# Players' Guide to Fair and Safe Combat >*This rule set is not intended as strict guide to tournament match play. Instead it is a more concise guide on fair and safe game play for players wanting to take part in a Fight Night Combat tournament. For the official rules and definitions of terms used in this guide see [here](https://hackmd.io/Inp-vDWUQlGKNRRTDcik5A). ## Preamble Combat Juggling is a sport designed to be fun, fair, and safe for all jugglers who want to play. These rules aim to create an inclusive environment that minimizes the risk of injury. Players are expected to know their limits and play with control at all times. Reckless or overly physical behavior will not be rewarded and may result in penalties or disqualification. ## 1. Between Points Begin juggling on one side / corner of the arena. You should not claim a dominant position in the middle of the arena from the very start. Once you begin juggling, acknowledge to your opponent you are ready to begin playing and await a response before starting to move or attack. If you or your opponent scores a point, you should begin juggling again as soon you are both ready, with the aim to begin in under 25 seconds. You don't need to wait for the announcer to tell you to begin. ## 2. Winning a Point At the end of a successful attack, your aim is not to be the last player to drop, but instead to be the only remaining player with full control over a three club juggling pattern. That means to win a point you need to be the last player with a controlled three club pattern and collect your clubs in a clean finish. For the ease of deciding whether you deserve to be awarded the point or not, please keep your three club pattern going for at least 6 throws and catches after your opponent is out of the round. ## 3. When Making an Attack Aim for your opponent's clubs, not their hands, arms or body. If you attack a club close to your opponent's hand, aim for the body of the club to avoid accidentally hitting their fingers. If you attempt to attack an opponent's pattern and miss, do not let your club carry on its swing into the body of your opponent.. Any attack aimed towards the head of your opponent is forbidden. If a player is behind you, and you can't see them, don't swing your arm backwards at their head height. Accidents happen, but if you harm your opponent due to a wild or blind attack, especially on their hands or head, you may be penalized with a loss of points or worse. Do not grab, grapple, pull or push your opponent's hands, arms or body. Only their clubs. No bodychecks or bumping into your opponent's body with your own. This includes being aware of your opponent's position when going for a high-thrown club to catch or attack it, smashing into your opponent unintentionally is also forbidden. Except when they move into your path to block you. Be especially aware of this when your opponent is smaller or lighter than you. Attacking from behind is allowed and generally not considered unsporting behaviour in 1v1 combat. ## 4. When You've Been Successfully Attacked If your club is attacked by your opponent and it flies out of your reach, beyond any possible chance of you catching it again, you are considered out of the round, even if your attacked club has not yet hit the floor. From the moment you are out of the round on you must not intentionally disturb your opponent's clubs or pattern in any way: - Do not try to grab any of their clubs. - Try to not to move into their path. - Let go of any club of theirs you maybe holding. - If one of their clubs is trapped somewhere, don't pull on it. Instead try to untangle the club without disturbing the rest of their pattern or other clubs. Intentionally disrupting your opponent's pattern after they have successfully attacked your club, or you are otherwise out of the round, will result in a warning followed by further penalties. Additionally, they may be awarded the point anyway if they clearly would have been able to continue their pattern for 6 more throws and catches without your deliberate disruption. ## 5. Stealing an Opponent's Club Stealing a opponent's club must be a conscious decision. This can't be decided for you by your opponent successfully attacking one of your clubs, nor by you otherwise dropping a club. You must make a successful catch of an opponent's club before any of your own clubs hit the floor. If you weren't the last player to throw a specific club, and you find yourself with only two clubs and your third already dropped or is out of the round, don't try to catch that club. A club in the air belongs to the pattern of the last player to throw it. Except when the player that has last thrown the club has discarded it for a club steal. If both you and your opponent end up catching the same club out of the air at the same time, and you both continue to juggle your remaining two clubs in the other hand, the disputed club is considered to be in the pattern of whoever carries on and manages to throw that club next. If a club is already in your opponent's hand, and you try to steal that club from their hand, but you don't manage to have sole control over the club before your own club hits the floor, you are out of round and have to let go of the club. Juggling two clubs in one hand while trying to steal an opponent's club after your own club has hit the floor is not allowed. ## 6. Fumbles and Recoveries During the point, you must aim to keep three clubs in a steady juggling pattern. If you fumble and make a recovery, you must do so in a way that continues a three club pattern. This generally means at least one club in the air at all times. As a juggler, you will probably be able to feel if you have stopped juggling three clubs. But more specifically: While holding two clubs, you are allowed to hit the third club back into the air. The one or two points of contact must be moving upwards when hitting the descending club. These points of contact may include the back of a hand, an elbow, a foot, both clubs in the hands, one club and one arm, a club or arm while the falling club also bounces off of a head or shoulder, etc. While holding two clubs, performing a single scooping motion to redirect the third club upwards is only allowed if there is a single point of contact with the redirected club. While holding two clubs, performing any catching and throwing motion, or scooping motion, to redirect third club upwards with more than one point of contact is not allowed (no catching then throwing a horizontal club with the forearms or pair of clubs, no kickups, etc). Any form of holding or stopping the third club's motion is also not allowed (no traps, no holds, no grabs, no catches, no balancing, etc). If your own club bounces or rolls off your own body by accident, it is still in your pattern. If your club bounces or rolls off your opponent's body by accident, it is also still in your pattern. Your club is only considered stolen if your opponent is the last person to catch, to hold, or to trap your club (more than one point of contact) without any continuing or remaining contact with you. ## 7. Damaged and Broken Clubs If a club breaks (parts of the club came loose) during an attack but you manage to juggle (parts of) at least 3 different clubs you are not out of the round even if you have just the knob left from one of your clubs. But if a broken club leads you to drop (all parts of) a club you are out of the round and your opponent can make a point. If you realise that one of your clubs is damaged (cracked or the rod inside the club snapped) or broken between attacks you must call a time-out and replace the broken club. Attacking with to much force, leading to broken clubs is considered a foul. ## 8. Fair Play If your opponent makes an unforced error, dropping before they have attempted to attack you and you have attempted to attack them, it's considered fair play to not accept the point. If your opponent makes an unforced error after either they have attacked you or you have attacked them, feel free to take the point without shame. Especially if: - you are behind in the score - you are playing a higher ranked opponent - there have already been many times where both you and your opponent dropped and the match is otherwise taking a long time If you strike your opponent in a way that causes them obvious harm or pain, and you are the one to blame (after a blind or wild attack, overly physical play, etc), leading your opponent to drop, or even after they have dropped, it is likely you won't be awarded your point. To avoid further penalties, it is best to admit responsibility and not try to claim the point. If your opponent has hit your fingers or hand with their club causing you to drop you can call this out and at the referee's discretion your opponent won't be awarded the point. Likewise you can complain when such a hit does not lead to a drop but causes you physical harm. ## 9. Warnings and Penalties As a player, you should expect a warning or penalty for the following fouls, listed below in order of severity. Each is generally only considered a foul if it is a consequence of intentional action or unsafe play: - General unsporting behavior. - Attacking held clubs - Attacks that hit the opponent's hands or arms. - Disrupting an opponent's pattern when already out of the point. - Attacks that hit the opponent's body. - Attacking with the body against the opponent's body. - Attacks that hit the opponent's face, head or neck. Penalties include: - Warnings - Not being awarded a point. - A point deducted from your score. - A point deducted from your score and a point being awarded to your opponent. - Forfeiting the match.