resistant material shall cover hands and overlap any sleeve openings.
2. Boots, shoes, or sandals combined with other foot coverings comprised of at least abrasion-resistant material shall cover the feet.
3. Abrasion-resistant material is required on arms (save as noted above for armpits), legs, and any area not otherwise mentioned in these rules.
4. For Cut and Thrust rapier, elbows and knees must be further protected from the impact of percussive cuts by a minimum of resilient padding.
5. For Cut and Thrust rapier, hands and wrists require additional protection from being struck by percussive blows:
   1. Areas of the backs of gloved hands, fingers and thumbs, to 25 mm (1 inch) above the wrist of both arms not protected by a hilt, parrying device, or rigid armour must, at a minimum, be protected by an additional layer of 6 mm (1/4 inch) open cell foam or equivalent resilient padding.
   2. If any combatant is using a two-handed weapon, all combatants in the bout must have rigid protection for areas listed above (3.2.5.5a). Examples of acceptable protection for Cut and Thrust rapier include (but not limited to):
      • Gauntlets or demi-gauntlets made of rigid material covering areas not protected by the weapon's guard.
      • Commercial products such as "Koning" gloves, "SPES" Heavy gloves or hockey gloves which satisfy these requirements. (Note: Blatantly modern gloves are discouraged at official events and practices without attempting to cover logos and modern materials.)

Standard Offensive Equipment (Weapons)

General Offensive Equipment Requirements

1. Standard offensive weapons are:
   • Swords and daggers constructed in accordance with the rules below.
   • Rubber Band Guns, except in single tournament combat.
   • Pole weapons, except in single tournament combat.
2. All swords and daggers must have a straight grip.
3. Any blade with kinks, sharp bends, or cracks shall not be used. Steel blades that develop these defects cannot be repaired and must be retired. Steel blades with "S" curves shall not be used unless they can be properly re-curved.
4. Swords and daggers may use a hand guard such as a cup hilt, swept hilt or quillons and knuckle-bow. Guards may not extend more than 15cm from the blade. Quillons must have blunt ends at least 6mm in one direction.
5. Foil, Sabre and Epee blades may not be incorporated into weapons that are to be used in rapier combat within Lochac.

Blade Points

1. Blade points must be covered with plastic, rubber or leather tips, which must be firmly taped or glued in place in such a way that they will not come loose during normal combat.
2. Tips will have a blunt striking surface, presenting a cross-section of at least 9 mm (3/8 inch) diameter.
3. The tip must be of a colour contrasting with the blade so that the tip's absence is readily apparent. If tape is used, it must contrast with both blade and tip.
4. Tips exhibiting excessive wear or abuse must be replaced.

Steel Blades

1. Blades must be no longer than 122 cm (48 inches) as measured from the tip to the top of the tang (i.e. where the tang and forte meet).
2. Blades must be reasonably flexible as defined in 6.3.
3. Sword-length blades (i.e. greater than 45.7 cm (18 inches) in length from tip to top of the tang) with a cross-section similar to a foil or epee (i.e., foils, epees, double-wide epees and musketeers) are not allowed. Flexi-daggers are not allowed for Cut and Thrust combat.
4. Steel blades will not be altered by grinding, cutting, heating, hammering, or other actions that could significantly alter their temper, flexibility or durability. Normal combat stresses and blade care do not violate this rule. Exceptions are:
   • The tang of the weapon may be altered.
   • Blades may be shortened so long as they maintain acceptable flexibility.
   • A nut or other blunt metal object designed to spread impact may be welded to the tip of blades so long as care is taken to prevent damage to the temper of the blade. The blunt object will still need some form of coverage, in accordance with 3.3.2.
5. Rigid metal "parrying-only" daggers such as those made from cut down blades are not allowed.

Fibreglass Blades

1. The weapon shall have a blade constructed solely of fibreglass rod or equivalent, glue and fibreglass and vinyl tapes. Metal for hilt mounting purposes may extend no further than 10 cm along the blade.
2. Fibreglass blades shall comply with the Society Flexibility Test if there are concerns regarding blade stiffness. (See Appendix 6.3 for applicable test)
3. The blade shall be wrapped in vinyl duct tape (not cloth or metal backed), or such other tape as will not tear readily. Fibreglass strapping tape may be used in constructing the weapon, but must be completely covered by the outer wrapping tape.

Rubber Band Guns

1. Rubber band guns must resemble a period muzzle loading weapon dated prior to 1600AD.
2. Rubber band guns must be made of sturdy, lightweight materials able to withstand the stresses of their operation and of normal combat. All edges or corners must be smoothed off and they must be free of splinters or cracks.
3. Rubber band ammunition must be made from commercially available rubber tubing and must not contain any metal parts or any rigid materials beyond the minimums required to join the ends together. Any hard plastic on the outside of the band should be covered and smoothed by vinyl duct tape or plastic shrink wrapping. Filling bands with sand or liquids is forbidden. The band must be marked to identify the owner.
4. Rubber band gun 'draw length'

   This is the distance between the anchor point and the trigger that the rubber band gun ammunition hooks onto. In most rubber band guns that will be the distance between the front of the barrel and the trigger (see Fig 1.).

   

   Figure 1. Rubber band gun draw length.

