When an unhelmeted fighter confronts a helmeted opponent, they may not strike the helmeted player to the head either. The helmeted player is not subject to a killing-target area that their opponent, by virtue of being unhelmeted, is not. If openly agreed to, participants may elect to spar or play full-contact wearing protective padding instead of replica armor. Although this form of padded fighting does not qualify as historical armor and is treated as if Unarmored for purposes of wounds and kills, it does allow for harder fighting and stronger blows. Minimal padding required is a helmet, knee and elbow pads, shin guards, and heavy gloves.
Advisable protection includes collar, upper arm, kidney and hip padding.
Suggested equipment for this is street hockey, martial arts and baseball gear, and home-made plastic armor. However, for realism and appearance, such modern padding or equipment should not be obvious. No face stabs are allowed unless helmets are fully encasing. The philosophy behind the HACA contact sparring system is that the less the rules, the more the fun. The more inclusive the fighting rules are, the less restrictive and idiosyncratic your fighting will be.