I.
Introduction 3
II.
The Marshalette 3
III. The Rules of the List 5
1.
Participation &
Training 5
2.
Legal Target Areas &
Calibration 5
3.
Qualification Process 6
4.
Armor Standards 7
5.
Shield Standards 9
6.
Weapons Standards 10
7.
Rules of engagement for
Single Combat 11
8.
Rules of engagement for
Melees 12
IV. Combat Conventions Ð a common sense guide 13
V.
The Fighting Waiver 14
Historical Precedent
Rattan or heavy weapons is a marshal form loosely based on the
Tournament of the Baton that was practiced in the latter part of the middle
ages. The original tournaments were done on foot and used weapons made of wood,
whalebone or bated (not sharpened) blades.
Our tournaments are also on foot and primarily use wooden (rattan)
weapons. We try to keep the equipment we use as authentic as possible but
concessions are made in the interests of safety and for longer durability of
the equipment.
The
purpose of this book is to provide a comprehensive guide to rattan or heavy
combat in the Kingdom of Acre. It
contains the policies and procedures govern this marshal form in the kingdom.
á
It is the responsibility
of all qualified fighters to be familiar with these rules.
á
It is the responsibility
of the marshals to know them intimately.
Aside from being fun for the participants, the inclusion of this rattan
combat in the Kingdom of Acre serves several purposes:
á
The grand tournament was
an activity that was at the social center of medieval society much as the
modern sports are today. It
provides a competitive focus for citizens and the kingdom.
á
It supports the
corporation by providing an exciting entertainment for the spectators at our
fairs.
á
It is the mechanism by
which our Sovereign is chosen.
The
marshalette is responsible for all aspects of rattan combat in Acre including
training participants and maintaining and enforcing all associated rules.
The
following are the members of the Marshalette in order of precedence.
The Sovereign: (if a qualified rattan fighter Ð if not qualified will defer to the
Constable)
The Constable: the Great Officer appointed by the Sovereign who is responsible for
all matters pertaining to martial activity in the kingdom including rattan
combat, fencing and archery.
Within that rather broad description are an entire host of
responsibilities.
1. Per
the requirements of Kingdom Law, The Constable is required to maintain a current
list of all members qualified in armored rattan combat and archery, and to
publish this list in The White Hart within 90 days of Coronation. To assist in this task, the Reeves are
responsible for maintaining a current list of active fighters in the territory,
updating the list as necessary and giving this information to The Constable.
2. The
Constable has two deputies: The
Kingdom Marshal and The Captain-General of Archers whom shall be appointed,
under the CrownÕs direction, by The Constable.
3. The
Constable must be familiar with the requirements of all military orders and
groups as set forth in Kingdom and Corporate Law.
4. The
Constable must be familiar with Kingdom Law governing the creation and
responsibilities of Bannerets.
5. The
Constable must be familiar with the rules of The Crown Tournament and be ready
to assist the Crown in conducting the Tourney.
The Marshal: the lesser Kingdom Officer
appointed to assist the Constable, who is primarily responsible for all rattan
list activities.
Territorial Reeves: Baronial and Shire representatives elected by the
territory in which they reside.
The Constable must approve this appointment. Reeves supervise all rattan combat activities in their
territories, must keep a record of all active fighters in their territory and
are responsible to organize and run all practices and tournaments in their
territory.
Knights Knights have responsibility to assist in the training
of fighters. As members of the Marshalette, they can marshal
tournaments and qualification bouts.
If questions or issues arise,
any of the above may be called upon for an opinion. If the issue is not
resolved the matter may be referred to someone with greater authority. See Kingdom
Law and Corporate
Resolutions
for more details on the rights and responsibilities of each of these groups.
In
addition, the position of Master (Mistress) of Lists has been created. The MOL has the following
responsibilities:
Maintain
the results of tournaments while they are running and lists of fighters who
participate at each event.
1.
A member of the
Marshallate must be present at all times during any fighting.
2.
The highest ranking
member of the Marshallate present is considered the supervising marshal and has
complete authority over the list.
Rattan Combat is a full contact sport and therefore
has an innate level of danger. It also involves equipment that restricts
movement and weighs 40-75+ pounds. Proper attacks and defenses involve
movements that are not ÒnaturalÓ to most people. For all these reasons people
must be above a certain age, must sign a waiver and must go through the process
of training and qualifications before they can participate. All participants
under the age of majority must have their parents sign the waiver as well.
