Free-Play Guidelines for Historical Fencing Mock-Combat Practice

*Note: These are our old guidelines from 2004. They are not the current manner which we use for free-play.

The peril in any simulated fighting lies in the temptation to begin to train only for the "sporting fun" of competitive sparring, instead of using mock-combat practice  ("free-play" or sparring) merely as only one aspect of overall weapon study and practice –precisely the approach ARMA advocates. Consider always that sparring is a tool not an end in itself.

To test the veracity of our techniques we practice fight in a manner that is as realistic as possible without injuring one another. This is a dynamic process of interpretation-practice/application-reinterpretation, which allows us to evaluate and refine our understanding of historical teachings.

To answer the age old question of how to prepare a fighter for real encounters some form of mock-combat has always been found necessary. But in this the problem arises of just how to determine what would or would not have been a good hit that incapacitated or killed your opponent and thus prevented their responding to do the same to you. We try to answer this question much as the historical Schools of Defence did. We have devised four key ideas to guide us in our practice fighting.

ARMA's four general rules of thumb for mock-combat free-play:

Placement = using good edge alignment and targeting

Intent = striking with some degree of force in proper range to ensure actual contact and in a manner that has sufficient motion to simulate the inertia of a real damaging blow

Control = not hitting too hard or too fast to prevent injury, plus not hitting off target

Time-on-Target = connecting with a sufficient interval of time whereby the weapon makes contact in order to simulate the energy that would have impacted or penetrated

Basic Guidelines

Just as our historical forebears did, the ARMA advises its students to develop skill at free-play using blunt steel blades and wooden weapons employed with controlled yet quick and firm blows. Our goal is to have a fighting mindset not a play-fighting mindset; to be good at fighting, not at play-fighting.

The following guidelines govern only ARMA contact sparring for group combat:

To participate in battling activities in a manner that ensures uniformity of weapons and materials, guidelines are required. The ARMA contact sparring system (i.e., "loose-play" or "free-play") is an attempt to simulate real weapons and real techniques in a safe, practical manner. The intention is for participants to use it for developing real martial skills, not just playing at swords or getting good at using a set of rules. Its purpose is for exciting, hard fought sparring and weapon training. It should always be kept in mind that moves and techniques were devised for actual weapons, not wooden or padded sticks. Therefore, some alteration is acceptable (and necessary) for safe simulation, but not so much it violates ARMA's intent.

Those who would assert any proposition as to fighting technique or weapon use have the opportunity to do so. Only, be prepared to argue your case in the "courtroom of combat" and prove your theories in the "laboratory of battle" However, weapons will be matched to their historical reality (for example, a two-handed sword should weigh like a two-handed sword). For instance, if someone wants to assert they can use a shield and spear in one hand while fighting with a long-axe in the other, they can try to all they want. If one can successfully wield a single dagger against a shield and sword for example, then so be it. Rules will not be contrived to so as to interfere with skill.

The duel ability of free-play to be conducted either armored or unarmored sparring is a great asset of the system. The ARMA's free-play guidelines do require more discipline to learn and develop control as novice participants cannot feel they can make up for lack of skill by trying to "put all their might into a blow" (it's not designed for this when unarmored). Above all, the weapons are intended so you can hit your opponent not as hard as you want necessarily, but as hard as they need to feel it.

In general, anyone may engage in any manner of mutually agreeable sparring or free-play activities on their own terms (i.e. various forms of historical fencing, stick fighting, replica rapiers, schlagers, blunts, cudgels, etc.). However, the ARMA are guidelines are a practical means of providing for safety and standardization. It offers no provisions for grappling or unarmed fighting techniques within group free-play. All participants must be fully aware of the guidelines and which conditions and method their opponents are accepting. Whether in single sparring bouts or group melees, each fighter is expected to assume full personal responsibility for freely and cordially participating mock fighting and practice fighting.

In free-play, blows are never "counted as good" just because they make contact – especially light or weakly thrown strikes. Light, flippy, wrist-flicking touches are hardly appropriate practice for the full-arm slashing blows of a sturdy cutting blade.  We do not accept "non-contact." blows or light wrist taps and flipping surface touches that would be virtually irrelevant with sharp swords (nor are such moves advisable if in trying to use them your arm is cleaved off or your head hacked).

