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Heavy World of the SCA
Before you start your training you need to understand what you're trying to accomplish. In the "Heavy World" of the SCA the goal, though ultimately to win, is to train in this martial art and advance to a competitive level. Different levels of training are recognized in most cases by the color of belt a fighter is wearing. The two main colors to look for when getting accustom to the SCA are White belts and Red belts. A white belt indicates a person who has proven themselves worthy of knighthood, most likely upon the fighting field but also through other acts of chivalry. A red belt, indicates a fighter in training, a squire. Each squire is trained by their knight both in the arts of battle and in the acts of chivalry. If your intentions are to one day become a knight, it is a good idea to start looking at the styles of knights near you. Perhaps you will find a match and your dreams of squire-hood will come true. Now becoming a squire is not as easy a 1-2-3, most knights choose to only teach a few fighters at a time due to time constraints and dedication to the game. Many knights request that their future squires spend some time with their household prior to squire-hood to see how involved you (the future squire) might be. Other knights require even more of their to-be members such as being named a man-at-arms, which means a trainee to squire. Men at arms are taught by all the house members and are in most cases required to advance through many training sessions before becoming a squire.
The SCA currently doesn't have a list of guidelines that are necessary in becoming a knight. The point of knighthood is not to follow a list of duties but rather to be a knightly person, in virtue and valor. Knighthood is reached by winning the praise of the knight's council. Each tourney season there are some events that are marked as crown level tournaments. These events typically are based around the championship fights for certain areas or styles of fighting. Such as; rapier champions tourney or protectors' tourney etc... At these Crown level events the knight's council meets to share their opinions on many SCA related topics including future knighthood. At the knights council each knight is given the opportunity to speak in regards to the pro's and con's of a future knight candidate. When the king and his council are convinced that the fighter(s) in question are worthy of knighthood it is decided upon and planned when and where the knighting ceremony is to be held.
Only a King can knight a member of the SCA, another knight can only request or suggest the applicant. So as you can see many times the quick road to knighthood can many times be long and weary. Some of the stops along the way may include: other more qualified fighters, personal virtue, fighting ability, Do enough of the knights know you or like you, and in any tourney season there are only so many crown level tournaments. Your chance to be knighted may have to wait until the list of qualified fighters in front of you dwindles down. Since it is the opinions of the current Knights council that assists your quest to knighthood, it is important to win the praise of many knights other than just your own.
A new King is crowned twice a year. One of the Crown level events is called a Crown Tourney at these crown tournaments the victor is to be the future king of that region. A few months ahead the victor will be crowned king at a gathering called coronation or twelfth night. At this time the new king will announce their entourage (household and helpers). It is this entourage that assists the new king and queen in all matters of council and preparation for the next ruling. Each king rules their region for six months. During that time they are required to attend all crown level events, meetings, councils, and SCA governed gatherings. The time spent as king and queen is mostly paperwork but also includes the fun of status. NOTE: not all kings are knights. It is most common since most good fighters are knights, but not necessary. If you don't want to be a squire or a knight, that's alright too. It's never a required position or goal for any fighter.
Attire:
As a fighter and member of the SCA it is important to understand the era in which you plan to support your attire. It is a good idea to research your time period and try to keep the clothing styles, armor styles and weapon styles consistent trough-out your presentation. Most members of the SCA base their Persona between the 900's and the 1300's. A Persona is "the time period, style and location of your character" in the SCA. For example, I am portraying an English nobleman of the 1200's. That time period and description would dictate what style of clothing and status I might portray.
Device:
Each fighter in the SCA is allowed a personal device that represents pictorially who they are. For example a fighter may have painted on their shield a raven displayed and colored black on a green field. The device is personally chosen by you to show who you are. The catch is no one else can already have the devise registered in the SCA. Good luck... Along with a device one can be granted a title. A title of Lord or Lady can be granted to any member of the SCA. This title shows status and is called a coat of arms.