No one under the age of 16 may participate in
combat.
The
waiver that each fighter must sign is in the appendices. It states that you
understand the element of danger involved in this activity.
Training
is critical to the process of learning and maintaining the proper skills and
conditioning to compete in Rattan Combat. PeopleÕs skills and aptitudes vary
considerably but any individual should expect that it will take 3 months to a
year before proper movement, attacks and blocks become ÒreflexesÓ if one
participates once a week. The importance of attending practices cannot be
understated. The focus of practice is on learning proper form, technique and
stamina. The number of actual
bouts one can participate in at a practice tends to be much greater than at a
tournament.
The
recognized weapons forms are:
á
Weapon and Shield
á
2 Weapon
á
2 Handed Sword
á
Pole Weapon
á
Spear
A prospective fighter must demonstrate sufficient
ability to safely attack and defend with a weapon form before it can be used in
a tournament.
á
Qualifications once
earned must be maintained Ð a fighter who is inactive for a period of 2 years
(or does not use a given weapon form for 2 years must re-qualify in that form.
á
Qualifications may be
revoked for unsafe or unchivalrous behavior.
The legal target area consists of the head, neck, torso, arms to 2 inches above the wrist, and thighs to 2 inches above the knee. Intentional groin shots are illegal but should acknowledged as a kill if inadvertently given.
In rattan combat, blows are acknowledged on an honor system. Calibration of blows is arrived at through practice and experience. Blows must not only connect but must do so with sufficient force or calibration to penetrate armor and cause bodily harm. There is only 1 level of calibration regardless of the style of armor worn or materials used in its construction. There is one exception to this general statement on calibration. Certain gaps can be legally present in a combatantÕs armor. Should a blow land in such a gap, the combatant must acknowledge it regardless of force.
A qualification bout consists of 2 phases:
Phase 1: Skirmishing.
The goal is to make sure that the applicants
demonstrate some mastery of technique and that they do not do anything that is
unsafe to themselves or others. The applicant and opponent, who should be a
veteran fighter familiar with the conventions of qualification bouts, skirmish
and clearly acknowledge any blow that connects as ÒlightÓ or ÒgoodÓ but they do
not stop the bout. At some point the marshals will tell each combatant to fight
from their knees so the applicant can demonstrate his/her knowledge of this
technique. The specifics are described below.
Phase 2: An actual combat bout
This segment runs like a bout in a tournament Ð the
good blows are taken and the participants must demonstrate the correct way to
die defensively with the qualifying weapons form (i.e., defensive dying with a
pole weapon differs from dying with a sword and shield).
For Weapon and Shield the applicant must successfully qualify against an opponent armed similarly.
For Two Sword, Greatsword, Polearm and Spear,
the applicant must successfully complete 2 qualifications: first against an
opponent armed with the same weapon(s) and then against an opponent using
weapon and shield.
For Spear,
additionally, the applicant must demonstrate the ability to be safe in a melee
situation. This includes the
ability to handle a spear offensively and defensively for a time period deemed
sufficient by the attending marshallate.
Participants And Their Responsibilities In A Qualification:
The participants in a qualification and their responsibilities
are as follows:
Marshals: There should be 2 members of the
Marshalette present that are qualified in the weapons form in which the
participant is attempting to qualify. The 2 marshals
may not be from the same region, household or bannerette etc. It is up to the Marshals to decide if
the applicant has qualified. If any of the following occur, the applicant may
not qualify:
á
More than one shot lands
on an illegal target, providing it did not land there as a result the
opponentÕs actions (i.e., a shot deflected low or a blow to the hand or wrist
that occurs because the opponent attempted to block the shot with the weapon
does not count against the applicant).
á
More than 1 shield punch
or blow struck with an illegal portion of a weapon (i.e., haft, quillons or
basket hilt).
á
More than 1 excessive
face thrust
á
Any blatant violation of
any of the rules of engagement or any other blatantly unsafe or unchivalrous
act
á
Any display of anger or
use of profanity.