Keep in mind, the sole purpose of contact-sparring is just that, "contact". When utilized, padded contact-sparring weapons let you strike with intent in proper range, force, and follow through. If you never train to hit with full speed and full power how then can you possibly learn to properly calibrate your blows? How can you judge in what context light controlled strikes can even be effective?

Target Areas and Hits for Group Mock-Combat

Unarmored Target Areas: The whole body excluding: head, throat/neck, and groin. Hits to the head or off-target areas are ignored. Un-helmeted fighters can not be struck to the head.

Armored Target Areas: The whole body excluding the throat/neck, and groin. Hits to off-target areas are ignored. Armored sparring or free-play includes both helmets and either Light or Heavy armor.

Unarmored sparring is without armor/padding (but may or may not include helmets). Against unarmored targets no blows should cause pain. All are made with good contact (not soft or light but not full-contact either). Without armor on their is just no need for full power strikes. Strikes can be made clearly, strongly, and with great speed while still being safe and discernible to your opponent. With ARMA contact-weapons, this must be demonstrated and experienced to fully appreciate it.

Any solid, clear, firm blow to a limb, armored head, or the torso is a Kill. Any other contact can either be considered insufficient (and called Light") or Disabling if made against a limb. Participants may call blows Light, Disabling or Kill. Thus, blows to arms and legs may result in either "death" (dismemberment) or a "wound." Strikes to armored heads are called either Light or a Kill.

In the case of disabling blows to arms, participants no longer utilize the arm. Arm targets include the whole arm (fingers, hand, wrist, forearm, upper-arm). Shoulders count as Torso. Disabling hits to the legs restrict tactical movement to limping (no walking fast or running). Legs strikes do not require the fighter to sit, fall, kneel or lie down. They may continue standing and fighting, but must restrict their movement to limping. Legs targets include the entire leg (foot, shin, knee, and thigh). Hips count as torso.

All hits depend on the honor system. If in doubt, ignore a hit. The defender gets the benefit of the doubt. Next time hit them better. Glancing blows, light touches, flat-of-blade hits and scrapes are all ignored. All hits should be acknowledged by the defender, unless it was obvious to both parties. If you feel you made good contact and your opponent says nothing, then question it. It may have been light although it seemed clear and good to you. Adrenaline, motion and enthusiasm can cause ambiguity where hits are concerned. It is often a highly subjective matter. Observers too, should keep in mind the fallibility of perception when watching others fight.

There are no restrictions on how one uses a regulation weapon except that Disabling and Killing blows are struck with the authorized, padded portions. There are no restrictions on the number of opponents one may be engaged by nor the direction they may attack from. Participants fight 360 degrees until either one or both are "Killed", call a halt, or a third party calls a "Safety Hold!".

No referees or intermediaries are required or used under this system. Kills and Disabling hits are in affect for the remainder of that bout (assuming single combat) or the encounter (in the case of group fights). In group fights (melees) Killed fighters must sit or lie immobile until all combat in the vicinity (approximately 50') ceases. The general guidelines for single-combat or duel apply equally and wholly to mass group melee.

Armor Implications in Group Mock-Combat

The ARMA's guidelines for free-play are structured for allowing unarmored fighters to participate (just as they did throughout history). In fact, consider that the very point of armor is lost when there is no contrast with sparring unarmored or lesser armored opponents. What is the point if everyone is considered to be "armored equally" with no discernable differences in quality of protection or hindrance of weight?

Armor is defined as any authentic material used in historical fashion on limbs, torso or head. Imaginary armor such as aluminum, plastic, foam, or rug does not qualify and is not employed.

We also stress dissimilar armors. That is, a variety of armor types that reflect increasing protection and categorized as either Unarmored, Light or Heavy. Light armor consists of actual leather (soft or hard, minimum 1/8" thick) or heavy padded cloth (minimum 1/2" thick). Heavy armor is replica mail, brigadine, and hardened leather (minimum 1/4"). Types of plate also count as Heavy armor. Helmets must be a minimum of 18-gauge steel or 1/4" hardened leather. Helmets must be fully encasing with either a face plate, metal mesh, or bars. Eye-sockets and openings must be no larger than 1 1/2 " wide (small enough to prohibit a weapon tip thrusting through).

Wearing Light armor on the torso allows the participant to receive 2 blows before resulting in a Kill. However, consider any single sufficiently firm or strong blow as resulting in an immediate Kill. Light armored limbs can receive 2 blows before being Disabled. However, any single sufficiently "great" blow causes an instant Kill. With Light armor, any 2 blows received results in a Kill.

