The Saber Legion:

Love and represent your charters and who you are...

Through sabers all will be united...

The Saber Legion (TSL) is a Full Contact Custom Saber dueling community. Because of the dangerous nature of full contact saber
combat ALL participants must waive any and all injury liability against TSL, its members and any locations used for TSL events. 1
Persons under the age of 18 must have expressed consent from their parent(s) or legal guardian(s).
The goal of this rule set is to promote a style of sabering that is skillful, artful, honorable and
fun. The level of combat presented in this format is expected to be at the “Tournament
Sparring” level as described in the Club Guidelines and Hold Harmless Agreement. Please see
section 5 on page 17 if you must be reminded.

The participants enter each bout at their own risk and discretion. Every participant is expected
to follow the spirit of the tournament rules. Every bout should maintain a polite quality to all
involved.

All saberists and judges are expected to participate safely and in their best frame of mind.
Judges or saberists found to be participating under the influence of any substance, legal or
illegal, that impairs their function will be ejected from participating at the remainder of the
event. This includes but is not limited to alcohol of any kind, marijuana, illegal drugs, heavy
painkillers etc. Any substance that alters your brain chemistry fits into this category and does
not belong in these events.

Tournament Bout Overview

Each participant will receive two colored armbands (one to be worn on each arm) and will be
referred to by that color for the duration of that bout. The participants will start at the edge of
the “ring” until called by the director. If a participant is not near the ring for the call of their
name, they will forfeit the bout. Please be aware of your bout times and be present to keep the
event running smoothly.

Once the saberists are cleared by a final inspection of the saber and gear, they will be asked to
enter the “ring” by the director and asked to acknowledge to the judges and the table.
Acknowledging the table is the saberists indication they have read the rules and will fully abide
by these rules. Failure to acknowledge the participants will result in a breach of conduct
warning at the yellow card level.

The saberists will then be asked to take their places inside the ring by the director. The director
will then ask the saberists to acknowledge their opponent. Failure to acknowledge the
participants will result in a breach of conduct warning at the yellow card level. The director
The Saber Legion (TSL) is a Full Contact Custom Saber dueling community. Because of the dangerous nature of full contact saber
combat ALL participants must waive any and all injury liability against TSL, its members and any locations used for TSL events. 2
Persons under the age of 18 must have expressed consent from their parent(s) or legal guardian(s).
will then make sure each saberist is ready by asking “Saberist’s ready?” at which point the
saberists should acknowledge the question by stating verbally they are ready to the director.
The director will then begin the bout by saying “Fight”.

When a hold is called during the bout the saberists are expected to disengage but remain in
their current location within the “ring”. Once the points are awarded and / or the outcome of
the hold resolved, the director will give the commands to begin again (saberist’s ready? –
Fight). Saberists should not move until the command “Fight”, movement (foot fault) on the part
of a saberist will result in a breach of conduct (verbal warning). A second foot fault will result
in a breach of conduct (yellow card) and a third will result in a final breach of conduct (red
card) and forfeiture of the bout.

When a reset is called during the bout the saberists will disengage and wait for the director to
resume the bout. At the director’s instruction, the saberists will return to the center of the ring.
The director will then give the commands to begin again (saberist’s ready? – Fight).

If a saberist has lost his weapon, score your point and step back from the encounter. Becoming
disarmed does not cause a hold or reset a bout. If you have lost your weapon, remember that
punching, kicking, striking and grappling of any kind are not allowed, however dodging strikes
and attempting to recover your saber is allowed.

Once the bout has ended, the director will ask the saberists to meet at the center again and
once more acknowledge one another, followed by asking them to acknowledge the judges and
the table before leaving the ring. Failure to do so will result in a breach of conduct (yellow
card level) and may result in forfeiture of the bout, even if you were just declared the winner.
The director will then announce the final call of the bout and prepare the ring for the next
round (this includes but is not limited to, making sure the scores are recorded by the table staff,
brackets are advanced, saberists announced etc.).

