Getting
Started in SCA Combat
NOTE: The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and may not
reflect the policies of the Society for Creative Anachronism, its members
or its affiliated organizations, or anyone else on the damn planet. Those
with opposing viewpoints are invited to write their own bloody articles, or
else buggar off.
Why fight? Shouldn't we all be trying to live together in peace
and harmony? Why would you want to put on a heavy and
uncomfortable quilted coat, cover it with heavy and restrictive
plates, put on a steel helmet that restricts your breathing and
vision, go out in the hot August sun and engage in furious physical
activity while trying to smite thy brother and sister on the head with
a stick? WHY?
`CAUSE IT'S GREAT FUN, THAT'S WHY! Come on, get with the
program here.
Seriously, please take note of this:
Whatever your reasons for wanting to fight, if you're not having fun
you should not be doing it.
Take note of this, as well; no one expects you to fight. Gentlemen, no
one will think the less of you if you choose not to become an SCA
fighter. Ladies, you don't have anything to prove either, and there
are easier ways to meet men; (1) but by the same token, don't be
discouraged by the fact that medieval women didn't (generally) fight,
and if you think you might like to give it a try, by all means do so.
The SCA is more than a bunch of people in armor hitting each other
with sticks. We've got so many different things going on that I
haven't the space to list them all here. Talk to people, find out what
they're doing besides fighting, and if something sounds interesting
try it yourself.
And if you're still interested in fighting, read on.
What is SCA combat? Is it a martial art? Is it a competitive
sport? Is it a recreation of medieval combat? Is it a large
lump of sentient green putty from another galaxy stranded in Tulsa,
Oklahoma over labor day weekend?
Well, in a way it's all of the above (well, okay, not the putty thing)
and in a way it isn't any of them. Is that cryptic enough for you?
SCA combat is a martial art, though not a formal one. We have no
system of progressive awards, such as the belts used in oriental
martial arts, indicating levels of mastery. This can be confusing,
since squires wear red belts and knights wear white ones. Remember
that a squires' red belt indicates his or her service to a knight and
conveys no rank; and that while mastery of arms is a requirement of
knighthood it is by no means the only requirement, and possibly not
the most important one. More on that later.
Like other martial arts, SCA combat is to some extent a competitive
sport, but with an important differenceour concept of personal honor
and chivalry. When you're fighting in the list, you're not trying to
impress the judges at ringside. (Although some judged tourneys have
been experimented with.) The marshal in the list with you is not a
referee, although he can be called upon to act as one. When you
receive a blow that feels "good" to you (don't worry, you'll learn the
difference) you are honor-bound to call it good. And the same applies
to your opponent. Often you'll find one fighter in a contest insisting
that the blow they just received was a good one, while the fighter who
threw that blow insists that it wasn't.
When was the last time you saw Isaiah Thomas get up and say, "No, ref,
he didn't foul me, I just slipped and fell." Get real.
Another important difference. We, as individuals, do not fight for our
own glory or advancement; we do not fight for our own honor, but for
that of another, the lady or lord who inspires us to fight as their
champion. And yes, I'm being serious.
Chivalry is an ideal that everyone in the SCA is expected to try and
live up to, fighters and non-fighters alike. The ideal of chivalry
requires that one give courtesy to all, aid to the distressed, defense
to the weak, and to inspire chivalry in others by example. No kidding;
I mean it. Remember that to become a knight, it's not enough to excel
in the combative arts; one must stand as an example of chivalry,
courtesy, courage, and honor. Listen to their oath of fealty sometime.
We are recreating medieval combat, or at least an ideal of medieval
tournament combat with a strong emphasis on safety. If some realism
must be sacrificed in the name of safety, so be it; late period
tourneys made many of the same sacrifices for the same reasons. Safety
is period.
Sticks and foam can break your bones, so you might want to wear
a bit of armor here and there. It's the law, you know,
punishable by six months in traction and a whopping great hospital
bill.
So here's what you're required to wear by way of protection (This is
from the Rules of the List and Conventions of Combat, which you must
read for yourself just the same.)
o A steel helmet. This is the only piece of your armor that's
required to be made of steel, at least sixteen gauge or thicker.
o Elbows and knees. Rigid material that extends past the pivot
point of the joint on both sides.
o Kidneys. Rigid material over at least a quarter inch of padding.