When wearing Heavy armor on the Torso, the fighter can receive 2 blows there before resulting in a Kill. However, consider any single sufficiently firm or strong blow as resulting in an immediate Kill. Heavy armored limbs can receive 2 blows before being Disabled. However, any single sufficiently "great" blow may result in instant Disablement. The first Limb blow is called as a "Quarter Kill". With Heavy armor, any 3 blows received as good result in a Kill. No draw cuts on are viable on Heavy armor.

Notice that the rules governing the nature of blows received are left up to the individual, but that once struck, wounds become a matter of allowable hits based on armor. This methods combines subjective and objective elements and avoids the cycle of feeling a blow too much vs. not feeling it at all. It acknowledges qualitative differences in armor types as well as in the severity of blows and allows for simple sparring to be a reasonable simulation of combat. The focus is on the use of a simulated weapon safely performing as a real one would.

When attacking from behind, it is often necessary only to tap or firmly touch the opponent rather than delivering a blow. When making any thrust at unarmored targets or against helmets, caution should be taken in using a looser grip as it is safer than a firm one.

Participants may face both armored and unarmored opponents in the same melee. When an unhelmeted fighter confronts a helmeted opponent, they may not strike the helmeted player to the head either. This is the "reciprocity of helmet law". The helmeted player is not subject to a killing-target area that their opponent, by virtue of being unhelmeted, is not. Helmeted fighters do have the option of rescinding this and allowing their helm to be a target for unhelmeted opponents (unless openly stated to you, assume any helmeted opponent has not done so).

Gloves heavy enough to offer protection from serious hand injury should not be necessary. While lighter gloves that prevent minor discomfort should not be much of a factor when controlled strikes are employed. Although they are not a requirement when fighting unarmored, participants are encouraged to wear gloves and any other padding they feel comfortable with (i.e., shin guards, cups, knee and elbow pads, mouth pieces, etc.).  Minimum recommended padding is a helmet, knee and elbow pads, shin guards, and heavy gloves. Advisable protection includes collar, upper arm, kidney and hip padding. Suggested equipment for this is commercial gloves intended for historical fencing,  street hockey gloves, martial arts and baseball gear, and home-made plastic armor. However, for realism and appearance, such modern padding or equipment should not be obvious. Any "open face" sparring head-gear or helmet may be worn but is not viable for receiving head strikes. No face stabs are allowed unless helmets are fully encasing.

The philosophy behind the ARMA contact sparring system is that the less the rules, the more the fun. The more inclusive the fighting rules are, the less restrictive and idiosyncratic your fighting will be. What matters is not personal assertions of skill, nor the proclamations of rules books or the well-meaning intentions of organizations, but only how good you are in battle.

For training and for practice fighting ARMA emphasizes using foiled replica rapiers or blunt-tipped reproduction weapons rather than rapier simulators.  We also recommend wooden foyles (rapier wasters) which are known to have been used.

To train as rapier fencers did in the Renaissance, and perform proper rapier techniques, we feel we must use the same tools in the same manner as they did. (The obvious exception we make is for  safety masks and padded jackets -- arming coats, aketons, gamebsons, etc.).  To do this means using blunt, rebated, or refoiled weapons, often called "foyles" at the time. This means dulled blades with specially flattened out points (like a nail head).

Foiled rapiers can be made by hammering over the point of a replica before adding a rubber safety tip to it.  Some commercial practice rapiers with flat points are also available. Historical foiles, forged with flat points or wrapped with safety tips, were known in the 16th and 17th centuries.

We previously employed a variety of rapier blade forms from diamond and oval schlägers, to flexible practice-rapiers and accurate historical replicas, all of various lengths and hilt configurations. However, after considerable experiment with various flexible rapier simulators, ARMA shifted away entirely from flexi-blades for rapier fencing in favor of foiled blunt training blade replicas and wooden rapiers. We have concluded the problems and habits associated with fencing with flexible practice rapiers are not worth it.  Our reasoning was two fold. A. We feel the advantage of flexible blades for safe hits is outweighed by the distortion such blades inherently have in wobbling and wavering on thrusts. The distortion that such flexible blades cause in the execution of techniques overrides their "safety" value. B. There is no actual historical evidence we can find that flexible blades were ever used for rapier instruction or fighting practice during the 16th or 17th centuries.  Thus, while we are not entirely excluding flexible rapiers from our study, we are recommending foyled replicas instead.

