Historical Medieval Battle
Historical medieval battle (HMB) is a set of rules of the HMBIA for the implementation of a full contact combat sport using historicizing weapon simulators and armor. The entire body is considered the hit zone and the blows are carried out unchecked. In addition to the offensive use of sword and shield, ring techniques and tackling are also allowed.
Historical Medieval Battle is a modern sporting approach to medieval tournaments, but must be differentiated from reenactment and living history , as the equipment and rules are generally only roughly based on historical sources. The competitions often take place as part of medieval markets or re-enactment events. The fights differ from exhibition fights or Codex Belli, another modern set of rules from the Middle Ages scene, in that these represent a sporting competition in full contact mode and are led by specially trained referees .
The principle of sport is on the one hand to create the most objective possible comparison of the abilities of the fighters. On the other hand, equipment, which is sometimes based on historical models, should be tested under the most realistic conditions possible. There is a comprehensive set of rules to enable comparability, and modern protectors should also be avoided.
history
Historical Medieval Battle goes back to developments in Russia , where the first fights with steel weapons took place in the late 1990s. At that time one usually used weapon simulators made of wood or latex, or one fought with steel simulators, although a greatly reduced hit zone and only slowed blows were permitted.
The first tournaments were held in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine , however the sport quickly spread across Europe. The first major international tournament, the Battle of the Nations, took place in Ukraine in 2010 with only four national teams. Since then, more and more nations have been enthusiastic about this new type of historical fighting, so that in 2012 12 nations took part.
Today, Historical Medieval Battle is practiced on all continents, although the number of participants still differs greatly from region to region.
organization
HMB is a trademark of the "Historical Medieval Battle International Association", an association registered in Switzerland. The current president of HMBIA is Anton Trubnikov.
Disciplines
In the Historical Medieval Battle there are different categories in which the athletes can compete. Basically, one can differentiate between individual and group fights.
Individual fights
Individual fights are often called "1 on 1" and can be divided into tournament fights and "professional fight".
Tournaments
This category is about hitting the opponent with the weapon simulator within the hit zone with a hard, unblocked blow. The winner is the one who has scored a certain number of hits first (usually ten) or who has scored the most hits after a certain time (2-3 minutes). There are different disciplines:
- "Sword and shield" (the fighters duel with one-handed sword and shield)
- "Sword and Buckler" (the fighters duel with sword and buckler)
- "Long sword" (the fighters duel with the long sword).
Often these disciplines are combined into a triathlon, a fight with three rounds and changing weapons, with the typical sequence being long sword, sword and buckler, sword and shield. In addition, if there is a tie after several rounds, fights only with sword and without shield can be used to determine the winner. There are also duels with atypical weapons such as axes , halberds or clubs . These are commonly grouped under the "non-standard" category.
Professional fight
In this category a fight lasts three rounds of 3 minutes, the aim is to show dominant fighting behavior in the fight. For this, the hits, with the mostly heavier weapons than in the tournament, are counted. In addition, takedowns and disarming the opponent are rewarded with particularly high scores.
Group fights
This category is a unique selling point of HMB, as it is one of the few martial arts in which competitions are carried out as a team sport at a high level. The principle remains the same regardless of the number of participants. The team that has the last participants standing on their feet on the field wins. Hits are not counted, whoever touches the ground with at least three parts of the body is eliminated. Since you have to bring the opponent to the ground as effectively as possible, polearms such as halberds or Lucerne hammers are often used. Also are tackling a common agent. The most common sizes are:
- "5 vs 5"
- "21 vs 21"
Regulations
There is an internationally recognized set of rules for HMB. This prohibits particularly dangerous techniques such as blows on the neck, choking and regulates the approval of weapons and armor in order to minimize the risk of injury for all participants. The first international set of rules was drawn up on the occasion of the "Battle of the Nations" World Cup and is now the standard set of rules worldwide in its updated form. Nevertheless, the rules can be adapted according to local customs or the needs of individual events.
Bibliography
- ^ Historical Medieval Battles. What is it? . Middle Ages Today. Archived from the original on December 4, 2012. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
- ^ Battle of the Nations - History of the festival and project "Battle of the Nations" . Battleofthenations.ua. Archived from the original on January 9, 2013. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
- ^ A b Sash Kernel: Battle of the Nations - Unified International Rules . Battleofthenations.ua. Archived from the original on January 7, 2013. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
