All weapons shall be free of rust, deep gouges, burrs, without any sharp edges or points. Burrs and gouges may be filed or sanded to return the weapon to functional condition so long as the blade is not thinned.
All blades shall have their ends blunted with heavy leather, plastic fencing blunts, or rubber rabbit blunts. Blunts shall be held onto the blade with several wrappings of electrical or equivalent tape.
A sharp sword or dagger blade may not have the edges ground off in an attempt to create a blunt sword for use in cut and thrust combat.
All blades must be forged as blunted training to be combat. Examples of acceptable blades include Practical Hanwei series, Tinker blunted lines, and Del Tin blunted lines.
Blades shall not be modified in any manner that changes their temper such as heating them up and re-forging them.
Tangs may be modified and welded so long as care is taken to not alter the temper of the blade.
Blades shall not be cut down because of the dangers of changing the temper or flexibility of the blades.
Capes or cloaks used for parrying shall be in good repair with no un-mended rips or holes.
Hard or soft weights, such as steel, lead or sand, may not be used to increase the weight or spread of a cape or cloak.
Light items such as rope, tennis or racket balls, or other non-rigid material may be used in the hem so long as it does not dangerously increase the weight and turning the cloak or cape into a flail.
Bucklers, shields, targes, or targets may be made from wood, aluminum, steel, heavy plastic, leather and equivalent or superior materials.
Rigid parrying only devices such as sword sheaths, pewter mugs, rubber chickens, etc. may also be used as parry only devices.
Foils, Epees, and sport saber blades and other sport fencing blades are not allowed in EMP cut and thrust combat due to the higher demand on the weapons in historical fencing environment compared to the sport fencing environment.
Rubber spear tips used in HEMA ™ are permissible in Cut and Thrust. Rubber spear tips must have give and compression and may not be rigid.
All models of sword without integral safety tip/button/rolled tip at least 1 cm across must be tipped with a metal washer (or equivalent), covered by a plastic or rubber blunt, and secured with strong tape.
Rapiers
Must have a thrust-oriented blade 41” or less measured from the cross.
All models of sword without integral safety tip/button/rolled tip at least 1 cm across must be tipped with a metal washer (or equivalent), covered by a plastic or rubber blunt, and secured with strong tape.
Steel Broadswords
Only Armour Class broadswords with “Stocatta” or “Manitoba” blades will be permitted in the steel broadsword tournament.
Smallswords
Fencers shall bring their own swords. Blades shall be between 30’’ and 35’’ in length. Triangular style and schlager style blades are permitted. Grip styles must be historical (pistol grips, and foil style blades are not permitted).
