Global Stick and Blade Alliance Rules and Regulations Governing Tournament Competition

Transcription

1 GSBA Rules Global Stick and Blade Alliance Rules and Regulations Governing Tournament Competition Rules and Regulations on Sparring Competition Article I - Contest Area Section 1 The contest area or ring shall be seven (7) meters square. The edges should be clearly marked with tape or a reasonable substitute. The ground shall be flat and smooth and made of wood, vinyl, or other suitable material. Mats can also be used. More than one ring can be used when the number of competitors warrants it. Section 2 The bell, whistle, or other sound device must be sufficiently loud so that the officials and competitors can hear it. To avoid confusion, the same sound device should not be used in adjacent rings. Article II - The Contest or Match Section 1 The contest shall consist of three (3) rounds of one (1) minute each, with thirty (30) seconds rest in between rounds. Section 2 Striking or target points shall be any part of the body above the knee except the groin, neck and joints. This includes the front and the sides of the thighs and body, both arms and hands, and the top, front and sides of the helmet. Hitting the back of the body is only allowed when the competitors are facing each other (i.e., through the use of curving strikes). Only one (1) consecutive strike to the same target area are permitted. Section 3 The match shall begin with the competitors standing one meters apart. At the command of the Referee, the competitors will execute the formal bow to the official table, bow to the referee and bow to each other. After the salutations, the competitors shall assume the guard position with Page 1 of 12

2 their sticks crossed. The contest begins when the Referee brings his stick up through the centre of the crossed sticks, simultaneously issuing the command of "fight". Section 4 When the contest comes to an end, the competitors shall return to the original position, standing face to face, the helmet is the only piece of equipment to be removed all other protective gear is to remain on in case a fourth round is required. At the command of the Referee, they will salute each other, then the Referee. They then stand and await the decision. Section 5 The timekeeper, using a bell or a whistle, shall indicate the end of a round or a match. As a substitute, a towel or similar item may be thrown into the ring in such a way that the Referee is alerted. Section 6 Any hit or technique applied simultaneously with signal indicating the end of the round shall be judged as valid. Section 7 Any strike or technique applied while either or both competitors have both feet outside the ring shall be judged as null and void. In this case, the competitors shall be directed to return to the centre of the contest area and the Referee shall resume the match. Section 8 Stick blows or other legal techniques executed while the competitors are in the ring shall be valid. Section 9 In the following cases, the Referee shall stop the match: a. When either competitor goes outside the ring with both feet. b. When a competitor commits any of the prohibited acts. c. When the competitor is required to adjust his uniform or his protective equipment. d. When a competitor is injured, or some accident or difficulty takes place. e. When an stick is split or broken, or otherwise becomes unusable. If a competitor finds that his protective equipment requires adjustment, he/she must notify the Referee by raising both hands and backing up, but must not turn his/her back. If a stoppage of the match results in a minimal time delay (i.e., a competitor stepping outside the ring), the clock will continue to run. If a substantial amount is time elapses, the clock should be stopped, and should resume when the Referee restarts the bout. Page 2 of 12

3 Article III - Judgment of the Contest Section 1 A panel of three (3) Judges shall decide the winner of the match. A Referee shall supervise the match but has no decision in the scoring. The Referee will be provided with an stick to facilitate managing the match. A timekeeper will manage the rounds and the intermissions. An Adjudicator will be assigned to a ring or group of rings, who will have authority over the Referees. A GSBA Australia Director will be the highest authority. Section 2 The Judges shall take positions at the corners of the ring, and remain outside the perimeter. Section 3 When the time limit for the match expires without either competitor having lost by a technical knockout (TKO), or a Referee stopped contest (RSC), the Referee shall require both competitors to return to the position taken at the start of the match. The Referee will then gather the scorecards, and verify that they have been filled out according to the rules. He/she shall return any invalid card to the owner and see that the mistake is corrected. The Referee will then hand the cards to the adjudicator who will also check the cards and hand them to the official table, and wait for the official decision to be announced. Section 4 A judgment of "draw" shall be made when neither competitor has been able to win the match according to the rules of scoring. In the event of a draw, the winner of the contest will be determined by a single extension round of one (1) minute. At the completion of the round the judges will stand at the front of the official table facing out and at the referees direction signal the winner by hand. A decision must be made, there can be no draw from the extension round. Section 5 The following acts shall be prohibited: a. Hitting when the opponent is down or in the act of rising, is unconscious, turns his back, or signals surrender. b. Pushing or striking with any part of your body. c. Deliberately going outside of the ring. d. Adjusting the uniform or protective gear without the permission of the Referee. e. Hitting while holding the opponent's stick. f. Holding the opponent to avoid action. g. Hitting the groin, neck, or any joint from the knee up. h. Any unsportsmanlike conduct causing embarrassment to an opponent, official, or the audience. i. Thrusts, butt strikes, or two-handed strikes j. Grappling, wrestling, or hooking. k. Application of joint locks for any purpose, including disarming. l. Application of throws or sweeps. Page 3 of 12