Combat:
There are many teachers and many more styles when it comes to sword fighting in the SCA. The most important thing to remember when training or fighting is your and your opponent's safety. The SCA has very strict guidelines when it comes to armor and protecting a fighter's body. The types of materials and placement of armor is checked at all events and practices. An easy way to judge your armor is: Elbows, Knees, crotch, and kidneys, Sternum, neck and Head; must all be protected by a ridged material. The helmet must have adequate padding, a chin strap, a face mask with slots smaller that 1 inch wide and the helm must be made of at least 16 gauge steel. Your weapon must have a finger loop attached or a lanyard (a wrist loop) and must have a ridged hand protector. The Most common hand protector for a single handed weapon is called a basket hilt. It is made either of steel bars welded in a pattern to cover the hand, or a plate steel basket hilt formed to cover the hand and handle. The other option is to use a gauntlet on your hand. A gauntlet is a ridged shaped glove made to grasp the hilt of the weapon and protect your hand from another blow. Your weapon also has many guidelines to add in the safety of the game. Not only must it be ridged but all striking weapons must be made of a material called Rattan. Rattan is in the grass reed and is found among the bamboo family. The sticks and somewhat flexible and have thousands of strands running through the length of the stick, somewhat like celery. These strands reduce the risk of splintering and breakage of the weapon. Next the weapon is wrapped and marked. When wrapping a weapon it is smart to pre-wrap the stick with strapping tape. The strapping tape has string lined through the tape helping insure a tight packaging and increase the lifetime of your weapon. After the pre-wrap a layer of duct tape is most common on fighting weapons. Some fighters cover their sticks with rawhide sewn onto the weapon and others use a newer product called shrink tubing. The shrink tubing is a soft plastic tube that reduces in size and tightens when heated up. After the layer of tape or tubing is on the weapon a strip of contrasting colored tape is adhered to the weapon showing the blade or striking edges of the weapon. If a thrusting tip is added to the weapon the proper amount of padding is required and the tip must be firmly secured to the weapon. No weapons in the SCA may have projectile parts and may not be made of more than one piece joined together by a chain, rope, or not ridged part. Such weapons are morning stars and flails. This is a security ruling. The pieces can cause too much force and may entangle an opponent.
Whether you are a right handed challenger or a south paw, it is important to learn the basics of the sword. Each weapon style is different in size, weight and use. It is a good idea to investigate what type of weapons your persona would use and understand that some styles and/or implements are not universal among mankind. For instance it would not be appropriate to train with a claymore (six foot two-handed sword) if you are among the shorter crowed. It also would not be appropriate for a seven foot tall Amazon looking fellow to protect himself with Florentine (two) daggers. The SCA is quite lenient on persona vs. usage and it should never be a mistake to learn about a variety of weapons and how or when to use them. There is a way to best use every weapon. There are many styles of how to wield a weapon, but most weapons have distinct advantages as well as disadvantages. For example; A Two-handed sword allows for a longer reach and very powerful blow, but it does take two hands to wield proficiently and when one is missing or unusable it makes for an uncontrolled attack and defense. A short sword, though fast and light, hits with a lighter blow and hits are accepted less often. Also with the shorter sword, though you may find it easier to flail about, it has much smaller attack range and therefore is at a disadvantage when compared to the longer weapons and their attacks.
One handed combat is one of the most important training tools for newer fighters. Many fighters in training are required to undergo fencing before they start heavy fighting. This process teaches one handed control over a weapon. Fighting with only a sword is more difficult than some may think. Not only must you be able to attack with the weapon, but you must learn to block with it while attacking… Remember a good defense is a necessity to a good offense, but you have to attack if you want to win, you defend to survive. To learn how to fight one handed, have yourself and an opponent armored and have them slowly attack you while you defend and stop the blows. Most attacks to your head can be used later as a counter attack. After successfully blocking a few dozen blows, speed up the training, deflecting blows that strike lower than your chest and stopping blows at or above it. When stopping a blow you want to direct the opponent's weapon away from your body. Many fighters are trained to throw a blow and if it is stopped they thrust the tip of the weapon forward. It you have not deflected the attacking weapon away from your body then you are asking to be a human schishkabob. One way to direct the opponent's weapon away from your body is to move your body out of the way of the incoming weapon. This is a great time to study the three ways not to get hit and "killed" when fighting in heavy combat in the SCA.
- Stop the incoming blow.
- Hit your opponent before he/she hits you.
- Don't be there when the blow gets there.
A lesson well learned. When an attacker's sword comes whirling at you, hissing at mock five, move. It is a lot less likely to hurt or hinder your fighting if you are not hit by the incoming blow.
