BASICS
PLAY AREA
The standard Lightspeed Saber play area is a 30x15 foot rectangle. Rectangles are the standard arena shape for all Lightspeed Saber matches. This shape provides room for powerful actions, side-stepping, and an enjoyable and easy viewing experience for the audience and referees.
WEAPON DIMENSIONS
The weapons are designed to be balanced against each other so that they may coexist in the same competitive environment. Each has slightly different rules governing their behavior.
TARGETING
Most of the body, as well as the weapon and any clothing worn, is a legal target area.
The feet and groin are illegal targets, regardless of gender or protection worn.
SCORING
Lightspeed Saber uses an asymmetric scoring system. This means that points are earned based on multiple factors, such as accuracy, bladework, target, speed, and timing. This gives us the ideal combination of good combat principles, technique, and intensity.
To score in Lightspeed fencing, you must clearly be the first to land a touch in the encounter. From there, there are four scoring types that can be rewarded:
This indirect Clean Contact is worth only 1 point instead of 3. Only direct hits are worth their full value.
REDUCTIONS
A fencer under attack may attempt to block the attack or otherwise reduce its value. If the defender is struck but at least partly blocked the attack, then the value of that attack is reduced to one. This is called an Indirect Hit.
For an attack to be considered indirect, the block must have made contact with the attacking blade before or at the same time that the attack landed on target. Otherwise, if the attack landed before the block arrived, then the attack is considered direct and is eligible to be awarded its full value.
VIDEO EXAMPLES
How to watch these videos:
All hits and blade interactions are marked for you.
⚔️ denotes blade to blade contact. It often indicates a defensive movement, but not always.
💥 denotes a touch to target.
Additional context is provided in parantheses for your information, but these does not change anything about the scoring.
It may help to watch these with sound.
Hit 1st anywhere but the head to get one point.
Hit 1st anywhere after blocking to get 5 points. You can also hit, then block the followup. This is called a “Pre-Counter”.
Hit 1st anywhere on the mask (including the bib) to get 3 points.
Hit the body without getting hit back to get 3 points. This includes Intercepts, where the followup lands but is considered out of play.
Only direct hits are worth their full value, so Cleans, Headshots, and Counterattacks will drop to 1 if they don’t land accurately.
Note that the exact definition of an indirect hit, as described in the rulebook, is an attack that lands on target after or while also making contact with the opponent’s blade. This means that an intentional block from the defender is not required if the attacker’s attack is sloppy enough. See video.
