Foxycombat: Marlies

By 2020, Foxycombat Marlies had chapters in nine countries. Annual tournaments like the drew hundreds of participants. Yet Marlies refused to commercialize. No sponsors. No streaming rights. The only prize for winning was a hand-painted wooden fox mask made by Marlies herself. The Schism and the Legacy In 2023, tensions arose. A splinter group, calling themselves “Tactical Hounds,” wanted to strip the aesthetic rules and add heavy armor and electronic hit counters. Marlies vetoed the change. The split was amicable but definitive. The Hounds became a separate, more conventional tactical sport, while Marlies doubled down on the original vision.

“The wolf fights for the pack. The fox fights for the fun of the chase. Be the fox.” Foxycombat Marlies

Today, refers both to the woman and the movement. Marlies van der Berg retired from active competition in late 2024, but she now runs a small workshop teaching “urban zoological tactics”—using principles of animal evasion and ambush in self-defense and team strategy. By 2020, Foxycombat Marlies had chapters in nine countries