Events Overview

Although Longpoint offers top-notch classes, it has gained a reputation as a competitive event. We attract top fencers from all over North America and Europe, and we work to keep the competitive drive at the event high. We balance this intensity with a strong sense of community and involvement. Our staff are pulled out of our pool of fighters as volunteers and all of our attendees are encouraged to keep in mind that this is all still an experiment.

Over a few short years, we have introduced to the community an innovative rule set that was met with enthusiasm, a high pressure longsword cutting tournament to compliment this rule set's goals, and an event that tests competitors knowledge of our source material. In 2015, we converted our Open Synthetic Longsword tournament into the Rookie Training Tournament, changed the Invitational event into a pseudo-tournament for judging teams, and introduced the Passage at Arms invitational. For 2017, we are splitting up Open Steel Longsword into Longsword Tier A and Longsword Tier B. All of these endeavors continue to grow and evolve each year.

Download 2016's Longpoint Longsword competition rules here. View the overview video here. 2017's content will be posted soon.

What the Longpoint tournaments are…

  • A game. All tournaments are games. Tournament rules need to be developed and tested using methods very similar to those employed to design a gameplay system. Our expectations need to be balanced with what people will actually do, purposefully or not. If rules are set up to be exploited in positive ways, then gaming the rules is a good thing. Sadly, this also brings many of the limitations inherent in all games.
  • A pressure test for interpretations and skill. By rewarding specific styles of fighting without forbidding others, fencers seeking to improve or refine their training and interpretations of historical technique will be rewarded against fighters who might use a more basic, attribute-based style of fencing. By rewarding mechanics and solid interpretation, fencers might not feel comfortable relying on their successes in one arena in exclusion to others.
  • A feedback tool. Being judged by your peers is a benefit of a tournament atmosphere. Fighters receive reasonably accurate feedback as to how they are performing under a given set of rules, and they can choose to address that feedback back in training.
  • Focused on certain skill sets at the expense of others. No rule set currently in use can safely simulate all the eventualities and possibilities of a violent encounter with swords or other historical weaponry. LP events focus on certain aspects of historical fencing, and ultimately favor certain historical techniques over other equally legitimate historical techniques. We also acknowledge that—as a side effect—the rules may favor some historical sources, techniques, schools, or traditions over others.

What the Longpoint tournaments are not…

  • A simulation of a “real fight.” We are not trying to simulate real combat, single combat, a duel, a streetfight, the battlefield, or any other specific scenario. Each event and the rules for that event have been implemented not for the sake of “realism,” but either to promote certain behaviors and skill sets or for the sake of safety.

  • Historical. The LP events, excluding any historically based invitational, are a totally modern construct, based on game theory, but inspired by some historical conventions and ideas. We offer a staff-only Fechtschule style tournament for those that want competition which is more historical in nature.

  • The culmination of the art. This is a competition, meant to pressure test fighters and their interpretations, to demonstrate good technique, and to build camaraderie within the community.
  • Perfect. As noted above, all Longpoint staff, including the lead organizers, are uncompensated volunteers who do this out of love for HEMA and the accompanying community. Judging quality and administration, while meeting the highest standards in the community, will still be imperfect. This is all an experiment, all a work in progress. Bear with us, be patient, and have fun.


All Longpoint events are Bring Your Own Weapon unless otherwise noted.

2014 Medalists

Longpoint Triathlon
Champion/Gold: Sean Franklin, Blood & Iron Martial Arts, Canada
Silver: Dustin Reagan, Redlands Fencing Center, USA
Bronze: Bill Grandy, Virginia Academy of Fencing, USA

Team Event
Winners: Virginia Academy of Fencing, USA (head coach: Bill Grandy)

Open Steel Longsword
Gold: Axel Pettersson, GHFS, Sweden
Silver: Ben Strickling, Triangle Sword Guild, USA
Bronze: Sean Franklin, Blood & Iron Martial Arts, Canada
Honorable Mention: Richard Marsden, Dustin Reagan, Casper Andersen, Myles Cupp, Marcus Lewis
Technical Award: Ben Floyd, Krieg School, USA

Women’s Steel Longsword
Gold: Kiana Shurkin, Maryland Kunst des Fechtens, USA
Silver: Katy Kramlich, Wisconsin Historical Fencing Association, USA
Bronze: Amanda Trail, Iron Crown KDF, USA
Technical Award: Amanda Trail, Iron Crown KDF, USA

Fechtschule Invitational/Counted Blows Steel Longsword
Gold: Carl Ryrberg, Orebro HEMA, Sweden
Silver: Ben Floyd, Krieg School, USA
Bronze: Kyle Griswold, Phoenix Society for Historical Swordsmanship, USA

Open Synthetic Longsword
Gold: Peter Brusseau, Virginia Academy of Fencing, USA
Silver: Tyler “TJ” Tolton, Sword Guild of York, USA
Bronze: Brian Ames, MASHS, USA
Technical Award: Paulo Negro, Maryland Kunst des Fechtens, USA

Open Steel Messer
Gold: Axel Pettersson, GHFS, Sweden
Silver: Sean Franklin, Blood & Iron Martial Arts, Canada
Bronze: Doug Bahnick, Virginia Academy of Fencing, USA

Paired Technique Demonstration
Gold: Betsy Winslow & Josh Hawley, MEMAG, USA
Silver: Dustin Reagan & Casper Andersen, Redlands Fencing Center/Triangle Sword Guild, USA
Bronze: Steve Viani & Justin Apperson, NYHFA/Sword Class NYC

Single Stick
Gold: Lee Smith, Blood and Iron Martial Arts, Canada
Silver: Axel Pettersson, GHFS, Sweden
Bronze: Jake Norwood, Capital Kunst des Fechtens, USA

Longsword Cutting
Gold: Tristan Zukowski, New York Historical Fencing Association/Sword Class NYC, USA
Silver: Ben Hawkins, Academy of Historical Arts, Scotland
Bronze: Bill Grandy, Virginia Academy of Fencing, USA

Ringen: Light Weight
Gold: Mikael Widegren, GHFS, Sweden
Silver: Dustin Reagan, Redlands Fencing Center, USA
Bronze: Bill Grandy, Virginia Academy of Fencing, USA

Ringen: Welterweight
Gold: Doug Bahnick, Virginia Academy of Fencing, USA
Silver: Casper Andersen, Triangle Sword Guild, USA
Bronze: Steven Hirsch, Athena School of Arms, USA

Ringen: Middle Weight
Gold: Jerry Toussaint, Wu Tan, Canada
Silver: Sam Street, Schwert am Schwert, USA
Bronze: Kevin Comer, Virginia Academy of Fencing, USA

Ringen: Open/Heavyweight
Gold: Sean Franklin, Blood & Iron Martial Arts, Canada
Silver: Hank McLemore, Virginia Academy of Fencing, USA
Bronze: Keith Cotter Reilly, Atlanta Freifechter, USA