Tournament Bout Rules

The organizer of any The Saber Legion dueling / sparring event will be expected to arrange
EMT services to be available within minutes should an injury occur to any participant.
The Saber Legion (TSL) is a Full Contact Custom Saber dueling community. Because of the dangerous nature of full contact saber
combat ALL participants must waive any and all injury liability against TSL, its members and any locations used for TSL events. 3
Persons under the age of 18 must have expressed consent from their parent(s) or legal guardian(s).
Official tournament bouts are defined as a single bout between 2 members of The Saber Legion
that have read, signed and filed the Club Guidelines and Hold Harmless Agreement with the
club owners. No other participants are allowed nor endorsed by The Saber Legion to
participate at The Saber Legion events of any kind.

Tournament bouts will have a time limit of 5 minutes each (total run time, not bout time).
Tournament bouts will end when a participant reaches 10 points or the timer expires,
whichever occurs first.

Ring size for a standard saber event is 25’ x 25’. (If the size of the event space cannot
accommodate this, then in a pinch a 20’ x 20’ ring can be used and a ring out call will only
occur if both feet of any saberist are outside the smaller ring). The ring for exotic matches,
when long weapons are allowed, will be 30’ x 30’ and the participants should start 20’ apart.

Whenever a point is scored a "hold" will be called, a hold is defined as a stop in the action for
points to be scored. Participants will disengage but remain in their positions in the arena and
will resume at the director’s command. The clock will not stop during a hold.

Combatants will “reset” and switch starting positions once the first participant reaches 5 points.
A reset is defined as both participants moving back to the center of the ring and resuming at
the director’s commands. A reset will always stop the clock when it is called.

In the event of a tie there will be a sudden death point to determine the winner with a 60
second time limit. If no attempt to score is observed for 30 seconds during the sudden death
round, then a hold will be called and both combatants will be eliminated.

Upon the director’s call (hold/point), line judges will look down and then show a flag to verify
points scored. The director will then verify with the line judges, if need be, and confer the final
score to the table. The director has final say in ALL scoring decisions regardless of what the
line judges or the saberists have seen.

The Saber Legion (TSL) is a Full Contact Custom Saber dueling community. Because of the dangerous nature of full contact saber
combat ALL participants must waive any and all injury liability against TSL, its members and any locations used for TSL events. 4
Persons under the age of 18 must have expressed consent from their parent(s) or legal guardian(s).
“After blows” (any hit scored after an initial point is already recognized) will NOT be scored,
1st contact always wins the point regardless of the point value of any target hit. Double Hits /
Ties (where both participants score a hit simultaneously) will not be scored for the first 2
occurrences in any single bout. Be advised that each Double Hit / Tie after the 2nd occurrence
will deduct a point from both saberists score. We want to create an environment where skill is
as important as speed and we want to see the saberists make smart scoring attempts not
sacrificial ones.

Takedowns, grappling, kicks, pommel strikes, and head-butts etc. are NOT allowed.

All combatants will be expected to compete with skill and control.

Any combatant deemed to be a danger to others will be given a breach of conduct warning
(yellow card level). If further endangerment is observed the participant may be disqualified
from all bouts and may be ejected (a red card) from the event entirely based on the offence and
at the director’s discretion.
Combatants are expected to act professionally and respectfully to the officiating staff, all
participants, attendees and vendors.

Combatants are expected to follow the commands of the tournament staff at all times. Failure
to comply may result in disqualification from all bouts and the offender may be ejected from
the event entirely based on the offence and at the official’s discretion.