á
Repeated (3 or more
instances) of any one of the following
ˆ
Tipping the head forward
ˆ
Severe tabling of the
shield when making an attack
ˆ
Severe over-extension of
weapon arm in an attack
ˆ
Failure to recognize
clearly delivered killing blows
ˆ
Failure to attempt to
block a shot to any given area delivered at medium speed as a single attack
ˆ
Failure to attempt
return to guard after an attack or block
Applicant The applicant is the person trying to qualify in the
weapons form. The applicantÕs goal is
not to win or even be Ògood,Ó merely to demonstrate a
knowledge of the rules and
competence in some of the basic attacks and defenses.
He/she must
á
consistently maintain
one or more of the standard guards
á
deliver a blow with
proper form and calibration to the legal target areas
Please note: the attack need not be successful it need only be delivered
properly.
á
return to a standard
guard after attacking or defending
á
die defensively. This
means immediately falling to the ground and curling into a fetal position on
your side with your shield or weapons covering you.
á
consistently acknowledge
a properly calibrated blow
á
In the case of a
qualification in 2 weapons, applicants must also show the ability to defend
with both hands and to attack more than occasionally with the off hand.
á
Must be able to properly
give and receive thrusts with the given weapon form
Opponent
This should be a person experienced in the weapons
form of the qualification. This person
has the most challenging job in the qualification. The
goal is not to win but to test the applicantÕs strengths and weaknesses from
the list above.
á
Throw shots at a variety
of speeds. Throw very few high speed attacks.
á
Make most shots basic
ones (very few wraps) and use mostly single shots or standard 2 shot
combinations (e.g. onside head Ð offside head, offside head Ð onside leg,
etc.). Avoid excessive feints.
á
Fight at a distance and
up close
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Press the applicant at
least once
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Retreat from the
applicant at least once
á
Leave openings to see if
the applicant capitalizes on them.
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Ensure that the
applicant can properly acknowledge a face thrust
All
armor, weapons and accouterments used in the list shall be designed to
recreate, as closely as possible, items in use in Europe or the Middle East
during the period from 1000 to 1500 AD.
Any item whose design is flagrantly non-period may be banned. All armor
and weapons must be approved by the Marshallate. Appeals may be made to the Constable or Crown.
Armor
shall consist of protection for the entire body from head to foot. It includes:
á
boots
á
greaves
á
poleyns (solid
knee-pieces )
á
cuisses (thigh armor)
á
breast and back
protection from the coccyx to the collarbone (including the hips)
á
a gorget or equivalent
protection for the throat (i.e. camail)
á
a helmet
á
hand protection (varies
according to weapon/shield in use)
á
vambraces (forearm
armor)
á
couters (solid
elbow-pieces)
á
pauldrons (shoulder
armor)
See
below for further specifications on the above list.
The
armor standards make reference to rigid and not rigid materials. They are
defined as follows:
Rigid
materials:
Steel of at least 16 gauge or its
equivalent.
Leather of ¼ inch or the
equivalent such as cuir boulli.
Leather scales of ¼ inch or cuir
boulli.
Non-Rigid
materials:
Chainmail,
Leather of at least 6 ounces, or
Such period materials as may be approved
by the Constable.
Except
as noted below, armor must be constructed of period rigid materials:
1.
All helmets must be made
of at least 14 gauge steel. No
opening on any part of the helm may be more than one inch wide. There must be at least ½ inch of
resilient padding between the wearerÕs head and the helmetÕs interior. All helms will require a chin strap.
2.
Helms with grillwork or
faceplates must be secured in such a manner that no portion of the faceplate
may contact the face when force is applied to the faceplate. Grillwork should
be of ¼Ó bar stock minimum and there should be no space wider than one
inch between bars.
3.
The following areas must
be protected but may be covered by period and non-rigid materials:
á
The upper arm, beginning
two inches above the elbow to two inches below the shoulder, and the buttocks
and groin area. When these areas are covered with non-rigid materials or are
unarmored blows must be taken as good regardless of force.
á
Protection for the
groin, in the form of an athletic cup (for men) or any rigid protection (for
women), shall be required. This
area must be covered such that the cup is not visible.
á
The arms from wrist to
elbow must be covered with rigid armor with the following exceptions:
Forearm protection is not required for the shield arm when fighting
weapon and shield. The elbow must
still be protected with a rigid elbow piece or some form of protective sports
equipment. A fighter so protected may never relinquish his/her shield for any
reason. If he/she looses a sword
arm in single combat, the bout is forfeited unless the opponent allows for the
shield arm to be legally armored before continuing the bout.