4 m. More than two consecutive strikes to the same target area. n. Checking to the face. o. Deliberately delaying the match in order to gain additional rest time. p. Removing headgear or other protective equipment in between rounds. (Head gear may be lifted to the nose area for the intake of medication or water but not removed) q. Useless, aggressive, or offensive utterances during the match. r. Failure to step back when ordered to break. s. Striking or attempting to strike an opponent immediately the Referee has ordered break. t. The use or application of prohibited drugs such as steroids, stimulants, marijuana, opiates, etc. u. All other things that may be prejudicial to the spirit of Eskrima. Section 6 Legitimate strikes or blows include cut or slash, wrist-snapping or flicking, abaniko (fan). Section 7 Any competitor guilty of a prohibited act may be penalized by a reduction of points in scorecard or by disqualification. The Referee should follow the guidelines when enforcing prohibited acts: 1st infraction - casual warning (usually verbal, within the flow of the match) 2nd infraction - official warning (match is stopped and Judges are notified) 3rd infraction - point deduction (match is stopped and Judges are notified) 4th infraction - point deduction (match is stopped and Judges are notified) 5th infraction - disqualification In the case of blatant or malicious acts, the Referee can and should skip one or more of the steps. Article IV - System of Scoring Section 1 The judge is to check that they have the correct names and colour of the competitors prior to the start of the match. The number of points awarded to each competitor shall be entered by the judge on their scorecard immediately after the completion of each round. Scoring shall be on the basis of the following: a. The competitor who scores more hits to the head, hands, and all other legitimate target areas. b. All strikes, regardless of target, are to be scored equally. c. When a competitor loses his stick (disarm) through other than foul means. d. Use of defensive skills (blocking, checking, parrying, footwork, angling, sidestepping, etc.) Page 4 of 12

5 When a round is too close to call by these parameters, the following will be taken into consideration: a. Variety of target areas. b. Variety of techniques used. c. Ring General ship/dictation of the Action. d. Accuracy of strikes. e. Defence. f. Number of strikes. Section 2 Scoring shall be done using the "10 point must" system. The winner of the round is always awarded 10 points (prior to deductions), while the loser receives anywhere from 9 to 7 points, depending one how decisively the round was won. Each judge shall independently judge the merits of the two contestants and shall decide the winner according to the ten point rule. The "10 point must" system of scoring is applied as follows: Even Round Slight edge 10-9 Wide Edge 10-8 One Sided 10-7 Most reasonably competitive rounds are scored "10-9". A "10-8" round is usually the result of one competitor dominating consistently for the entire round, or possibly a clean victory in addition to a disarm. A "10-7" round is very rare, and should only be scored when a competitor is totally outclassed or overwhelmingly one sided and is almost unable to defend him/herself. It could also result from a round in which a competitor is disarmed several times. The use of foul strikes, foul tactics, or other prohibited acts can result in a one-point penalty, at the discretion of the Referee's. If a point is to be deducted, the Referee should stop the action and advise the Judges of the point to be deducted immediately after the commission of the foul. For each round, the Judge scores according the rules, then applies any deductions assigned by the Referee. Section 3 Judgment for the winner of the match shall be made on the following conditions: a) Win on Points On completion of the three rounds of the match, each Judge will total the score on his card for each of the two competitors. The winner will be the competitor with the largest point total for three rounds. If the point totals are equal, the judge will score the match as a draw on his/her card. Page 5 of 12

