- Sword Form: Italian (basket) and Spanish (cup) rapiers are permitted. Thrusts through the basket hilt do not count.
- Length of the Crossguard: The length of the crossguard must be between 12 cm and 30 cm.
- Blades: Blunt blades, ranging from 95 cm to 130 cm in length (measured to the crossguard).
- Total Length: The total length of the weapon must not exceed 140 cm.
- Tip: Permitted tip shapes are spatulated or rolled with a minimum diameter of 1.5 cm. Rounded tips are not allowed. All tips must be fitted with a hard tip cap provided by us. Personal tip caps are not permitted.
- Weight: The total weight of the weapon must be between 0.9 kg and 1.3 kg.
- Bending Behavior: The blade must visibly bend under a test weight of 10 kg.
- Dagger Form: Daggers with max. 1 D-Ring and with or without a sail / basket (guard) are allowed. Blade catchers on the dagger blade are not permitted.
- Length of the Crossguard: The length of the crossguard must be between 8 cm and 30 cm.
- Blade Length: The length of the blade must not exceed 55 cm.
- Total Length: The total length of the weapon must not exceed 70 cm.
- Tip: Permitted tip shapes are spatulated or rolled with a minimum diameter of 1.5 cm. Rounded tips are not allowed. All tips must be fitted with a hard tip cap provided by us. Personal tip caps are not permitted.
- Weight: The total weight of the sidearm must be between 0.4 kg and 1.2 kg.
- Bending Behavior: The blade must visibly bend under a test weight of 15 kg.
- Blade length: The length of the blade must not exceed 105cm.
- Overall length: The overall length of the weapon must not exceed 140cm.
- Length of crossguard, rings, and knuckle bows: Crossguard length – The crossguard must be between 20 cm and 30 cm long. Other parrying elements (such as knuckle bows or rings) apart from the crossguard are not permitted.
The ends of the crossguard must not have any sharp points.
- Tip: Permitted tip shapes are spatulated or rolled with a minimum diameter of 1.5 cm. Rounded tips are not allowed. All tips must be fitted with a hard tip cap provided by us. Personal tip caps are not permitted.
- Weight: Total weight of the weapon must be between 1.2kg and 1.8kg.
- Bending behavior: The blade must visibly yield at an applied weight of 15kg.
- Shield: The shield must be rounded, injury to the opponent from possible spikes must be ruled out.
- Sword Form: Blades must have a clearly distinguishable edge, back, and flats. Weapons with a symmetrical, four-sided design (e.g., diamond-shaped cross-sections with no defined edge or flat) are not permitted.
- Blade length: The length of the blade must not exceed 90cm.
- Overall length: The total length of the weapon must not exceed 105cm.
- Length of the parrying element (parrying bar, parrying bow or basket): The projection in the direction of the true edge must be between 3cm and 12cm, the projection in the direction of the false edge must be between 3cm and 6cm.
- Tip: Permitted tip shapes are spatulated or rolled. Rounded tips are not allowed. All tips must be fitted with a hard tip cap provided by us. Personal tip caps are not permitted.
- Weight: The total weight of the weapon must be between 650g-850g.
- Bending behavior: The blade must visibly yield at an applied weight of 10 kg.
Our inspection process:
We want to make sure you don’t run into any unpleasant surprises at the Berlin HEMA Cup.
The following list is used by our weapon check team to inspect your gear.
You can test your equipment at home in advance to make sure it meets our inspection standards.
Requirements for personal protective equipment
Fencers must compete in fencing-appropriate sportswear that covers the entire body except for the hands and head (no visible bare skin). The wearing of jewelry, watches, etc. is prohibited.
The following protective equipment is required:
- Head protection – a fencing mask FIE standard level 2 with a stab resistance of at least 1600N, which protects against thrusts and blows.
- Rear head guard – a rear head guard made of a hard material that protects the back of the head and neck from blows.
- Neck guard – a neck guard made of a hard material that covers the entire larynx and protects the neck from impact.
- Upper body protection – We recommend jackets with a stab resistance of 800 N. A minimum of 350 N is allowed, but the jacket must be in good condition. The protection must cover the upper body from the hips (even with arms raised above the head) to the neck, as well as the arms down to the wrists, front and back, and must provide effective protection against both cuts and thrusts.
- Leg protection – leg guards made of a hard material that protects the knees and shins up to the ankle from blows, and a thigh guard with a stab resistance of at least 350N that protects the thighs from thrusts and blows.
- Hand protection (longsword and saber) – gloves made of a hard material that protect fingers and wrist from blows.
- Hand protection (rapier): Gloves made of a padded material that protects fingers and wrist from light blows. Also gloves made of a hard material that protect fingers and wrist from blows are allowed.
- Groin protection – a jockstrap made of a hard material that protects the genital area from blows. Depending on anatomical characteristics, a groin guard must be worn; recommended for everyone else.
- Chest protection – a chest protector made of a hard material that protects the upper body from blows and thrusts.
- Shoes – sports shoes that are appropriate for the respective surface and do not leave marks or traces on the hall floor.
- Forearm and elbow protection – A guard made of a hard material that protects the forearm and elbow joint on both arms from blows.
Any protective equipment that poses a danger to the opponent is prohibited. This includes: the use of protectors with sharp edges or pointed corners, potentially metal armor parts, and loose or damaged protectors or equipment.
Our inspection process:
We want your Berlin HEMA Cup experience to be smooth and stress-free.
Our equipment check uses the list below, so feel free to test your gear at home
and make sure it’s up to standard.