á
All portions of the body
not covered by rigid armor are considered to be unarmored if the opponent lands
a blow on them (in other words, any blow regardless of force is taken as good
to that area).
4.
Hands are to be
protected as follows:
á
For weapon and shield
and 2 weapon, hockey or lacrosse gloves are minimum protection for the sword
hand. With basket-hilted swords or
a basket protecting the shield hand, use of leather gloves is required. Rigid
half-gauntlets are strongly recommended for use with basket hilts.
á
Full gauntlets made of
rigid period materials are required for all other weapons forms such as mace,
pole weapon, great sword and spear unless adapted basket hilts are used.
5.
No Armor is required in
the following areas:
á
The armpit
á
The inside of the upper
arm
á
The backs of the thighs
(protecting this area, however, is highly encouraged)
6. Armor
is defined in terms of what the combatant is actually wearing. There are
natural
gaps in a personÕs armor and certain places where
armor is not required (e.g. the back of the
thigh). If these areas are not covered or are
protected with something other than an approved type and weight material, the
area is considered unarmored. A
blow to an unarmored area, regardless of the force of said blow, is valid and
should be accepted as such. Armor
is to be distinguished from simple protection such as padded sports protectors,
which might be acceptable to permit a combatant to safely enter a list but is
not armor and does not entitle the wearer to the advantages of armor.
The
following materials may be used to construct a shield. The thickness described
is the minimum allowed:
á
½ Ò Plywood
(metal reinforcement of the edges recommended)
á
16 gauge steel (or 18
gauge w/ reinforced edges)
á
12 gauge aluminum or (16
gauge w/ reinforced edges)
The rims
of all shields must be padded with leather or rubber such that no metal can
come through. A shield may be
removed from a tourney if the Marshallate determines it to be unsafe due to the
metal edge being exposed.
Shields
must be built to weigh approximately what shields of the period weighed. The following weights are suggested:
á
Round Shield: 24
inches in diameter 7 lbs.
á
Heater Shield: 24 by
30 inches 8
Ð 10 lbs.
á
Heater Shield: 24 by
40 inches 10
Ð 12 lb.
No
combatant shall wear, nor Reeve approve, the use of plastic or any other
unlawful armoring material. Nor
shall any combatant or Reeve omit or approve the omission of any required piece
of armor (i.e. boots, greaves, shoulder articulation).
á
Penalty for the first
offense will be the suspension of all qualification privileges for a period of
not less than three months for both parties.
á
In addition, the
offending Reeve will be suspended from his appointment for three months. Penalty for the second offense will be
the revocation of all qualification privileges for both parties. In addition, the offending Reeve will
be removed from office.
á
After six months,
individuals may attempt to requalify.
Right of Judgement is reserved for the Sovereign.
III Ð 5. WEAPONS STANDARDS
All
weapons must be constructed out of rattan, with the exception of spears, which
can be made of fiberglass (provided they are used only for thrusting).
All
striking surfaces must be covered with a protective tape (duct or electrical)
to prevent splinters. It is
strongly suggested that a base of strapping tape be used to contribute to the
long life of the weapon.
All
weapons designed for thrusting must have 1 inch of foam with at least
one inch of progressive give in the tip. The wooden/fiberglass tip on which the
foam is attached should not be felt if the tip is pushed to 1 side.
The
thrusting ends of a fiberglass spear must be covered with a PVC cap that is
taped to the spear prior to attaching the thrusting tip.
All
weapon surfaces must be at least 1 ¼ inches thick.
Axes,
maces must have a minimum of one inch of closed cell foam or the equivalent on
all striking surfaces and must be padded commensurate with their weight. There
must be ½ inch of progressive give in the striking surfaces.
The
striking surface on a pole arm shall not exceed 1/3 its length. The striking
surface of a pole arm must be covered with at least ½ inch of closed
cell foam.
No metal may be used in the striking or thrusting portions of a weapon.
Great
swords may not have a grip more than 18 inches long.
Both
ends of a pole arm may be used for thrusting but only one end may be used for
slashing.
