The tournament is supposed to function as a performance test for the fencer as well as athletic competition. Therefore, colleagiality and good sports(wo)manship as well as the preservation of health – one’s own and the opponent’s – are the top priorities.
In order to implement these aims, the scoring is such that it primarily rewards a fencer’s avoiding to suffer hits. Hitting the opponent is only rewarded secondarily. This is to promote a way of fencing which is safe and focused on self-preservation.
To ensure a broad data corpus, similar opponents, and therefore a valid evaluation the tournament is not conducted with elimination or pool rounds. Instead, each participating fencer subsequently fights every other contestant.
- The bout starts with the referee’s signal (with referee) or the salute in wide distance (without referee).
- The fight ends as soon as at least one fencer is considered incapacitated, which is signalled either by the referee (with referee) or by the respective fencer himself by distinctly stepping back and lowering the weapon(s) (without referee). Depending on the time and space available and the number of contestants there can be several bouts per pair (with each bout still being evaluated seperately).
- A fencer is considered incapacitated if he has suffered at least one full hit or at least two half hits. Half hits are:
- hews to the torso,
- hews or thrusts to the limbs,
- fist/pommel strikes or headbutts to head or torso,
- throws.
Full hits are:
- hews or thrusts to the mask,
- hews or thrusts to the bib,
- thrusts to the chest,
- submission (e.g. by choking or levers).
The referees (with referees) or the respective fencers themselves (without referee) count and score the hits suffered. (Meaning that each fencer counts how and how often s/he himself/herself has been hit, not how/how often the opponent was hit.)
- The evaluation system captures if each fighter finished the fight without suffered hits, with only one half hit suffered, or with at least one full hit or at least two half hits suffered.The ranking depends on the frequency of fights survived. If this frequency is the same for two or more contestants, the frequency of having survived unscathed (not having suffered a half hit) is used as a tie-breaker. Further criteria are the frequencies of hitting the opponent with a full or two half hits and dealing a half hit.
The DDHF frame ruleset applies with the following amendments:
- hitting from behind is generally permitted,
- losing the simulator does not cause a break,
- gripping the blade is permitted, but will be counted as a half hit in case of the blade moving in the hand,
- when a hit is suffered, the fight is not interrupted as long as none of the fencers is considered incapacitated,
- double hits are scored like two individual hits (so that e.g. doubles with full hits mean both contestants are considered incapacitated),
- fist strikes and headbutts are permitted similar to pommel strikes.
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