6 The winner of the match will be determined according to the cards of the three (3) Judges as follows: Win-Lose-Draw Unanimous decision Majority Decision Split Decision Majority Draw Draw b) Win by Technical Knockout (TKO) The contest is terminated and Judged a Technical Knockout (TKO) when: i. An overwhelmingly one-sided match. If, in the opinion of the Referee(Judges), a competitor is totally outclassed or is receiving excessive punishment, the bout shall be stopped and the opponent will be declared the winner. ii. iii. iv. Injury. If a fighter, in the opinion of the Referee(Judges), is unfit to continue because of injury or other physical reasons, the bout shall be stopped and the opponent will be declared the winner. The right to make the decision rests with the Referee, who may consult with the available qualified medical personnel. After consultation, the Referee must follow the medical advice. When medical personnel are called into the ring, only the two officials shall be present inside the ring. The medical personnel have the right to request that the bout be stopped, if, for medical reasons, a competitor appears to be unfit to continue. A competitor's refusal to continue or a voluntary surrender. If a competitor wishes to surrender, he/she must notify the Referee by raising both hands and backing up, but must not turn his/her back. Disarm. When a competitor is disarmed a total of three (3) times within the course of the match, a TKO results. c) Win by Disqualification If a competitor is disqualified, his opponent shall be declared the winner. If both competitors are disqualified, the decision shall be announced accordingly. A disqualified competitor shall not be entitled to any prize, medal, or honourable award, relating to that division. d) No Contest The tournament director may terminate a match at any time due to events that are outside the control of the competitors, such as the ring becoming damaged or slippery, failure of the lighting system, etc. Under these conditions, the bout shall be declared "No Contest". In this case, the Tournament Officials will decide the new course of action. Page 6 of 12

7 e) Win by Walkover or Default When a competitor presents himself in the ring fully attired for the match at the prescribed time, and his opponent fails to appear within three minutes after his name has been properly announced 3 times and nobody can locate them, the Referee shall declare the competitor who is present as the winner. The Referee shall first inform the Judges to mark their scorecards accordingly, collect them, and then summon the competitor to the centre of the ring. He/She shall be announced as the winner. Section 4 A competitor is "down" when any part of his body other than his/her feet are on the floor. Section 5 In the event that a competitor cannot continue the match because of injury, the result of the match shall be determined by the following conditions: a. When the cause of the competitor's injuries is by any means except a foul blow or technique, the injured shall be the loser. Section 6 A competitor is considered "disarmed" when: a. A clean disarming technique is applied and the opponent's stick is taken from him. The disarming technique must be applied in two (2) seconds or less. b. A competitor loses control of the stick and it hits the ground. If the stick is lost, but is caught before it hits the ground, no disarm is scored. The Referee determines whether the disarm is to be scored as valid by the Judges. The disarm is scored as a point deduction. Section 7 Judgment of a draw shall be made when a neither competitor has been able to win at least two (2) of the Judge's cards. In this case, a single extension round is held, the winner of which will be the winner of the match. (The scoring of the first three rounds is now obsolete.) In the extension round, each Judge must determine a winner. This is done by a show of simultaneous show of hands on the call of the Referee. Article V - Competitor's Attire, Protective Equipment, and Weapons Section 1 The safety of competitors is the responsibility of all persons. All competitors must use GSBA approved equipment, as determined, by the Board of Directors. Equivalent equipment may be substituted with approval of the Tournament Director. The referee shall inspect the contestants protective equipment prior to the start of each round. Page 7 of 12

8 Each competitor shall be required to wear: regulation GSBA headgear and body protector protective gloves (regulation GSBA, hockey, lacrosse, or reasonable substitute) groin protector (male competitors only) chest protector (female competitors only) elbow and/or forearm pads knee pads Optional recommended equipment includes: Section 2 mouth piece thigh pads The stick or stick shall have the following specifications: Length shall be no more than 28 Weight shall not be more than 200 grams Diameter shall not be more than 2.6 centimetres The tournament organizers will provide the competition stick. Section 3 Competitors must be clean and must wear normal eskrima attire of loose t-shirt and trousers or a legitimate uniform. The competitors must keep their fingernails and toe nails cut short and must not wear any articles such as rings, necklaces, or ornaments. Page 8 of 12