As our concern is not with "sporting matches" or competitive tournaments but with developing and learning actual rapier techniques as used in historical combats, safely using rebated rapiers in a safe manner is our chosen method.

Further, the ARMA's rapier fencing philosophy is that just as it’s not possible to properly understand the use of all variety of Medieval swords by relying on one "generic" model, it is similarly impossible to gain a full understanding of the different styles of rapier fencing by relying on any one type of modern rapier blade form. A "typical" rapier of 1560 or 1590 is not identical to one of 1610 or 1650. No one rapier replica represents all rapiers from say, 1550 to 1670, let alone those earlier or later blade types. Thus, to avoid misconstruing historical methods it is important to utilize a variety of rapiers of varying lengths, weights, hilts, and forms to reflect the subtle characteristics of different blade geometries which effect a weapon’s speed, reach, and handling.

Additionally, the ARMA Study Approach uniquely encourages training alone with a sharp replica rapier so that its penetration power and thrusting angle can be better understood. Sharply pointed blades are used in exercises against a variety of static targets made out of assorted materials ranging from foam rubber to cloth and straw mats. It is also important to conduct test-cutting with various accurate rapier replicas to see their (limited) capacity to deliver lacerations.

For rapier fencing under ARMA Guidelines, the following affirmations are presented:

1. In reconstructing Renaissance Swordsmanship, the difference between the distinct cut-and-thrust transition sword forms (short swords/side swords, etc.) and the true rapier method must be discerned. The nature of true rapier blades, their handling, and their actual cutting characteristics must be properly understood.
2. The rapier was a development rather than an overnight invention.
3. Rapier fighting cannot be viewed exclusively from the perspective of either classical or modern sport fencing.
4. Modern sport fencing and the classical styles of 19^th century epee’ duel have far more in common with the later 18th century small-sword than with the vicious "street-fighting" and dueling rapier from which the more poised and elegant small-sword developed.
5. It should be realized that at first the rapier originally opposed cut-and-trust swords before it faced other rapiers.

Safety Equipment

Absolute required minimum: regulation fencing mask Strongly advised additional: fencing jacket or padded/quilted jack, gambeson, aketon, etc., weapon-hand glove, shoes or boots, mask/bib tie cord, Highly recommended additional: free-hand glove, groin protection, knee pads, elbow pads, under mask hood, chest protectors for females.

Optional equipment and clothing: any appropriate period historical armor. Un-allowed and unacceptable items: Loose belts, ties, hangers, slings, straps, loops, rings, etc. Bucklers with prongs, hooks, or bars. Uncovered blade tips.

For light contact-sparring using blunt (dulled, unedged replica blades) "cut-and-thrust" or early Renaissance short-swords, the same equipment can be used but shin guards and armored gauntlets are also recommended.

Bouts and Free-Play / Sparring

For fighting practice or bouts, encounters should end only when one or the other swordsman freely admits to being clearly outclassed or else gains a clear preponderance of hits. Rather than conduct "bouting" matches, which place emphasis on externals, combatants should just freely spar.No competitive, tournament, or sporting considerations are included. In this way, the focus for each fighter is internal and not upon winning a mere single match or a judge's decision. Fighting should be a personal matter between each swordsmen themselves and their adversary. However, encounters can be decided by either single hit kills, or end after 3 consecutive unanswered hits. 

As with other forms of weapon sparring, choice of target areas and effects of thrusts/wounds are a matter for the individuals involved to agree upon prior to sparring. For rapier fencing, the ARMA suggests the full body as target (including the hand and foot) and all thrusts to the torso, head, and neck be counted as lethal. For true rapiers, slashes, slices and draw-cuts should not be considered incapacitating or lethal. Thrusts to the arms shoulders, or hands should be considered to disable the limb. However, no official time out should be set for allowing opponents to switch their weapon from a disabled arm. Thrusts to the legs (thigh/knee/shin/foot) should not require the fighter to fight from their knees or from the ground, but should realistically inhibit their freely moving, stepping excessively or lunging. Contest bouts should be decided by either single hit kills, or end after 3 consecutive unanswered hits. No official delay should be required for following up one legitimate wound with another (you should be free to make multiple hits). Also, the event of simultaneous exchange of hits is a matter of subjective agreement (would either have prevented the other? etc.).