(A padded weight lifter's belt is minimum.)
o Groin. An athletic cup or its equivalent.
o Throat and upper vertebrae. Rigid material over at least a
half-inch of padding, OR a skirt of heavy material (leather,
chainmail, heavy cloth, etc.) that hangs down from your helmet.
o Hands and wrists. Rigid material over padding. A hockey glove is
the minimum. (3) NOTE: Your sword and shield can be built is such
a way as to make additional protection unnecessary.
o Women: Chest Protection. Rigid material that fully covers your
chest. Not required for men.
o Shoes. They go on your feet.
If you're wearing all of this stuff, then you're armored enough to
fight. If that's all the armor you're fighting in, you're out of your
tiny little mind, and you're about to discover the true meaning of
pain. Let me suggest a few items you might want to add.
o Gambeson. A padded garment worn under armor.
o Thighs. Rigid material.
o Hip joint. Rigid material.
o Forearms. Rigid material over a little padding.
o Shoulders. Rigid material.
o Short ribs. Whatever covers your kidneys should extend around to
cover your short ribs.
o Boots instead of shoes, preferably with steel toes.
o Men: Chest protection. Not as important as it is for women, but
still a good idea.
If you're wearing everything I've got listed now, then you're armored
to what this Viking considers minimum standards.
"And just where am I supposed to get all that junk?" I knew you were
going to ask me that. For training, the shire owns enough armor for a
couple of people at a time, so to start out you'll just need to show
up at a fighting practice; however, there's a rule against using the
shire armor to authorize in. This rule is intended to see to it that
you have your own armor to fight in, and that the shire armor doesn't
become someone's personal armor.
You can buy armor (if you can afford it; a basic set could run you
about $400 mail order) or you can make it yourself. It isn't as hard
to make as you might think. There are a number of sources for
information on armoring for the beginner, so I won't go into that
subject here (I've listed a few sources for you in the appendix). A
lot of us around here have made armor, and are free with advice.
And let us not overlook the value of scrounging. If you ask around,
you may find people that have spare bits of armor they'll sell you
cheap, loan you, or even give you. Some athletic equipment can be
modified for use as armor, particularly hockey equipment.
You're going to need one more thinga copy of the Rules of the List and
Conventions of Combat as mentioned above. Before you'll be allowed to
authorize, you'll be asked if you've read and understood them; if you
don't say yes, you don't fight. Your Knights Marshal should have a
copy you can read.
A bit of advice for when you authorize. If you're armor is ugly and/or
blatantly modern (all hockey gear and ABS plastic, for example, like
mine), cover it. It won't make you fight any better, but at least
you'll look like you know what you're doing.
Now let's accessorize that new outfit. Wouldn't a sword and
shield round out that ensemble nicely?
Don't get too eager to fight polearm or greatsword just yet. Your
first authorization must be sword-and-shield, so let's concentrate on
that for the time being.
For our purposes, a sword is a rattan stick. Rattan resembles a
hardwood, but it's actually a grass. It's available locally in nine
foot staves from Plymouth Reed and Cane in Plymouth (where else?). If
you ask around, you might find someone who has some to spare.
A sword for SCA combat may not be less than one and a quarter inches
thick at any point above the hilt. It may have either a cross hilt or
a basket hilt, but I recommend a basket hilt to start out with. (See
footnote 2 on page three.) Incidentally, a basket hilt is a good first
metalworking project, and will teach you most of the skills necessary
for more complex projects like a helmet.
In another chapter, I've given instructions for making a basket-hilted
sword. Instructions for making a crosshilt may be found in the Known
World Handbook, if you want them.
There two basic types of shield; round and "heater." (A heater is the
traditional flatiron-shaped shield.) Both are usually made of plywood.
Heaters are usually curved in a shield press, while most round shields
are flat. Which you use is mostly a matter of personal choice, but
there are a few things you should consider.
Round-shield is a more aggressive fighting style. It has to be. In
order to block incoming blows, a round shield must be moved farther
and faster than a heater. Heaters are easier to block with, but some
think that they're harder to learn to use, and that round-shield is an
easier style for the novice.
I disagree. I have yet to see anyone have real difficulty learning
heater style from the beginning. Heater is the style that fighters in
this area seem to prefer. Even among experienced fighters, however,
there is no clear consensus on which style is better. Remember that
the most effective style for you may not be the one that's easiest to
initially learn. (5)
I've included instructions for the construction of a heater shield in
another chapter. If you want to make a round shield, once again the
instructions can be found in the Known World Handbook. Just don't tell
me you're doing it.
There are other types of shield that you'll occasionally see in the
lists; among them are kites, coffin lids, Viking rounds, snowcones,
Wankels, barn doors, and very small round shields called bucklers.
None of them are really suitable for the novice.