9 Additional Competition Rules Lack of Defence 4 Second Rule A fighter may not exhibit a total lack of defence. Lack of defence is described as ignoring your opponent s attacks and allowing them to strike you repeatedly without any attempt to avoid or lessen the effectiveness of their strikes. An attempt to defend may be by blocking or redirecting their attack, movement to avoid the strike, or striking the attackers weapon hand and arm to lessen the power of their attack or disable their ability to continue their attacking. Enforcement procedure should consist of the following: If any participating judge or referee sees that a fighter is being continuously hit by his opponent for 4 seconds, without any attempt to defend themselves (by blocking/re-directing, moving or striking the attackers weapon hand/arm), the fight should be stopped and the fighter warned. Second and third violations result in a loss of 1 point. Fourth violations result in a TKO. Additional information: *If the fighter is not being hit, there isn t a need for a defence and this rule does not apply. *If the fighter is not being hit continuously for longer than 4 seconds at a time (the attacker stops hitting), there is no violation and this rule does not apply. *It is possible for both fighters to violate this rule at the same time. Repetitive Identical Strikes Rule The rule is as follows: A fighter may not hit the same target area with the same strike more than once in a row. For this rule to be violated and a penalty enforced, 1) the attacks must be the same, 2) the target must be the same, and 3) it has to be repeated two or more times in a row, continuously, without break. Enforcement procedure should consist of the following: Upon the first two violations, the fight should be stopped and the violation explained. If this occurs to a third time, the fight should be stopped and a formal warning should be given to the fighter and his corner as well as informing the judges. If violations continue, the judges should be reminded to score accordingly (not score more than the first strike). If this is to happen, the centre referee should make a formal announcement at the end of that round. Page 9 of 12

10 Rules and Regulations on Form Competition Article I - Qualification Section 1 The contest shall be open to all ages and divided into categories for men, women, seniors, and juniors. The divisions can be further subdivided if warranted by the number of participants. Article II - Contest and Equipment Section 1 The contest area or ring shall be seven (7) square. The ground shall be flat and smooth and made of wood, vinyl, or other suitable material. Mats can also be used. More than one ring can be used when the number of competitors warrants it. However, divisions using music cannot be run simultaneously with divisions that do not use music. Section 2 For traditional form divisions, competitors are allowed to use any standard training uniform. In the open form divisions, any costume appropriate to the form may be used. Section 3 All weapons used in the form divisions must a legitimate part of an established, Filipino martial arts system. This includes single stick, double stick, indigenous Filipino long and short blades, stick and dagger or sword and dagger. Article III - Contest Criteria Section 1 The form must be one and a half (1.5) to two (2) minutes in duration. Section 2 The form shall be "open form", but meeting the following criteria: a. The form must follow basic movements and principles of Eskrima-Kali-Arnis b. At least eighty percent (80%) of the movements shall emphasize the stick or other weapon being used. c. The form will end at the same position on the floor that it began, unless the judges are specifically notified during the competitor's introduction. Section 3 A salutation must be performed by the competitor prior to beginning the form, and immediately after the movements are completed. Page 10 of 12

11 Section 4 The competitor shall not leave the contest area until after the announcement of the score. Article IV - Judgment of Contest Section 1 A panel of five (5) judges shall decide the contest. If practical, all judges shall be of neutral countries, organizations, or clubs. If this is not feasible, an attempt should be made to balance the panel in comparison to the competitors (i.e., one judge from each of the competing countries, clubs, etc.). One of the five will be appointed as Chief Judge. Section 2 The following criteria shall be used to as the basis for judging a form competition: a) Gracefulness i. execution of technique with the weapon ii. footwork and stances iii. balance and posture iv. coordination of body, hand and weapon b) Power i. coordination of breathing and footwork with technique ii. delivery of strikes (angles, lines, zones, etc.) iii. dynamic tension c) Speed i. speed of strikes, combinations, and transitions ii. mixing fast and slow tempos d) Impact i. precision of movement (ending at starting point, utilization of entire contest area ii. uniform or costume, other indigenous clothing with relevance to Eskrima-Kali-Arnis iii. music, tribal songs, etc. (open divisions only) e) Variety of Techniques i. a greater number of well executed techniques ii. lack of repetition f) Authenticity of Techniques i. correct use of edged weapons ii. acrobatics, gymnastics, and techniques of other martial arts not relevant to Eskrima-Kali- Arnis shall be ignored. Page 11 of 12

12 Article V - Scoring of Contest Section 1 Each competitor shall be given a score between seven (7) to ten (10). Ten (10) shall be the highest score, and seven (7) shall be the lowest score. Only whole and half number scores are allowed (10, 9.5, 9, 8.5, 8, 7.5, 7). The highest and lowest of the five (5) scores will be dropped, and the remaining three (3) scores will be added to determine a contestant's score. Section 2 The following actions will result in deductions, which will be assessed by each of the judges as part of their score: a. dropping a weapon (one (1) point deduction) b. exceeding time limit (one half (0.5) point deduction) c. starting over (one (1) point deduction) Section 3 In the case of a tie, the competitors will be required to perform again and be judged a second time. The new scores will be used to break the tie only, and will not be used to determine results relative to the other competitors in the division. Page 12 of 12

