[Steven H]

Kunstbruder, the Brotherhood of the Arte of Defense

presents a

Tournament

of

Chivalric Arts

------------------

Featuring the Longsword, Grappling, Test-cutting

and

Diverse other Weapons

May 21st and 22nd, 2011

to be held at the

Robin Hood’s Springtime Festival

the Connecticut Renaissance Faire

Guilford, CT

http://www.chivalricarts.org

[Steven H]

To encourage a diverse and complete demonstration of skill with the sword this tournament will be run using a number of different competitions. At the end of the second day points for placing in each of the events will be tallied up to determine an overall winner as well as the winners in individual events.

Events will include:
*Longsword tournament using the Rawlings synthetics
*Belgian Longsword tournament using Hanwei Federschwerts
*Test cutting
*Grappling
*Sword & Buckler tournament using Rawlings synthetics

With sufficient interest and participants we may also include:
*Women's tournament
*Mixed weapon competition
*Armoured competition
*Fechtschule style event (a series of player challenges with several weapon options)
We want to make this event diverse and fun, so if you have any ideas for other events then let us know.

If you wish to learn more about the event or get hands-on experience with the rules then come to the Open Day on April 9th or the Faire on a weekend prior to the Tournament.

All weapons will be provided. Participants wishing to use their own (sharp) sword for the cutting competition may do so.

There will be strong safety rules in place to help insure that everyone gets to play all weekend. Each player is responsible for the safety of their opponent.

Appropriate protective gear will be required. SCA Cut & Thrust and SCA Heavy List protection both meet the requirements of the tournament as long as sufficient full hand protection is included.

Minimum protective gear:
Fencing mask with back of head protection
Rigid throat protection
Hand protection
Elbow protection
Groin protection

Recommended protection:
Forearm
Knee
Torso

A small amount of loaner gear is available for this purpose on a first come, first served basis.

Event Rules
This is an outline of the rules for each event. Details will be available shortly.

All events are based on unarmoured combat and players will need to calibrate accordingly.

Longsword Tournament with Synthetics - The full body is a valid target. Hits will be counted for solid blows with the edge of the sword or the pommel. Grappling will be allowed, unarmed strikes will not be allowed. Each pass will be fought with an After-blow rule: that is a person struck has a tempo to strike back. Both hits will be counted. Falling or being thrown to the ground, losing your weapon, and moving out of bounds will also count as a hit against.

Each match will be fought until one player has received a specified number of hits against.

The first round will be fought Round Robin and hits against each player will be counted.

The players with the fewest hits against will advance to a single-elimination bracket.

Belgian Longsword Tournament - This is based on a common ruleset used in the 16th century. Valid targets will be above the waist and above the elbows. Grappling, pommel strikes and unarmed strikes will not be allowed.
The format is similar to King of the Hill with each participant receiving a certain number "lives". The winner of a round becomes "King" and the king alone possesses the right of the After-blow. In the event of a double hit the higher hit will be counted.

Test Cutting - Cuts will be made against tatami targets. The first round will require participants to demonstrate two good cuts out of three tries on a single mat. The second round will require the player to demonstrate a variety of cutting angles.

Grappling Tournament - Player will not use strikes or unchivalrous techniques. Each match will be played to three falls. The format will be based on the number of participants. Only groin protection and soft head protection will be used.

Sword & Buckler Tournament - This will be fought with the same rules as the Longsword tournament with Synthetics.

Registration is $30 before April 30th.
Register here.

Registration includes admission to the Faire both days, tatami mats to cut and dayboard. So if you register early it's a great deal.

Free admission is available for people willing to assist with judging. They will be allowed to participate one day and judge the other day. There are a limited number of judging positions needed, so sign-up early if you are interested.

To learn more about the Connectict Renaissance Faire itself click here.