Dagger
1-1
½ lbs. 12-18
inches
Short
sword 1-3
lbs. 18-34
inches
Broadsword 1
½-5 lbs. 35-41
inches
Bastard
sword 2-6
lbs. 42-55 inches
Great
sword 3-8
lbs. 55-72
inches
Battle
axe 1-3
lbs. 20-36
inches
Great
axe 2-4
lbs. 36-48
inches
Great
weapon(pole arm) 3-8 lbs. 36-84
inches
Warhammer 2-4
lbs. 18-36 inches
Mace 2-4
lbs. 18-36 inches
Spear 60-144
inches
1.
Weapons may be banned as
unsafe by the Marshallate. Appeals
may be made to the constable or Crown. A ban on any weapon is permanent. The
weapon must be reworked and presented to the current constable or sovereign (if
the sovereign is a qualified fighter) to be reinstated in the list.
Single
combat is a bout that takes place between 2 competitors. It is assumed to be a
friendly contest in which the rules of chivalry and fair play are strictly
adhered to.
1.
All combatants in an
official tournament must be qualified in the weapon form they are using.
2.
A blow to ÒkillÓ or
ÒcrippleÓ must strike with such force that if the sword were of steel it would
penetrate the armor and/or break the bones beneath the armor.
3.
A blow of sufficient
force to an arm or leg is considered crippling to that appendage which may no
longer be used. A combatant who
loses the use of a leg may hop on the other leg so long as the crippled leg is in
no way used for balance. If it is
used once, the combatant may no longer hop and must remain kneeling.
4.
Thrusts to the face are
allowed at a positive touch level.
If excessive force is used marshals may call the offending fighter dead.
Knowledge of how to properly give and receive face thrusts shall be part of
training for every weapon form.
5.
When a ÒHOLDÓ is called
all combat ceases. In a melee all
combatants shall drop to their knees when a ÒHOLDÓ is called. Blows in progress when a ÒHOLDÓ is
called are valid.
6.
No combatant may strike
an unarmed or otherwise helpless opponent. An opponent must be able to either defend or retreat. Any combatant attacking a defenseless
opponent will forfeit the bout at the MarshalÕs discretion.
7.
No one may be struck
from behind except as allowed in a particular melee situation.
8.
No combatant may
deliberately attempt to knock his opponent down.
9.
If a weapon breaks or is
dropped in the delivery of a blow, that blow is ignored.
10. Auxiliary weapons must be carried in such a way that
they do not interfere with blows to the combatant. If an auxiliary weapon is struck while being worn it is
considered broken and immediately discarded. It is permitted to carry up to two auxiliary weapons.
11. A combatant who drops his weapon twice during the
course of a bout, or who falls down twice without being pushed, will be warned
by the Marshal that if this occurs again he/she will forfeit the bout.
12. Blows struck with the flat of the blade or the shaft
of a weapon are not valid.
13. Any combatant whose helm comes off, either partially
or fully, or whose visor comes open, may be declared dead.
14. No combatant shall block with his/her hands. Any blow blocked with an empty hand
shall be declared crippling to that arm.
If the arm was already crippled, then the blow will be considered a
kill.
15. Grappling with an opponent, such as grabbing or
pinning any part of his body, is forbidden. Only non-edged portions* of weapons may be grabbed or
trapped. When the edge of a weapon
is trapped or grabbed by an unarmored hand or arm and the weapon is drawn out
by the opponent without being released, the arm is considered crippled.
*
Non-edged portions of weapons are defined as the shaft of a spear or pole arm,
the quillons and grip of a great sword and haft of an ax or mace.
16. A combatant whose weapons and/or shield are trapped is
not considered helpless unless he/she is lying prone on the ground or his/her
opponent is out of his/her field of vision.
17. A combatant may only strike an opponent if he/she is
within that opponentÕs field of vision.
If an opponent fails to keep you within his/her field of vision while
you are within weapon range, either by turning away from you or by failing to
follow your movement, you may strike him/her once as this is occurring.
18. A blow striking after bouncing off a shield is valid
if it still lands with sufficient force.
19. Judgment of the effect of any blow is left to the
honesty of the combatant, unless the Marshallate present is willing to accept
the responsibility. In this case,
any decisions by the Marshallate are binding and considered final.
20. If a weapon is dropped or broken, a ÒHOLDÓ will be
called and the weapon replaced, except in a melee. No ÒHOLDÓ will be called for a dropped weapon during a
melee.