13 May, 2009 Starting a Padded STICK Program: Competition Rules By Grandmaster Thomas G. Sipin Purpose: Enable a stand alone program, and/or competition format that can be added to any school or community. Structure rules to appeal to many different traditions, both inside and outside of the Filipino Martial Arts. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in weapons training, and in weapons sparring as a competition format. For example, Chanbarra and the Padded Stick Point Sparring currently being introduced at Sport Karate and Tae Kwon Do tournaments. There has also been an increasing interest in the Filipino Martial Arts, a main component of which is competitive stick fighting. Current options in FMA competition consist of: 1. GSBA or domination rules fighting This method of competition requires the use of sticks and extensive safety equipment- helmets, chest protectors, gloves, arm, and leg protection capable of providing protection from live sticks, The equipment requirement can be intimidating, both in cost and appearance. Competent judging requires more training, competitor s need more training to follow the rules, scoring can be hard for spectators to follow and understand. One complaint of this type of practice is that fighters may learn to act unrealistically. Because they may be too well protected, they re willing to absorb damage that in real life would be disabling. 2. Padded stick fighting This method sometimes makes use of makeshift weapons and protection. There are currently many types of rules and formats. There isn t a widely accepted standard for competition. Different scoring options may favor or exclude certain martial arts. There hasn t been a widely accepted equipment package, with regards either to weapons, or protection. 1 Stop, Point scoring is one method of scoring with padded sticks. Many competitors as well as spectators find this slow, often boring, and unrealistic because points, or at least the first point is often scored by a technique that wouldn t have stopped someone, it was just first. A fighter often scores while leaving themselves open to a counter that would have been much more serious to themselves.

14 The rules can and must be consistently applied to everyone. This makes training and competition more open to all styles, as well as no style. The following program has been successfully applied in international competition, by people experienced in the above as well as other types of stick fighting training. It is based on Engagement Rules. In this format, matches are broken down and scored as individual mini-fights, or engagements. Each judge keeps score of how many engagements are won by each fighter. It s easier for most people to score a brief exchange, than keep a running tally of an entire match. This type of scoring also makes for a minimal interruption of the action of the match. At the end of the match, each judge decides their choice by adding the numbers of engagements each fighter won. The following rules are designed to be easily taught, promoted, and understood by competitors. They are based specifically on the use of a stick as an impact weapon, and are not adjusted to use the stick to represent a blade. As such, participation is not restricted to proponents of any particular martial art either by favoritism or exclusion because the sole consideration is the amount of probable damage that would have been caused. Probable Damage is considered not by style or technique, but by how much power actually landed, on how vulnerable a target. It is realistic to actual combat, as well as more realistic to actual combat with a stick. The rules take into consideration that fights may end with one blow, but most fights do not. Even after hard contact a fighter may continue for a short period, and by doing so immediately and effectively they may cause more damage to the other person and actually win the fight. Maintain rules practical to an actual confrontation. Train to those rules. Most competitive environments require compromises for the sake of safety. These compromises often lead the sport to look unrealistic, either by limiting the techniques, or by forcing competitors to somehow signify what they could have done if the match had been a real fight. The following rules make for matches that are exciting for competitors. They are fast. It s exciting for spectators. The scoring criteria and rationale are easy to explain, follow and understand. Further, because of the nature of the equipment used, and the range of techniques and target areas that this equipment safely allows for, the rules not based on what a person could have done, was close enough to do, or would have done if it were a real fight, etc. The fighter demonstrates what they could have done by actually doing it. 2 It requires less equipment to practice, train and compete. More protection can be required or allowed in younger divisions, but the goal in these competitions is to have impact and pain reduction to provide safety from injury, but enough impact that people do not want to stand and absorb useless damage to themselves.