Violating any of the rules of conduct for a participant or attendee can and will result in:
 First Offence – a verbal warning (and points awarded if applicable)
 Second Offence – forfeiture of the current or next bout
 Third Offence – expulsion from the tournament and the remainder of the event

All participants are expected to compete with sportsmanship and self-control. No throwing
your gear, aggressive behavior, cursing, threats to another, etc. While it is okay to be upset if
you lose a bout or are the subject of a perceived “bad call”, we are all adults and will be
expected to use self-control and act accordingly. If the director of a bout or another event

The Saber Legion (TSL) is a Full Contact Custom Saber dueling community. Because of the dangerous nature of full contact saber
combat ALL participants must waive any and all injury liability against TSL, its members and any locations used for TSL events. 5
Persons under the age of 18 must have expressed consent from their parent(s) or legal guardian(s).
member (judge, tournament organizer, founder, etc.) observes behavior that is deemed as poor
sportsmanship or excessive behavior, you may be given a breach of conduct (yellow card level)
and or immediately asked to leave the event (red card level) depending on the severity of the
offence. This is a ZERO TOLERANCE rule.

Protective Gear Requirements

The Saber Legion Tournament Level Sparring Gear Requirements apply to all tournament
bouts. As a reminder, the gear requirements excerpt from the Hold Harmless Agreement and
Club Guidelines document has been included.

All gear must be properly fitted on the saberist. No ill-fitting gear will be allowed to be worn
during the tournament. E.g. the gorget must be fitted properly to protect the saberist. One that
is too big will slam into the saberist’s throat causing impact damage to the area struck.
The Saber Legion (TSL) is a Full Contact Custom Saber dueling community. Because of the dangerous nature of full contact saber
combat ALL participants must waive any and all injury liability against TSL, its members and any locations used for TSL events. 6
Persons under the age of 18 must have expressed consent from their parent(s) or legal guardian(s).
Masks must be in good order (able to withstand an 80% power and speed blow while still
protecting the wearer from the strike). No dented masks will be allowed to be worn. If a mask
becomes dented during a bout it will fail the 80% test and must be retired. If a suitable
replacement cannot be found the bout will end. See the Injuries or Equipment Failure section
pertaining to the bout outcome.

Saber Requirements
All sabers must light up, all “clear“ blades must be diffused and all blade tips much be mirrored
(no shine through tips allowed). No clear blades without diffuser film or a blade diffuser will
be allowed. The “trans white” blades might be allowed with no diffuser or film upon
inspections if found to be “trans” enough to keep the led from shining through and possibly
being used to “blind” an opponent.

If during a bout your saber malfunctions and no longer lights up, you will be allowed to
continue the remainder of that bout but will be expected to have it repaired or replace your
weapon with another approved weapon before your next bout. If no replacement can be found
a forfeiture of your next bought may be called.

All saber hilts and blades must consist of approved parts from saber manufacturers. No pieces
may be taped to a hilt to extend or repair a hilt in any bracket. No “homemade” parts can be
used to create extensions as they have not been tested and may place participants in danger.
Most official saber manufacturers parts fall into the approved list area but if there are any
questions please contact The Saber Legion for a final decision. The decision of our weapons
inspector(s) is final no matter what saber part or piece is in question.

Standard Single Saber Requirements

 Any hilt with a single blade
 Max hilt length is 16" (measured from the end of the pommel to the start of the emitter)
 Absolutely no claws, sharp or hard edged protrusions allowed. This includes metal
quillions
 Hand guards max size is 3.5” in diameter in any direction and must adhere to the above
rules
The Saber Legion (TSL) is a Full Contact Custom Saber dueling community. Because of the dangerous nature of full contact saber
combat ALL participants must waive any and all injury liability against TSL, its members and any locations used for TSL events. 7
Persons under the age of 18 must have expressed consent from their parent(s) or legal guardian(s).
  Max total saber length is 52" (measured while the blade is fully seated in the emitter)
 Heavy grade blades only
 No blade is to be shorter than 24” (measured while out of the emitter)
 Rounded tips only. No bullet or pointed tips allowed.
 All tips must be taped or heat shrink wrapped to reduce the risk of the tip coming off