5. Rubber band guns will consist of two categories:
   • Short arm rubber band guns with a draw length not exceeding 45cm
   • Long arm rubber band guns with a draw length exceeding 45cm.
6. There is no restriction on the circumference of short arm rubber band gun ammunition. The distance around the rubber band is the circumference.

   

7. The circumference of long arm rubber band gun ammunition must be the same or greater than the draw length for that rubber band gun. For example if a long arm rubber band gun has a draw length of 46cm, then the ammunition must have a circumference of at least 46cm. As a practical measure, a marshal can 'flatten' a band in half and use that to measure against the draw length of the rubber band gun (See fig 2).

   

   Figure 2. Rubber band gun measure.

8. Combatants may only use the ammunition that have been tested with the weapon they are using. Gleaning of used bands is not permitted during a scenario.
9. Parrying with a rubber band gun will not be seen to impair its effectiveness as a gun
10. All guns and bands must be inspected by a Rapier Marshal prior to use as per 5.2.1 re armour/weapon inspections.
11. Rubber band guns may only be loaded with the supervising marshal's permission and only on the combat field.

Pole Weapons

1. Total weapon length shall not exceed 244 cm (8 feet).
2. The minimum blade length is 91.4 cm (36 inches) measured tip to the where the tang and forte meet.
3. Total weapon weight shall not exceed 1.36 kg (3 pounds).
4. The only weapons in this class that are approved for use must be similar in design to the commercially available 'Alchem' pike and 'Amazonia' spear.
5. Alternative designs must meet the blade flexibility standard must have the blade securely attached to the haft by mechanical means (i.e. screws or pins). If the blade is secure to the shaft with a removable pin, the pin shall be taped over to be secured. Weapons of this design must be approved by the Kingdom Rapier Marshal or a designated deputy before being used on the field.
6. Blades must meet blade flexibility standard given in 6.3.
7. Hafts must be composed of pine, cedar, hardwood, or rattan.
8. No weapon may have a cutting surface at both ends.
9. Augmentations designed to entrap a blade are not allowed. Designs with quillons, tassels or other such additions will need to be assessed against this criterion. Augmentations to the haft to prevent blades from sliding up the haft or prevent the weapon from sliding too far in the hand are permitted.
10. The pole weapon will not be used to kill opponents from behind.

Standard Defensive Equipment

Definition of Standard Defensive Equipment

The standard defensive equipment shall consist of buckler, rotella; baton, cloak, and parrying gauntlet. All other defensive equipment shall be considered non-standard.

Rigid Parrying Devices

1. Rigid parrying devices will be made of sturdy, lightweight materials, resistant to breakage and splintering. The edges shall be covered to prevent splintering or sharpness.
2. Offensive bucklers will be considered non-standard devices. (See 3.4.4)
3. Rubber band guns may be used to parry in the same manner as a baton. Where one is used, the weapon should be checked after the end of the scenario for any bent or broken sections and for any protruding splinters. If any are found, the weapon may not be reused until the defects are made good and the weapon rechecked by a Marshal.

Non-Rigid Parrying Devices

1. Soft, non-rigid devices such as cloaks may be made of cloth, foam, leather and similar materials. They may be weighted with soft material such as rope or rolled cloth; they shall not be weighted with any rigid material, nor with materials that are heavy enough to turn the device into a flail or impact weapon.
2. Cloaks shall not have any rigid material in the construction of the cloak, except for fasteners near the neck area where the combatant grasps it.
3. If the cloak is to be thrown, no rigid materials are allowed at all.
4. Parrying gauntlets shall be a glove that includes mail or rigid metal plates.

Non-Standard Equipment

1. Equipment that has been improvised, modified or is not previously defined as standard in these rules is considered non-standard. The use of any equipment, standard or otherwise, in a fashion that is not defined as the normal use of that equipment is considered non-standard equipment use.
2. The Rapier Marshal in Charge shall specifically authorise all non-standard equipment and non-standard equipment use. Approval is limited to that competition or event as the Rapier Marshal in Charge deems appropriate.
3. Non-standard equipment or equipment use must not pose a greater risk of injury or equipment damage than standard equipment or equipment use.
4. Only consenting opponents need face non-standard equipment or equipment uses, and then only after they have been made aware of the nature of the variation. Any combatant may, without dishonour, penalty or forfeiture, reject a bout against any non-standard offensive or defensive equipment item. If a combatant refuses to face a nonstandard item, his or her opponent must either re-equip or forfeit the bout.
5. Non-standard equipment shall be constructed as to be recognisable as the original item it represents.
6. Devices that predictably cause entangling of an opponent or equipment either by design or by repeated mishap are not allowed.
7. All non-standard offensive equipment shall be constructed of material conforming to the following rules:
   1. Offensive equipment shall be constructed exclusively of cloth, foam, glue, tape, leather or the equivalent, and must not contain rigid material.
   2. The offensive part shall provide progressively resistant "give" without allowing contact with any underlying material.
8. Experimentation with offensive equipment not allowed under this Code of Rules is permitted only with the specific permission of the Kingdom Rapier Marshal. Such permission may be granted for a limited period of time only and is subject to a report and/or recommendation on the item of equipment being tested.