As with armor, fighters will occasionally have extra swords and
shields that you can beg or borrow. Ask around.
Marshal Law. I've mentioned marshals already, but I've yet to
explain what it is that they do. Let's just see how much you
already know about them, shall we? Just take this little quiz.
A marshal is...
A) A man wearing a six-gun, a tin star, and a ten-gallon hat
B) The guy who played "Daktari" on TV (before you were born,
probably)
C) Someone who has been trained to supervise SCA combat and
combat-related activities
D) All of the above
The correct answer, of course, is D. A and B, however, are seldom
encountered in the SCA.
You can't have a tourney without a marshals, one of whom will be the
Marshal in Charge for that particular tourney. They are responsible
for order in the lists, and make sure that all rules and conventions
of combat are followed. They have the power to eject a fighter from
the lists, should that fighter's conduct make it necessary. Marshals
inspect armor and weapons before any fighting takes place, and can
(and will) reject any equipment they feel is unsafe. The
marshal-in-charge of an event can, on their own authority, withdraw
SCA sanction of an event. All in all, rather potent individuals.
Have no fear; the marshals are your friends! (6) Remember that the
marshals are there to keep you from getting hurt, and to keep you from
hurting someone else. To this end, each new fighter must go through an
authorization procedure before they will be allowed to fight in the
SCA. (That's what I'm trying to get you ready for, remember?)
Practice makes perfect. Now that you've equipped yourself for
combat, you're probably eager to go out and actually use that
stuff. So get your butt in gear and get to fighting practice!
You should seek out your local knights marshal, the person responsible
for organizing your group's combat-related activities, to find out
where and when fighting practices are held. And start showing up.
Don't expect to just jump right in and start bashing away at people;
take the time to learn a few fundamentals. Things like stance, shield
blocks, sword blocks, how to hold a sword, throw a blow, judge a blow,
move, breath, and so on. For some of these things, there may be only
one right way to do them but a lot of wrong ways. Remember,
we've been at this for twenty-five years now; we don't know
everything, but we have acquired a fair amount of knowledge regarding
things that work and things that don't. Take the time to learn to do
it right.
"How much training will I need to authorize?" The only answer I can
give to that is, "As much as you can get." Don't try to authorize
after your first fighting practice. Or your second. In fact, don't try
to authorize until the experienced fighters in your group, with whom
you've been training, think that you're ready.
I have seen people authorize successfully after almost no practiceyes,
it can be done. In spite of this, I firmly believe that it should not
have been done, and shouldn't be done. It's easy for a new fighter to
develop bad habits that a premature authorization can set in concrete.
The rationalization goes something like this: "They let me authorize,
so obviously I'm doing this right."
Wrong. Being authorized does not mean that you're doing it right, it
means that you're not doing it dangerously. There's a
difference. I'll say it again: Take the time to learn to do it right.
It's important for you to know that while natural strength, speed, and
athletic ability will certainly help, they will only carry you so far.
When you're tired and slow (and you will be) you're going to have to
rely on your technique to keep you alive. Innate ability without good
technique may let you progress quickly at first, but you'll peak
faster (and lower) than someone who has spent time developing their
technique.
When you are ready to authorize, have someone at practice run you
through a mock authorization. Trust me; knowing what to expect will
help you immeasurably when you try to do it for keeps.
One last bit of advice. Don't get discouraged if your progress seems
slow, or if you fail to authorize on your first attempt. Keep at it.
And have fun.
An armed Society is a polite Society, so here are a few tips
regarding SCA combat etiquette.
"...your most noble and worthy opponent," deserves your respect and
courtesy, just as you deserve theirs. Remember to be chivalrous at all
times.
Inevitably, there will be disagreements over blows. Talk to each
other. If your opponent doesn't take a blow that you thought was good,
don't be afraid to ask him about it. Discuss it (briefly) if
necessary, consult the marshal if you need to, but accept your
opponent's word for it if he or she doesn't' agree with you.
On the other hand, when your opponent questions your acceptance of a
blow, be honest. Think about what happened, listen to what your
opponent and the marshal have to say; and if there's a reasonable
doubt in your mind, take the blow.
"Pay heed to the marshal..." The marshal in the list with you isn't a
referee, but if their opinion is offered or asked for, listen to it.
No Whining! When you and your opponent walk off the list, it indicates
that both of you accept the outcome of the fight. Complaining about
the outcome afterwards doesn't do either of you any good; it's
discourteous to your opponent and demeaning to you (7). Trust your
opponent's honor, and see to it that they can trust yours. We are each
of us responsible for our own behavior. |