Exotic Saber Requirements

 No blade length to be longer than 39” no matter what category the saber falls under
(measured fully seated in the emitter)
 Saber Pike (Any hilt longer than 16”, but not longer than 62”, with a single blade). Not
to be longer than 84” total length. No blades shorter than 22” (measured fully seated in
the emitter)
 Saber Staff (Any hilt, not to be longer than 40”, with 2 blades on opposite sides). Not to
be longer than 84” total length and no blade shorter than 22” (measured fully seated in
its emitter)
 Cross Guard Saber (Any saber hilt, not to be longer than 62”, with “PC quillions”). Total
blade length (including PC quillions) not to exceed 50” measured while all blades are
fully seated in their emitters. Minimum PC quillion length of 3” measured fully seated
in their emitters (even if you only have 3” PC quillions the maximum main blade length
will be 39” per point 1)
 Dual Wield (any 2 standard sabers wielded at the same time). Total blade length not to
exceed 50” measured fully seated in the emitters and no blade shorter than 8” fully
seated in the emitter (so if you have an 8” off hander then your main hander can only
be 39” per point 1)
 Heavy grade blades only
 Rounded tips only. No bullet or pointed tips allowed.
 All tips must be taped or heat shrink wrapped to reduce the risk of the tip coming off
 If there are other hilt requests, please submit your ideas to The Saber Legion for review
no later than 120 days prior to the event for which you wish to use the saber

Target Areas and Point Values

Thrust and Cut targets (Scoring with a thrust or a cut will reward the same score)
The Saber Legion (TSL) is a Full Contact Custom Saber dueling community. Because of the dangerous nature of full contact saber
combat ALL participants must waive any and all injury liability against TSL, its members and any locations used for TSL events. 8
Persons under the age of 18 must have expressed consent from their parent(s) or legal guardian(s).
  Front and Side of the Head – 1 points
 Body (Chest, Shoulders, Back, Ribs) – 1 point
 Arms (Upper arm, Elbow, Forearm, Wrist, Back or palm of the Hand) – 1 point
 Legs (Knee, Shin) – 1 point

Cut Targets only (Thrusts to these areas score 0 points and may result in a breach of conduct)
 Abdomen and lower back – 1 point
 Thighs – 1point

Invalid target areas and corresponding actions:

 Neck, Throat and Back of the Head – No points scored / possible Breach of Conduct
 Groin – No points scored / possible Breach of Conduct
 Ankles and or Feet – No points scored / possible Breach of Conduct
 Fingers and thumb – No points scored
 Hilt – No points scored
 Ring Outs – Creates a reset – 0 Points

While not mandatory it is considered a Mark of Honor to acknowledge each hit and / or
decline a point should you feel you have been given one you did not earn or earned but were
close to a breach of conduct (e.g. hitting too hard, fighting wild, or a shot to a non-scoring area
the judges missed). When declining, or acknowledging a point do not argue with the director
as the director’s decision is always final. It is the director’s job to sort out all final point scoring
and timing.

Breach of conduct definitions and penalties

Accidental Contact of Non-Target Areas:
 1st Breach of Conduct: Verbal Warning – Bout Hold. Touches Called. Warnings given.
(verbal warning is to be registered with the staff table)
 2nd Breach of Conduct: Yellow Card – Bout Hold. Point Given to Opponent
 3rd Breach of Conduct: Red Card – Forfeiture of the bout

Intentional Contact of Non-Target Areas:

The Saber Legion (TSL) is a Full Contact Custom Saber dueling community. Because of the dangerous nature of full contact saber
combat ALL participants must waive any and all injury liability against TSL, its members and any locations used for TSL events. 9
Persons under the age of 18 must have expressed consent from their parent(s) or legal guardian(s).
  1st Breach of Conduct: Yellow Card – Bout Hold. Point Given to Opponent
 2nd Breach of Conduct: Red Card – Forfeiture of the bout

Fighting “wild”, with no control or with excessive force

 1st Breach of Conduct: Yellow Card – Bout Hold. Point Given to Opponent
 2nd Breach of Conduct: Red Card – Forfeiture of the bout

Injuries or Equipment Failures

If an injury occurs, or any equipment fails, the injured participant, owner of the damaged
equipment, any judge or saberist must call for a reset of the bout (this will stop the clock).
The injury or equipment must be inspected and cleared by the director to continue before the
bout can resume. If the injury is too severe or the equipment cannot be repaired or replaced by
an approved piece of equipment the bout will be called.