15 Required Equipment Approved Padded Stick Original 24 Action Flex or equivalent for children Action Flex H.I.T. sticks or equivalent for all adult divisions. 28 for adults, 24 for youth divisions (based on height) Padded Head Protection Foam Karate Headgear with a face shield that prevents any contact to the face by strikes or thrust. Full, clear plastic or plexiglass shields offer the best protection and at the same time, will cause less damage to the padded sticks than any type of grid face shield Hockey type throat and neck protectors Mouthguards Groin protection for both males and females, to protect against thrusts (thrusting to the groin is permitted in these rules) Light chest protection for females Additional recommendations for classes or younger divisions Light hand protection, similar to Stinger gloves, TKD gloves, or grappling gloves Light (hand) Forearm-to-elbow protection, similar to Martial Armor Light ankle-to-knee protection, similar to Martial Armor Light chest protection similar to that used for Air Soft training Tennis shoes (Strikes to the feet are allowed) 3

16 Legitimate Target Areas: Strikes will be allowed to specific striking areas this includes from the head to the feet including the arms to the hands, the front, side, and back of the body and head, with the exception of the following: Ground Fighting: If either or both fighters go to the ground with a knee, both knees, etc., the match will continue as long as it appears action will follow. If both fighters fail to force action, the Referree will bring both fighters back to their feet and the action will continue. Note: The Referree should stop the action ANY time that there appears to be a safety concern. Restrictions - Safety Concerns: To be relevant to an actual confrontation, restrictions are kept to a minimum while allowing for safety. With the currently available equipment, the following are the restrictions: 1. No thrusts or strikes with the butt or handle of the weapon. At this time there is insufficient protection on the butt to allow for safe usage in a competitive environment 2. No thrusting above mid-chest. To prevent thrusts from accidentally entering the throat area 3. No thrusting to the spine. 4. No two-handed thrusts. The sticks are designed to allow for a moderate level of contact. The stress behind a two-handed thrust exceeds this and also may damage the weapon. 5. No striking (or thrusts) to the throat. Hockey type neck guards protect against inadvertent strikes or slashes to the neck. They are not sufficient to prevent injury to the throat. Restrictions - Practices to promote dynamic competition: 4 In the interest of continuous competitive action, and to promote the safety of competitors, certain actions are restricted. No striking or attacks with anything except the padded portion of the stick is allowed. No wrestling. This includes using the stick in any way except to strike or block. You can not grab or hold any other part of your opponents clothing or body. Trapping or checking to the opponents hand or arm is allowed, holding is not. The only time you can hold a stick, is to attempt an immediate disarm. Except for a single strike to the (held) hand or arm, you can not hold your opponents stick and strike them. You must immediately release your opponents stick.

17 Engagement Rules Definitions: Disarms: A person may be disarmed by: 1. An immediate pull of their weapon out of their hands 2. A strike to the hand or arm (or any other target area) causing a loss of their grip on the stick 3. They just lose their grip and drop their stick Damage Probability: Target / Scoring considerations in order of vulnerability or injury potential - areas that would be more easily damaged: 1. Head or Groin (including thrusts to the groin) 2. Hand-to-elbow or Ankle-to-knee 3. Shoulders, Ribs, or Thighs 4. Trunk / Hips Power Considerations: If a stick is swung in an arc, the end moves faster, resulting in a higher velocity and higher impact. Generally speaking, strikes with the end of the stick should result in greater damage than hitting with the middle of the stick with the same amount of power. Match: Each match shall be 2 minutes in duration. Competition time will not be stopped for scoring. Competition time will only be stopped for injury or equipment failure, or when necessary for rules clarification. Stunning Damage: A person was struck with sufficient power to a legitimate target area that in the opinion of the Judge or Referee would have damaged them enough to temporarily prevent them from continuing to fight. This could result from either a single strike or a continuous combination of strikes. In otherwords - the recipient would been stunned and would need to recover before being able to continue. Stopping Damage: A fighter is struck with sufficient power to a legitimate target area that, in the opinion of the Judge or Referee, would have caused enough damage to totally take the person out of the fight. In other words, the recipient would be out of the fight, period. KO or TKO. Engagement: An engagement begins with an exchange of blows or strikes involving as a minimum requirement, stunning force. Duration of an Engagement: At the Referee s discretion an engagement may end immediately (such as in the case of stopping damage), or continue for several seconds to a point of conclusion (such as in the case of stunning damage). 5