The
exception to this is a person fighting with 2 weapons. If they drop 1 weapon,
it is up to the discretion of the opponent as to whether they may regain the
weapon.
21. Combatants slain in a melee are required to fall under
their shields or in a defensive manner (on their sides, in a fetal position
with either shield or weapons over them), and are not to remove themselves from
the list until told to do so by the Marshallate.
22. Blows from a two handed axe, great sword, or pole arm
to the hip or shoulder are killing.
Melees are any competition involving three or more competitors. In the tourney format they recreate battles or skirmishes. For reasons of safety and to provide the audience something nobler to look at than a brawl, unless noted below, all of the rules for single combat remain in effect. There are also additional rules that apply only to melees Ðthese are mainly for concerns of safety of the participants.
1. A combatant who has neither a weapon nor a shield to
defend him/herself must remain out of weapon range of his opponents or the
marshal may declare him/her dead. (Note this overrides the rule in single
combat that says no opponent may strike an unarmed combatant.)
2.
A combatant who is out
of his/her opponentÕs field of vision (and therefore not allowed to strike
him/her) may still foul his/her opponentÕs weapons or shield.
3.
In a melee, when there
are two unbroken lines of opponents, all combatants in both lines are
considered to be engaged and may be struck, unless one line completely wraps
around the other.
4.
When attempting to push
through a line, the combatantÕs shield may not be swung or used as a weapon,
and the handle of any sword or one-handed weapon may not be used to push or
punch.
5.
A combatant who pushed
through a line or who intentionally puts himself in the midst of the opponents
is open to attack from all directions pursuant to rule numbers 3 and 4 above
and according to the Òone-step ruleÓ (see next rule) until he/she removes
himself/herself or ÒdiesÓ.
6.
As a combatant pushes
through a line, those in the line may throw blows at will but may not pursue or
throw blows further than one step towards the combatant pushing through the
line.
7.
A great sword or pole
arm may not be swung more than 90 degrees in a melee.
8.
No more than 4
combatants may engage a single opponent at the same time.
IV -
COMBAT CONVENTIONS
While the rules cover the safety question involved in combat, there are other aspects of fighting that the participants should be aware of regarding conduct on the field (and off the field as well) which comes under the topic of CHIVALRY. Chivalry is very much a subjective concept, but it does consist of certain definite elements. The most important of these are courteous behavior; good judgement and ordinary
common sense, all of which should be displayed on all occasions under all circumstances. Besides making for a better show, chivalrous behavior helps to keep the fighting on a friendly level.
The most common situation where judgement is necessary is in striking from behind in a melee. The rules specify that you must wait until you are in your opponent's field of vision. This means that he/she can see you, it does not mean that he/she does see you. The most chivalrous action is to wait until you both have made eye contact. Short of this, there is a very fine line between striking at the instant it is legal and waiting that extra second. If you continually tread this line, you may kill a few more people, but the times that you err will cause an unhealthy resentment. It is far better to give your opponent the benefit of the doubt.
Next
is the question of ganging up on an opponent during a melee. Now, while it is not unchivalrous to
deny a lone fighter single combat and gaining numerical superiority is one of
the major aims in melee combat, when two or three fighters are already
surrounding an opponent, it is questionable from both a chivalrous and safety
point of view as to the advisability of joining in the slaughter.
Questions
of calibration should be kept open and friendly. If you think you delivered a valid blow which you opponent
did not accept, discuss the matter with him/her after the bout. Don't assume that ignoring what you
considered a good blow was intentional on his/her part. If someone questions your calibration,
think about it and keep it in mind the next time you fight. Calibration is an ongoing process ad
must constantly be refined. If the
situation warrants it, ask the opinion of the marshal running the list. If a fighter is calibrating too high
and is not responding to your comments, bring the matter to the Marshallate's
attention.
Never
loose you temper in the lists! Any
problems should be discussed outside the list area.
Again,
common sense and good judgement should be especially apparent whenever a combat
is taking place before the public.
In such instances, a questionable blow should either be taken or
ignored; all discussion to be reserved for after the public is gone. Attempts should be made to be more
theatrical during such bouts, without becoming unsafe.
Finally,
any problems regarding safety, rules or opponents should be brought immediately
to the attention of the Marshallate.
(To be developed)