Combat rules

The following rules have been drawn up to provide you with the best possible fighting conditions, between realism and safety. Any breach of the following rules may be penalised. Remember that these are YOUR battles, so treat others as you would like them to treat you.

Stopping or pausing during a fight
Only the members of the organisation will have the right to stop the fights if they deem it necessary for whatever reason: endangering others, serious injury, failure to comply with the rules, etc...
They will have a whistle at their disposal, which means that no other participant will be allowed to use one during the bouts.
The only and most important rule is that at the slightest whistle, you must stop the confrontation immediately!

Fairplay : This concept covers respect for the opponent, the rules, the referee's decisions, potential spectators and the spirit of the game, as well as loyalty, self-control and dignity in victory and defeat.
There's nothing to win at Herja, it's not a competition. We're all here to take part in what promises to be epic battles!
That's why behaviour such as not counting keys, contesting decisions and all kinds of cheating are irrespectful towards the other participants, the organisation and the practice itself.
They have no place at HERJA, which aims to be an event that brings opponents together rather than a competition that divides enemies.

We owe it to ourselves to be respectful and exemplary fighters!
Any inappropriate or disrespectful behaviour (fighting, insults, deliberate injury, etc.), regardless of who it is directed at, will be punished immediately!
The organisers reserve the right to ban any participant from fighting for the remainder of the event, or to ban them from Herja altogether.
In the event of conflict, the members of the organisation will be on hand to find a calm and peaceful resolution.

Blows to the back of the neck are strictly forbidden.

If you find yourself on your opponent's back, target the buttocks rather than the spine. Remember this simple rule: It's better in the butt!

With the exception of jabs, all strikes must be pressed to be valid.

Picking with an axe, 1 or 2 hands, is valid whatever the protection!

For spears, only strikes with a jab will be counted as valid. The only exception is heavy spears held with 2 hands, which apply the same touch rules as 2-handed spears, but also those for swords.

If two opponents touch each other at the same time, both are considered dead. Only a counter-attack by the defender initiated at the same time as the attacker's strike will be validated. Play fair.

!!! NEW !!! Shield blows to the head are still allowed but must be done vertically or at a maximum angle of 45°, horizontal blows are now forbidden !

Falling to the ground is not considered fatal.

You can only throw your own throwing weapons or those of your allies. A throwing weapon can only be thrown once per battle.
It is permitted to pick up a weapon from the ground and use it (it must not be thrown away), subject to the owner's approval.

The impact of a projectile (javelin, arrow or stone) following a rebound does not count as a hit.

When you are dead, you must lie on the ground until the fighting is over. Remember to protect your body and head with your shield or, failing that, with your arms and hands.
It is forbidden to remove your fencing mask before the announcement of the end of the fights.

Wrestling is permitted during clashes.Chuter No shot may be fired without a weapon.Only a weapon can bring death in the fight phase.If one of the wrestlers loses his mask, the match must be stopped immediately.The two fighters immediately return to their ranks.
Confrontations in the CaC should be avoided and defused as quickly as possible. The Glima will be banned for this edition.