18 Referee Considerations: In recognition of the fact that most fights do not end with a single strike or blow, an Engagement will continue until such time as the referee or a judge calls for a score. If there is stunning damage but the recipient fails to immediately counter, then the engagement stops and is scored accordingly. If a fighter immediately counter attacks, the engagement will continue. In this manner, fighters are given the chance to win an engagement by effecting greater damage through an immediate counter attack, as in a real confrontation. In the case of a mutually effective, near simultaneous attack by both opponents, the engagement may be seen as a draw. Scoring: At every engagement, when scoring is called, the judges will mark one of three things on the scorecard: 1. Red Wins the engagement 2. Blue Wins the engagement 3. Draw Neither Red nor Blue won the engagement Value of an Engagement: A fighter will receive one point for each engagement won. Winning an Engagement: When an engagement is called for scoring, the winner of that engagement will be determined by which fighter effects the greatest potential damage to their opponent. Drawn Engagement: When neither fighter effects greater damage than their opponent, the engagement will be scored as a Draw. Disarms: When a fighter is legally disarmed, their opponent will receive a point. It is possible for a fighter to win an engagement while being disarmed, such as in the case of a dropped stick immediately following a strike. A fighter does not have to win an engagement to receive a point for a disarm. Judges will score the disarm in addition to the outcome of an engagement. 6

19 Scoring: Penalties: At the referee s discretion, based on the severity of the infraction, a fighter may receive a penalty of: 1. Verbal Warning 2. One point 3. Two points 4. Immediate Disqualification Penalties will be given for violating the rules of competition, including use of restricted actions, causing injury to their opponent by a restricted action, or other unsportsmanlike conduct. Determining the Winner: At the end of each match, each judge will tally the engagements won by the fighters and deduct points for penalties. Based on this tally, each judge will specify which fighter won the match. The fighter declared the winner by the majority of judges will be declared the winner of the match. This competition format and set of rules were designed by Thomas Sipin, of Four Winds Martial Arts in West Allis, WI and Anthony Sell of Sage Arts Studio in Milwaukee, WI. This work (rules and competition format) is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. To view a copy of this license, visit or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA. This program was designed to be used with padded sticks, of a quality that will not fail under there recommended usage. Martial Arts training involves some risk of injury. Any type of weapons training or practice increases that risk. It needs to be practiced with all safety precautions and any necessary protective equipment. Any person using this program or competing under this competition format assumes all risk of injury and liability. 7

20 Red Fighter: Blue Fighter: Division: Winner: RED Engagements: Draws: Penalties: Totals: SCORE: BLUE Engagements: Draws: Penalties: Totals: SCORE: Judge s Name: Signature: Red Fighter: Blue Fighter: Division: Winner: RED Engagements: Draws: Penalties: Totals: SCORE: BLUE Engagements: Draws: Penalties: Totals: SCORE: Judge s Name: Signature:

21 May, 2009 Introduction Starting a Padded STICK Program: Basic Curriculum By Grandmaster Thomas G. Sipin The following curriculum is a basic outline of training methods that will effectively prepare competitors for this type of competition. This system is designed to be easily added to any existing Martial Arts program, in any style. The goal of this curriculum is to acclimate participants to the tactics involved in stick fighting. Participants will learn about movement, range, offense and defense, as well as interactive drills designed to help develop reflexes. Basic Concepts - Movement: Fighting is movement. You need the ability to get into range where you can attack, as well as get out of the way of your opponent s attacks 1. Shuffle or step-slide. The easiest way is to move the foot closest to the direction you want to move first, then the other foot follows. You end up keeping the same foot forward. Example: If you re moving forward, the front foot moves first and the rear foot follows. If you re going backwards the back foot moves first and the front foot follows. Moving to the right the right foot moves first. Moving left the left foot moves first. 2. Normal stepping. Going forward, the back foot steps first. Going backward the front foot steps first. Just like normal walking, forward or backward. 3. V-step or triangle step. Most common for weapons training is the front foot moves back level with the back foot, and the original back foot steps forward. Usually done at an angle, this allows you to get out of range, and then back into range at a different angle or direction. 4. Side stepping. One foot moves in towards the other, and then the second foot moves away. Example: Left foot moves to the right foot without crossing, and the right foot moves further right. This is easily done using several quick steps. This competition format and set of rules were designed by Thomas Sipin, of Four Winds Martial Arts in West Allis, WI. This work (basic curriculum) is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. To view a copy of this license, visit or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA. This program was designed to be used with padded sticks, of a quality that will not fail under there recommended usage. Martial Arts training involves some risk of injury. Any type of weapons training or practice increases that risk. It needs to be practiced with all safety precautions and any necessary protective equipment. Any person using this program or competing under this competition format assumes all risk of injury and liability.

