Rules

• Play Fair
• Safety First
• Clean Shots instead of uncontrolled Violence, no berserk beating

What we mean by fair play

It is expected that all fighters taking part in our training are of age.

• fight sensibly.
• If you loose all your points in a fight through being hit on one of the target areas, you are out of the fight.
• Cuts and blows are carried out with the edge of the blade, stabs with the point.
• Whether a hit was in a target area or not is up to the defender.
• A hit should be felt clearly and be made with a force that is appropriate to the defenders clothing and gear.
• When you dispute, you are out of the game.
• The defender decides if a hit was too strong.
• If you strike an opponents head or helmet, you are dead and you have to pause for the next fight. A hit to the head can never be the defenders fault, even if he moved his head in an unexpected way.
• If you hit an oponent from behind, only hit him on the bum, not on the spine.
• If you are hit from behind on the rear end, you are out, no matter how many points you still may have remaining.
• If you fall, you are out, unless nobody else is near und you stand up again immediately.
• If your weapon gets entangled with the body of somebody, you have to let it go.
• A shield doesn't make a hit, but can be used actively. This should happen with prudence and care.
• Stabs are made von top to bottom and should only be used by fighters that trained them, because the risk of injury is higher.
• It is allowed to steal a weapon in the fight.
• It is allowed to disarm, if it is done safe (no flying weapon, no overextended joints)
• It is forbidden to grab a blade with your hands.
• If somebody shouts „Stop“ all fighting ends immediately. A „Stop“ is to be repeated once loud.

The usual fighting rules for Viking fighting include the following target areas:

The target areas are:

stroke, cut and stab	shoot and throw

weapons for blunt strokes: club
weapons for stabbing: one-handed and two-handed spears, pitchfork
weapons for stroking, cutting and stabbing: sword, axe, dagger, daneaxe, scythe, halberd, glaive, cut spear
weapons for shooting or throwing: Bows, throwing spears, throwing axe and slingshots

New weapons will be checked by a senior fighter. Older weapons will be re-checked from time to time.

All weapons must fulfill the following criteria:

• Edges must have a thickness of at least 3 mm
• All angles must have a radius of at least 8 mm
• All tips must have a radius of at least 10 mm
• Stabbing points must measure at least 1 cm² (2 cm² are preferred)

Weapon restrictions

• Maximum length for spears and two-handed stab weapons is 3 metres
• Maximum length for sickles, one-handed spears, and one-handed stab weapons is 2,3 metres
• Maximum length for the shaft of Daneaxes, helbards and two-handed slash weapons is 2 m
• Spears have to be straight, not curved (no curve sharper than 5 cm on the whole length)

Some unusual examples.

• Gloves are mandatory
• Knee and elbow protectors are recommended
• Helmets are good, but are not mandatory

We usually play without hitpoints, which means that each fighter has just one point.

When we are playing with points, the rules are:

• Everyone has at least one point - ‚Life Point’
• Helmet wearers have one additional point
• Chain mail or torso armor wearers have one additional point
• There is a maximum of three points