MK Marshal's Handbook - Acknowledgement of Blows

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See Marshal's handbook

Acknowledgement of Blows

A. Judging the effects of blows is left to the honor of the combatant being struck by the weapon, unless he or she relinquishes this responsibility, with the exception of clear violations of the Rules of the Lists or the Conventions of Combat. Effectiveness of a blow may not be judged by the opposing combatant, the marshal on the field, or other observers. Information unavailable to the combatant being struck may be supplied by the opposing combatant or the marshal, including blade orientation upon impact, apparent force transmitted, or apparent location and angle of the blow’s impact based upon the observer’s angle of observation.

B. When judging the effect of blows, all fighters are presumed to be fully armored. Special tournaments or combat rules may redefine what areas of the body are armored, and to what extent, so long as all the participants are made aware of the special conditions prior to the start of combat.

1. All “fully armored” fighters are presumed to be wearing a chain hauberk over a padded gambeson, with boiled leather arm and leg defenses and an open-faced iron helm with a nasal. The helm may be presumed by kingdom convention to include a very light chain mail drape, permitting vision and resisting cuts by the mere touch of a bladed weapon.

2. Under this standard, an acceptable cutting blow to the face would be lighter than to other portions of the head or body. Areas deemed illegal to strike (the wrists from 1 inch [25.4mm] above the hands; the legs from 1 inch [25.4mm] above the knees and below) shall be considered safe from all attack. The minimum effective thrusting blow to the face shall be a directed touch and the maximum shall be substantially lighter than to other parts of the body.

3. In the Middle Kingdom, all areas of the head except the face and neck are proof against thrust. Any combat that deviates from this standard must have prior Earl Marshal approval.

C. An effective blow will be defined as a blow which was delivered with effective technique for the particular type of weapon used, properly oriented, and struck with sufficient force. Combatants must acknowledge blows according to the calibration standards of the Middle Kingdom despite the actual armor worn. This includes armor that is ill fitting, or tabards and auxiliary weapons that may entangle legitimate blows. Marshals may require combatants to remove the offending weapons or clothes.

1. An effective blow to the head, neck, or torso shall be judged fatal or completely disabling, rendering the fighter incapable of further combat.

2. An effective blow from an axe, mace, polearm, greatsword, or other mass weapon, which lands on the hip above the hip socket or strikes the shoulder inside the shoulder socket, shall be judged fatal or completely disabling.

3. An effective blow to the arm above the wrist will disable the arm. The arm shall then be considered useless to the fighter and may not be used for either offense or defense.

4. An effective blow to the leg above the knee will disable the leg. The fighter must then fight kneeling, sitting, or standing on the foot of the uninjured leg. Kingdoms may place limitations upon the mobility of such injured fighters.

5. If a wounded limb blocks an otherwise acceptable blow, the blow shall be counted as though the limb were not there.

D. Changes to blow acknowledgment standards may be made on a per-combat, per-scenario, or per-tournament basis, but thereafter will revert to the standards above. Alternate acknowledgment standards do not alter the allowed target areas, nor do they increase the basic force level for a telling blow. All combatants must be informed of any changes to standard blow acknowledgment before they participate in the combat.

E. When judging the outcome of a delivered blow, all fighters are expected to take into account the nature of the weapon being used by their opponent and the location of the point of impact of that weapon. A blow that strikes with sufficient force and proper orientation shall be considered effective, regardless of what it hits prior to striking the combatant.

F. Sometimes a blow that would normally be accepted occurs at almost the same moment as an event that would cause the fight to be stopped (a “HOLD” being called, the killing of the fighter throwing the blow, etc.). If the blow was begun before the occurrence of the event that would cause the bout to be halted, and if of sufficient force, it shall be deemed a legal blow and acceptable. If the blow was begun after the occurrence of the event that would cause the bout to be halted, it shall be deemed not legal and need not be accepted.

G. A blow that includes the dropping of a weapon at the moment of impact need not be counted.

Note: If the force of the blow causes the weapon to be dropped, the rule shall be suspended.

H. Owing to safety limits placed on combat archery equipment, and the low mass of the ammunition, arrows and bolts strike with less force. They need not strike with the same force as hand-held weapons for the strikes to be considered killing blows.