The World Cossack Fight Federation governs nine fighting styles across three contact levels — forms, limited contact and full contact. Below: the official competition rules, scoring system and permitted techniques.
Nine styles of Cossack Fight
Odnotan
Musical forms — traditional solo performance.
Tan Dvobiy
Self-defense technique demonstration.
Zabava
Point fighting — controlled contact.
Bornya 1
Classic light-contact.
Bornya 2
MMA Sanda light.
Bornya 3
MMA-Light.
Gerts 1
Classic full-contact.
Gerts 2
MMA Sanda full.
Gerts 3
MMA-Elite.
Scoring of technical actions
All styles share a unified scoring system for comparable results across competitions.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Punch | 1 |
| Kick to the body | 2 |
| Kick to the head | 3 |
| Sweep | 1 |
| Throw | 1 |
| Amplitude throw | 2 |
Zabava — point-fight
Zabava is a fight with controlled contact. After each successful attack the fight is stopped and the action is scored.
Limited fight with controlled contact.
Main fight with controlled contact.
Equipment
- Headgear with open chin
- 9-10 oz gloves (depending on age)
- Groin-guard cup
- Breast protector (for girls)
- Foot pads and shin guards
- Mouthpiece
- Hand bandage and tapes are optional
Legal techniques — Zabava
| # | Technique | Points | Z-2 | Z-1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Punches in the body and head | 1 | + | + |
| 2 | Kicks in the body | 2 | + | + |
| 3 | Kicks in the head | 3 | + | + |
| 4 | Sweep | 1 | + | + |
| 5 | Punches to head/body after throw with light contact, if opponent is on the ground | 1 | + | – |
| 6 | Submission holds without arm locks | + | – | |
| 7 | Throw — attacker goes into ground position | 1 | + | – |
| 8 | Throw — attacker remains standing | 2 | + | – |
| 9 | Low kick to outer thigh | 1 | + | – |
Illegal techniques — Zabava
- Any technique not listed above as legal
- Punches with open glove
- Strikes to the groin or their imitation
- Elbow and knee strikes
- Strikes to joints, spine, neck and throat
- Head-butts
- Biting, scratching, hair-pulling
- Pressing against the eyes
- Finger-locks and wrist-locks
- Striking a downed opponent in the head (in Z-1)
Bornya — light-contact
Bornya is fought at light contact (Bornya 1), MMA Sanda light (Bornya 2) or MMA-Light rules (Bornya 3). Throws, sweeps and ground control are permitted.
Equipment
- Headgear with open chin
- MMA-style open-finger gloves
- Groin-guard cup, breast protector for girls
- Shin guards and foot pads
- Mouthpiece
Legal techniques
- Punches to body and head
- Kicks to body and head, low kicks
- Sweeps and throws
- Submission holds, chokes (at Bornya 2-3)
- Ground-and-pound with controlled contact
Gerts — full-contact
Gerts is the classic full-contact discipline. Gerts 1 — stand-up only. Gerts 2 — MMA Sanda full. Gerts 3 — MMA-Elite with complete ground phase.
Equipment
- No headgear (Gerts 2-3) or open headgear (Gerts 1)
- MMA gloves 4-6 oz
- Mouthpiece, groin-guard
- Optional knee and elbow protection
Legal techniques
- All strikes with fists, feet, knees, elbows (Gerts 2-3)
- Full spectrum of throws, sweeps, clinch work
- All submissions including joint locks (Gerts 3)
- Ground-and-pound without restriction (Gerts 3)
Weight categories
Competitions are held across standard weight divisions for men, women and juniors.
-60 · -65 · -70 · -75 · -80 · -85 · -90 · +90 kg
-52 · -57 · -63 · -70 · +70 kg
-45 · -50 · -55 · -60 · -65 · -70 · +70 kg