The winner of the bout will be the leader in points.

If the injured saberist or the saberist with the failed equipment cannot continue, and was the
winner by points, and the injury or equipment failure deemed an accident then the losing
saberist will continue to the next round.

If the Injury or equipment failure is deemed to be perpetrated purposefully then the

perpetrator of the injury or equipment failure will forfeit all bouts and may be ejected from the
event entirely depending on the severity of the infraction.

Time definitions
Once the center judge has called the saberists to the center and started the bout the 5-minute
timer will begin. The timer will not be stopped for any reason except the following.

 When the 5-point reset is called, the timer will be stopped until the saberists are called
by the center judge to begin again.

The Saber Legion (TSL) is a Full Contact Custom Saber dueling community. Because of the dangerous nature of full contact saber
combat ALL participants must waive any and all injury liability against TSL, its members and any locations used for TSL events. 10
Persons under the age of 18 must have expressed consent from their parent(s) or legal guardian(s).
  When a saberist steps outside the ring barrier, the director or line judge on that side
will call for a reset and stop the clock.
 In the case of an injury or equipment failure, the timer will be stopped. If needed the
center judge will call for a reset to center, otherwise the bought will be started again
from the position the reset was called, at which point the timer will be restarted.

Judging Overview
During official The Saber Legion bouts 1 director, 4 line judges, 1 score keeper and 1 time
keeper will be used for each “ring”. All 7 participants fall under the Judge umbrella even
though each has distinct duties. Below is a quick overview of each judge’s duties followed by a
more in depth explanation of the process and duties below.

Director Duties
 At the start of each match verify with each judge to make sure they have completed
their pre-bout duties and are ready for the match to begin
 Will call the saberists into the ring and direct the saberists actions for the remainder of
the bout
 Will verify each point with the line judges (visually or verbally if there are
discrepancies)
 Will direct the saberists actions at the end of the bout
 Announce the final winner of the bout
 Will verify with the table judges all data has been recorded and advanced correctly

Line Judge Duties

 Pre-bout, Line Judges will give both saberists gear (and saber) a final check (verify they
have all equipment required and it is in good working order)
 Score points fairly during the bout
 Follow the Directors instructions and answer Director queries
 Assist with any gear malfunctions as needed

Table Judge Duties

 Pre-bout, Table Judges will verify the scorecards and the timer have been reset
The Saber Legion (TSL) is a Full Contact Custom Saber dueling community. Because of the dangerous nature of full contact saber
combat ALL participants must waive any and all injury liability against TSL, its members and any locations used for TSL events. 11
Persons under the age of 18 must have expressed consent from their parent(s) or legal guardian(s).
  Pre-bout, Table Judges announce the current saberists to their ring, the Saberists “in the
hole” for their ring, and the saberists “preparing to arm” for their ring
 Advance all scorecards and start and stop the timer per the director’s instructions
 Record all final times and scores to each saberists “stat card” and the event stat tracker if
necessary. Advance both saberists to the appropriate bracket position and reset the
timer and scorecards for the next bout

Judging Expectations
All Judges will be expected to follow all the codes of conduct for saberists as well as the
following additions. All judges will be expected to be at their rings on time to begin any event
or after any breaks taken during an event. No additional breaks will be given apart from the
breaks already given at the event. If an event is long enough that a break for lunch or
bathroom is given, judges are expected to be held to the same time constraints as the saberists.

