Light contact at about 50% intensity. This is not full-contact sparring. Punches and kicks must not strike through or push through the target. A point is called when a clean, controlled technique lands on an allowable target. Only one warning is given for a full-contact strike.

• Gear (competitors bring their own): head gear with plastic face shield, open-finger sparring gloves, mouth guard, shin guards, foam padded foot guards, and a groin cup for males. Chest gear is optional.
• Match: 2 minutes, or until one competitor scores 5 points. A clean, controlled punch or kick scores 1 point. Time stops for each point, injuries, and equipment adjustments. A tie is decided by a sudden-death point.
• Injury: the competitor has one minute to recover, and the Chief Judge decides whether they can continue.
• Allowed: light-contact punches and kicks to the front and sides of the torso, momentarily grabbing the wrist or arm to execute a technique, and a controlled spinning backfist with no strike-through.
• Prohibited: any strike to the head; strikes with elbows, knees, head, thumbs, or shoulders; strikes to the back, throat, groin, joints, shins, inside leg, or instep; grabbing, throwing, tripping, or sweeping; and turning your back, running away, or falling to avoid contact.
• Warning or disqualification (if severe): running out of the ring, heavy force, prohibited moves, disobeying the Chief Judge, or disrespectful or unsportsmanlike behavior.

Light-moderate contact at about 70% intensity. Not full contact, and no striking through the target. Only one warning is given for a full-contact strike.

• Gear (competitors bring their own): head gear with plastic face shield, closed-finger or open-finger gloves with thick knuckle padding (minimum 7 oz.), mouth guard, shin guards, foam padded foot guards, and a groin cup for males. Chest gear is optional.
• Match: three rounds of 1 1/2 minutes with a 1-minute break. The judges declare a winner of each round, and the first to win two rounds wins the match. If tied after three rounds, there is a final 1-minute round, and if still tied the Chief Judge decides. Time stops for injuries and equipment adjustments, and an injured competitor gets one minute to recover.
• Allowed: light-contact punches and kicks to the sides of the head gear only, the front and sides of the torso, and the upper thigh. Momentarily grabbing the wrist or arm (2 seconds, not a hold), open palm strikes, a front-leg sweep boot to boot at ankle or foot level, and a calf-to-calf backward sweep of the front leg (not a takedown). No finger jabs, no palm press traps, and no blind spinning backfists.
• Prohibited: strikes with elbows, knees, head, thumbs, or shoulders; strikes to the back, throat, groin, joints, shins, inside leg, or instep; grabbing, throwing, pushing, or tripping; sweeping the rear leg or the supporting leg while the opponent kicks; turning your back, running away, or falling to avoid contact; and attacking an opponent who is down on one knee or with a hand on the floor.
• Warning or disqualification (if severe): running out of the ring, heavy force, prohibited moves, disobeying the Chief Judge, or disrespectful or unsportsmanlike behavior.

Credit toward victory: clean and controlled strikes, effective combinations, effective defensive or evading moves, effective strategy, and good physical condition.

Reduces credit: rule violations, bulling or trying to overpower an opponent instead of showing skill, and lack of combinations, defense, strategy, or conditioning.

• Each match is judged by four Corner Judges.
• The Chief Judge referees the match, makes sure competitors follow the rules, calls warnings, separates competitors after clashes, and stops the match when there is an issue or concern.
• The Chief Judge decides whether an injured competitor can continue, announces the judges’ scores, and declares the winner of each point or round and of the match.
• The Chief Judge has the final call when Corner Judges disagree, and serves as both referee and judge when there is a shortage of Corner Judges.

Ring and officials are the same for all four weapons, with a few differences by weapon.

• Ring: 25 by 25 foot square. Contestants wear red or blue chest protection.
• Officials: a referee inside the ring, two side judges, and a time/scorekeeper. Each side judge tracks only one contestant per round with a single mechanical counter and wears a matching red or blue wristband. The judges swap contestants in round 2 and swap back in round 3, and the Round 3 scores are checked against the referee’s log (or a third judge replaces side judge 1).
• Match: up to three rounds of 1 1/2 minutes with a 1-minute break. First to win two rounds wins the match. A tie is decided by a sudden-death round (stated in the saber, sword, and staff rules).
• Scoring: one point for a valid technique that lands cleanly on a valid target with force and offensive intent. The first to land gets the point, and simultaneous hits score for neither contestant. The referee deducts 1 point each time a weapon is dropped or control is lost.
• Warnings, fouls, disqualification: a warning for unsportsmanlike behavior (wild swinging, over-aggressiveness, continuous retreating) or invalid techniques without intent to injure. A foul (1-point deduction) for more than one warning or an illegal technique that injures. Three fouls in a match, or refusing to cooperate with the referee or judges, is a disqualification.
• Illegal targets (saber, sword, staff): back of the head, back of the torso, inner thigh, and groin.
• Gear: fencing mask, red and blue chest protection with collarbone pads, gloves, durable shirt and pants, groin protection, and elbow and knee or shin pads. Standard combat weapons are provided if needed.