ULF 1v1 Tournament Rules

To sign up for the Tournament e-mail undergroundlightsaberfighters@gmail.com for signup information and fees. Or contact Nick Murico through social media on the facebook group page.

ULF 1 vs 1 Tournament Rules

Required Gear:

1. Head and face protection (fencing mask); Eyes, nose, and mouth must be protected.

2. Protective gloves.

3. Shoes

4. Lightsaber (must be switched on during battle)

Recommended Gear (optional):

5. Knee pads

6. Shin guards

7. Groin cup

8. Elbow/forearm protection 9. Torso protection

JUDGING:

I. Three judges will be appointed to make judgment calls on each match. The head judge will be responsible to voicing all judgments. However, each of the three judges will have one vote towards the outcome of a round.

II. Matches will begin with the competitors in opposite sides of the fighting ring. Competitors will be at least 10 feet apart when the head judge begins the round.

III. To begin a round, the head judge will confirm that each of the competitors is ready to fight, then the head judge will say “fight”. From this point, the round will be in progress and competitors are expected to defend themselves. Competitors will not be given leniency for being unprepared to defend themselves once the judge calls “fight”.

IV. When a point is scored, the head judge will call “break”.

V. Competitors are not to continue fighting after “break” has been called. This will be worth a penalty and can lead to forfeiture.

VI. Once the combat is broken up, the fighters will return to their own sides of the arena and the head judge will say “judges - call”. At this time, each of the three judges will, in unison, point to the competitor who they observed got the first strike, or they will place their arms in the form of an “X” in front of them to indicate that there was no clear victor in that round. Judges will not deliberate verbally over the decision. Judges will not negotiate with competitors or spectators. The majority judgment rules. If the judges do not collaboratively indicate a clear victor for the round, no points will be awarded and the head judge will rule a “reset”.

VII. If a competitor is disarmed of their lightsaber, the disarm itself will not be worth any points. However, the round does not end due to the disarm. Thus, any points scored against the competitor while they are unarmed are still valid.

VIII. There is no round limit or reset limit.

SCORING:

I. The first competitor to reach 5 points wins.

II. A single point is scored when your blade makes contact anywhere on your opponent’s body.

III. Different body parts are not worth more or less points. Every part of the body will be worth 1 point.

V. Negligible contact to loose clothing articles will not be worth any points.

VI. Contact to the saber hilt’s emitter above the hand closest to the blade will not be worth any points.*See Photos below for Hilt Target Area

VII. Contact to the lower hilt beneath the hand will be worth 1 point. This is considered a “disabling hit” since, in canon lightsaber combat, the saber would be disabled by this hit. *See Photos Below for Hilt Target Area

VIII. Contact to the opponent’s hand itself will still be worth 1 point.

IX. If a competitor smacks their opponent’s blade into their opponent’s body, this contact is worth 1 point.

X. If a competitor accidentally strikes their own body with their blade, this contact will be worth 1 point to their opponent.

XI. For information on special weapons such as crossguard sabers and dual-bladed staffs, see the “special weapons” section.

XII. Only the first competitor to strike their opponent will be awarded the point for the round.

XIII. Subsequent strikes are not worth additional points.

XIV. If both competitors strike each other simultaneously, the round will be rules a draw, no points will be rewarded, and the fighters will reset to begin another round.

XV. Competitors are clear to continue striking until the head judge calls “break”, so it’s important for competitors to defend themselves at all times and continue the fight until the head judge calls “break”.

XVI. Once “break” is called, competitors MUST stop striking. Additional strikes may be worth a penalty if they are landed after the judge calls “break”.

STANDARD PENALTIES:

I. Late Strike Penalty: A “late strike” is considered to be a strike that is landed more than 0.75 seconds after the judge calls “break”. This is considered unnecessary contact. A “late strike” will result in a penalty to the competitor who threw it. Three late strike penalties will cause 1 point to be awarded to the opponent of the competitor who threw the late strikes.

II. Bodily Contact Due to Momentum: Bodily contact due to momentum, or just “momentum contact” is an instance in which a competitor moves towards their opponent at a high rate of speed and is not able to control their momentum, so their body drifts or slides into their opponent, causing either a full-bodied collision or significant impact with the feet, knees, hip, shoulder, elbow, hands, or head. (Example: sliding and accidentally kicking your opponent in the shin, trying to lunge but overcompensating and accidentally tackling your opponent.) This is a safety risk and is considered unnecessary contact. The judges understand that this unintentional, which is why it will not be considered grounds for immediate forfeiture if it only happens once. However, two momentum penalties will result in a point to your opponent. If you unintentionally cause bodily harm your opponent with anything other than a lightsaber blade; and the impact causes an injury which prevents your opponent from being able to continue combat, you will be ejected from the tournament.

III. Ring Out: If a competitor steps out of the ring while a round is in progress, they will receive a ring out penalty. Three ring-out penalties will cause 1 point to be awarded to the offending competitor’s opponent.