Judges will be expected to be fair and impartial in their scoring.

Line judges will be responsible for giving the saberists gear a final inspection while the
saberists are still outside the ring. Line judges will check to make sure all pieces of required
equipment are in place and the saber is in working order. While this is happening, the director
will verify the ring is ready for the next bout (Make sure the brackets were properly advanced.
Check that the table judges have recorded points scored and final bout times. Check that the
scorecards and timer have been rest. Allow time for the table judges to announce the saberists
in the next bout, the saberists “in the hole” and the saberists who are “preparing to arm”).

Line judges will then take one side of the ring and remain on that “line” of the ring for the
remainder of the bout. Line judges may move back and forth along their designated side, to
keep the best view of the action possible, but do not move to any other side of the ring during
any bout.

The director will invite the saberists into the ring once they have confirmed the line judges
have inspected the saberists equipment. The director will then instruct the saberists to
acknowledge the table and take their places. The director will then instruct the saberists to
The Saber Legion (TSL) is a Full Contact Custom Saber dueling community. Because of the dangerous nature of full contact saber
combat ALL participants must waive any and all injury liability against TSL, its members and any locations used for TSL events. 12
Persons under the age of 18 must have expressed consent from their parent(s) or legal guardian(s).
acknowledge one another and begin the bout by asking if the saberists are ready. Once he
receives confirmation, the director will begin the bout with the word “Fight”.

At each scoring exchange the director will call a hold to assess what has occurred. The line
judges are to lower their eyes to the floor and will be expected to call the points they saw by
raising the corresponding flag. If you did not see any points scored, or are not certain of what
you saw, do not raise a flag (you will not see every exchange clearly that is why we have 5
judges). The director may confirm points landed with any line judges that have scored a point
or call no points scored. When points are being confirmed the director will ask for line judge
input if specifics are needed. All line judges answer the director with confidence. Call what
you saw. Remember the director has final say in the scoring and it may differ from what you
saw as a line judge. Once the director reaches a decision he will address the table with the
official call. He will then ask if the saberist are ready and begin the bout again with the word
“Fight”.

The scorekeeper will advance the scorecards to reflect the final call. When the first saberist of a
bout reaches 5 points (or more) the scorekeeper will inform the director that a 5-point reset is
needed. Saberists will exchange starting places in the ring, thus allowing a different set of line
judges to review the action.

The timekeeper will stop the clock any time a reset is called for any reason.

The director will then reset the saberists, (having them switch starting positions if the reset was
called for reaching 5 points), and begin the bout again.

As soon as the director begins the bout (whether at the start of the bout or after any reset) the
time keeper will start the timer at the word “Fight” and stop the timer at the word “reset”.

At 4 minutes (or 60 seconds left in a bout) the timekeeper will announce there is 60 seconds
left to the saberists and judges. At 15 seconds left (or 4:45) he will announce 15 seconds
remaining and at the 5:00 mark he will announce the bout is over with time expired.

The Saber Legion (TSL) is a Full Contact Custom Saber dueling community. Because of the dangerous nature of full contact saber
combat ALL participants must waive any and all injury liability against TSL, its members and any locations used for TSL events. 13
Persons under the age of 18 must have expressed consent from their parent(s) or legal guardian(s).
Once a saberist reaches 10 points or time expires, the director will announce the official
winner of the bout (unless sudden death is needed in case of a tie. See sudden death rules
explained earlier in this document).

The scorekeeper will then record the final score and the timekeeper will record the bout time.
The table judges will update the brackets, reset the score cards, announce which saberists are
next, which saberists are “on deck” and which saberists should be “preparing to arm” (getting
ready).

The Saber Legion (TSL) is a Full Contact Custom Saber dueling community. Because of the dangerous nature of full contact saber
combat ALL participants must waive any and all injury liability against TSL, its members and any locations used for TSL events. 14
Persons under the age of 18 must have expressed consent from their parent(s) or legal guardian(s).