22 Basic Concepts: Offense Before working on defense, you practice your common attacking moves. This gives you a better understanding of what you would be trying to defend against. Fights are not won by defending. Prioritize the skills needed to stop your opponent, not delay them. 1. Hit or Strike. Strike the target and then retract. You can strike level, down, or at an angle down. Considerations: If you strike into a target using fluid shock, letting the impact soak into the target area, there is much greater effect. However if you do not cause enough immediate disruption to the opponent, you will be more open to their counter-attack. 2. Slash. Striking a target and continuing through it in an arc. You can slash level, down, or at an angle down or up. This provides for quicker recovery but the damage potential isn t as great as with fluid shock. Consideration must be made to differentiate between a blade type slash which is more useful in cutting but doesn t impart as much force on the target, and an impact slash which is more effective with a stick. 3. Thrusts. Directed into the target with the end of the stick, a thrust may be performed straight, or at an angle to the inside or outside. For safety when practicing with contact, thrusts should be performed level, below midchest, except when thrusting upward to the groin-abdomen area. 4. Other Attacks. There are other angles and techniques that may be used by a practiced fighter, including curving strikes like an Abaniko (fan movement) or Witiks. (wrist flip) These attacks may, and should all be performed on an opponent to become proficient Starting with light, touch contact, then progressing with the use of light or heavier protection. The target-opponent should start open and stationary, then changing positions, and then adding movement. 2

23 Basic Concepts: Defense: 1. Move or Avoid. The best way to block is don t be there (if possible). Move your head away from a swing, then back, without stepping. (Continual movement away just keeps your opponent moving forward) Sway back from swings at your waist or hips. Evacuate your waist temporarily, without stepping. Lean from a diagonal slash or figure 8. First lean away with your chest facing their stick, then lean away with your back towards their stick, without stepping. Inside a decreasing area, your opponent moves toward you while attacking, while you lean, move or step away to avoid their attacks. 2. Check their attack. When your opponent swings, move inside and check their hand or their stick close to their hand, to stop their attack. When your opponent swings, move inside use one hand to check their hand, while you check their stick with your other hand. After performing either of the above, push or pass their stick away from you. You may push their stick past you, but be careful not to push it through you. If your opponent s attack is a thrust, you must angle or lean away to avoid while checking. 3. Block their attack. When your opponent swings, use your stick to block their attack. Perpendicular blocks are the safest. Think of using your stick as you would angle your arms to block an attack. You may use your other hand to reinforce your blocks. After using your stick to block their attack, you may use your other hand to pass their stick away from you. 4. Strike into their attack. 3 When your opponent swings at you, use your stick to strike into their arm or hand. This works not only to block their attack, but also to damage your attacker and decrease their ability to attack further. Take away their ability to hold and use their weapon.

24 Introductory and Familiarization Exercises: 1. Your partner swings level at your head or upper body. You do a perpendicular reinforced block, check and strike back. If you re blocking to your left, you strike back towards your right. If you block towards your right, you strike them back towards your left. Later, repeat the above but counter 2 times instead of once. 2. Stick in right hand, right foot forward. Your partner swings down at your head or into you from your left side. You block to your left, with your hand over your head and your stick angling down to the left. As soon as you block, (or block and check their stick or hand) you strike down in a circular motion. Keep repeating. 3. Combine exercises #1 and #2. Your stick is in your right hand, your right foot is forward. Your partner swings level at the left side of your head or upper body. You block left with your stick pointed up, check and counter twiceswinging towards your right and left. Your partner then swings level at the right side of your head or upper body. You block right with your stick pointed up, check and counter twice, swinging left and right. Your partner thrusts straight at your waist. You parry block left with your stick pointed down as in #2 above, then check and swing down at your partner. Perform the above as one drill, and keep repeating. 4. Swing, wing, down, thrust (This exercise needs to be demonstrated and corrected in person.) Competitive Game The following will help develop and improve ability, coordination, reflexes, and is fun. It follows the same idea as is shown at the beginning of Enter the dragon with Bruce Lee. 1. You and your partner stand in range where you can reach each other sticks with a bent checking hand. Both people check each other s sticks. The sticks may be crossed, apart, and moving slightly and slowly. The first person suddenly attempts to land one clean attack. If successful, return to the starting position, then try to land 2 clean attacks. Each time the attacker is successful, you return to the starting position and try to add one more successful attack. If the attacker is unsuccessful because one of their attacks does not land clean, then the other person takes over as the attacker Both parties take 2 steps forward and backward, in time with each other so the distance remains constant. At any time while stepping, do the above.