SERIOUS PENALTIES:

I. Lightsaber Throwing: If a competitor throws their lightsaber and it strikes their opponent, that competitor forfeits the match. If a competitor throws their lightsaber at the ground in frustration, the competitor will be asked to leave the arena immediately. If a competitor throws their lightsaber and it strikes any living being outside of the ring, that competitor forfeits the match and may be liable for damages to the affected bystander. Competitors will not be charged with throwing their lightsabers if the lightsaber is forcibly disarmed from them. See standard penalties for the policy regarding disarming.

II. Disorderly Conduct: Competitors who exhibit disrespectful behavior will be warned only once. The second offense will result in forfeiture of the match or being asked to leave the arena immediately. Disorderly conduct may include, but is not limited to: swearing or yelling pejoratives at the judges or your opponent, yelling pejoratives at audience members, spitting at anyone, making particularly disrespectful hand signs such as middle fingers or gang signs, sexually harassing any tournament attendees, squaring off with another attendee with intent to incite a fist fight, and actively engaging in a fist fight.

III. Intentional Bodily Contact: Any competitor who intentionally punches, kicks, elbows, headbutts, stomps, body slams, or tackles their opponent will forfeit the match.

WEAPON RESTRICTIONS:

I. Blade length is limited to a maximum of 40”.

II. Hilt length is limited to a maximum of 24” (28” for dual-bladed sabers).

III. Pikes are not permitted.

IV. Lightsabers must turn on and keep a stable electronic connection. Please keep extra batteries.

V. Hits landed while a lightsaber is powered off, flickering, or malfunctioning will not be worth any points. “Flash on Clash” is a perfectly acceptable feature and is not considered a flicker.

VI. Lightsabers must be equipped with a polycarbonate blade which bares a blade tip. If the tip comes off during combat, the round will be paused and the competitor will be allowed time to repair their lightsaber.

VII. If a tip cannot be located or replaced, it may be substituted with a blade cap or tape. The substitute must form a physical barrier which presents the LED light from blinding the other competitor during combat.

VIII. If a blade is broken during combat, the round will be paused and the competitor will be allowed time to replace or repair their blade.

IX. If a competitor is not able to repair their lightsaber to working order or find a working lightsaber within 7 minutes, the match is forfeit.

SPECIAL WEAPONS:

I. Crossguard Lightabers: Lightsabers with a crossguard are eligible weapons for entry into the ULF tournament. Please note that the hilt length and the primary blade length maximum are the same as single-blade sabers. However, the crossguard blades must not be longer than 8”. Any hit that lands anywhere from the base of the crossguard platform all the way down to the pommel will be considered a disable and will be worth 1 point. If your opponent knocks your crossguard blade into your body, this contact will be worth 1 point to your opponent. Equally, if your strike your opponent with your crossguard blades, this contact will be worth 1 point.

II. Dual-bladedlightsabers:Dual-bladedlightsabers(DarthMaul-style) are eligible weapons for entry into the ULF Tournament. Please note that the blade lengths must not exceed the maximum of 40”. Hilt length is increased to a maximum of 28” Any hit that lands anywhere on the hilt between the two blade emitters will be considered a disable and will be worth 1 point. If you accidentally strike yourself with your own blade, this contact will be worth 1 point to your opponent.

SPECIAL ATTACKS:

Certain Special attacks which were previously banned will be allowed in the tournament, but it is important to remember that these attacks and maneuvers were previously banned because of their potential to cause unnecessary bodily harm. Please remember that if you injure your opponent or any other event attendees while conducting any of these special attacks, you will be ejected from the tournament. Please see standard penalties for more information on bodily contact due to momentum.

I. Spin Attacks: A spin attack is a maneuver that requires the competitor to rotate their body 180° or more. This maneuver can be an affective offensive or defensive maneuver. Please be advised that any spin attack introduces the possibility of unintentionally striking your opponent with your elbow, knee, or foot. Spin attacks also introduce the possibility of striking a bystander or a judge with your blade. Any of these mishaps are worth a momentum contact penalty and could potential lead to forfeiture if the judges rule that pure negligence on the behalf of the competitor caused a bystander to be hit.

II. Jumping attacks: A jumping attack requires the competitor to leave the ground with both feet while attacking. Please be aware of the possibility of uppercutting your opponent with your fist or elbow while in the rising motion. Please also be aware of the possibility of falling down onto your opponent as well as knocking your opponent over with your body. Any of these mishaps are worth a momentum contact penalty.

III. Dash Attacks: A dash attack is a maneuver in which the competitor traverses a large section of the arena very quickly (typically 3 or more steps in less than 1 second to cover an area of 9 or more linear feet) with the intent of striking the opponent. The violation risks behind this maneuver are numerous: overshooting your opponent and bulldozing the crowd, staking yourself on your opponent’s blade, tripping and falling onto the ground or onto your opponent, tackling your opponent full force, etc. Please be advised that a dash attack which results in illegal contact may be grounds for ejection from the tournament.