New Rules for Tourney

Well after an extremely successful Summer Tourney, with the introduction of both knife and sword, we felt the time was about due to change/clarify the rules for Tourneys.

The Tourney is a chance for you to show your abilities, test your skills and test yourself. Therefore the winter tourney will be more about the whole system with events to test every sphere of combat.

We want you to be able to demonstrate your form work, your fighting ability, your knowledge, skill and your metal.

This winter we will be offering armed tourney rounds, un- armed tourney rounds, demonstration rounds.

Combat will take place in a fenced off area called "the Pit" from now onward. We have decided to enclose the combat for the safety of spectators. In recent tourneys combat often spilled out into spectators area even with the use of pads to push combatants away.

Once in the pit anything goes; fists, feet, knife, sword, staff, stick, gun etc (obviously not a real loaded gun!! merely a practice in close quarter disarms in a live ish situation) . More rulings or should I say fewer rulings soon. As each combatant will swear an oath at the beginning of the tourney and he/she will be expected to follow that oath. Those who disregard our oath will be dealt with harshly.

Also we will introduce the use of the Bow this year; both target and combat archery may be performed but more news on this later. The tourney is a method of enhancing your training and ensuring complete confidence in your ability. Also want to introduce sword cutting as a part of the tourney; this is where you use a live blade to cut through special straw bundles.

More soon....

Chris