A Fighters' Stance:
Each fighter stands differently when moving into combat. The theory to good fighting is all the same. Most fighters are thinner than they are wide. This plays an important roll in your defense. If you stand shoulders squared off facing your opponent you have a wide area of vitals to protect from incoming blows. If you are standing somewhat shoulder facing your opponent their attack area and your defense area changes dramatically. When a fighter stands squared off to you, you can mostly trust he will be what is called a static fighter (one who doesn't move around much). You can tell because this position is not easy to move out of and is a status stance telling you "he will not budge from his position." Standing one shoulder facing also has its drawbacks. If you are to stand with your shield shoulder forward, your attacks come from much further back and are more easily seen and picked up by your opponent. If you stand sword side forward though, your attack is closer and quicker but your defense (shield) is not between you and your opponent. This predicament is why many Knights request their fighters to learn the arts of fencing prior to heaving fighting. Fencing teaches weapon shoulder forward. The use of your weapon to deflect incoming attacks is the process taught and learned from fencing. So, do you stand shield side forward or sword side forward? The answer is both. All good fighters flow from one side to the other. This allows for the maximum use of defense and the ability to attack from different distances and angles. The key to good fighting is movement. Not that there aren't good static fighters, but the great ones move.
When standing facing your opponent, place your feet about shoulder width apart. Your stride will lengthen and shorten as you attack and defend but starting at a balanced athletic position is imperative. You want your feet to be staggered a few feet apart and your weight balanced on the balls of your feet (the muscle in front of the arch on your foot). Not on your heels. When you make attacks your weight will transfer from one foot to the other and taking steps to better situate your hips and body will allow for improved angles on your opponent. You always want your knees to keep a slight bend in them. Keeping your knees bent keeps your muscles active and prepared for sudden changes in direction.
How to hold a shield and sword:
All fighters fight different. No person has the same size, quickness, strength or ability, and that makes it impossible to teach one and only one style of holding your weapon. The placement of your handle on your shield is very important in deciding how you will prepare for battle. You want your shield arm to sit effortlessly at a comfortable angle, level at the top and close enough to your body that it doesn't get too heavy too fast. But more important is your sword. Many fighters fight with their weapon parallel above their shield about four inches with the tip of the sword on the left. This is a defense as well as an attack position. For it is easy to slip the tip of the sword forward and into the facemask of your opponent, but it is difficult to attack their left side without a lot of weapon movement. A more common sword position is fist held shoulder high tip up in air at a 45 degree angle back facing the opponent. This makes a handy head block as well as a well positioned attack. Some fighters go a little further and rest the sword on their shoulder. Fist forward and use more shield movement for their defense. One again the best fighters adapt all styles to their attacks and defense. It is vital to recognize that every style and stance has flaws. Each attack has a counter attack and each block has a move to get by it. It is the ability to get into the proper position to take advantage of some of these flaws that makes great fighters look so great.
The Simple Snap:
The simple snap is an offensive attacking blow directed to the opponents head. In the SCA the majority of sword and shield combatants are right handed and therefore if you, the attacker, are right handed also, it creates a one side attack one side defend style of sword play. Start learning the SNAP shot by aiming your blow above the opponents shield hitting the helmet along the front right side. This attack is a single blow that later will become an important piece in a combination attack. When throwing a snap you should press your fist high into the air the same level as the opponents' eyes and follow through with the swing of the weapon. You should always swing as though you are trying to hit inside the helmet, this practice will prepare you to throw a hard enough blow that it will be taken as a legal kill (a blow force full enough to cut though a steel helmet). Get comfortable swinging your weapon and keeping the sword level during the attack. If the weapon is not level it is easily blocked by the opponents shield, and without much movement of the defender. Remember, we want our foe to move out of his defense in order to block this blow that allows us to attack other currently guarded areas.
Chop shot:
The chop shot is a blow to the opponents shield leg. It is called a chop shot because the area attacked can be hit without looking at the target. From a regular defensive stance the opponents shield leg (if opponent is standing shield leg forward) is visible to a chop motion downward just above the knee (the knee down is not considered a legal blow). This attack is very useful when in close quarters. Hitting the opponent's leg renders the use of that limb limited. The opponent must then go down on one knee and must continue to fight from this position. Legging an opponent is a tactful tool in combat. The opponent has less movement options and is lower than you the attacker, giving you the upper hand. It is more difficult to kill a legged opponent though. Since the fighter is on their knees, the kill zones are smaller and better blocked by the opponent's defense. If the legged man is hit in the hip instead of the leg, the fighter must then fight on both knees without rising up. This indicates the injured area is not the leg but rather the hip or joint reducing the amount of movement. Any blow in the torso above the hip, is considered a killing blow. A hit to the hip or inside the shoulder from a great weapon (two handed weapon) is also considered a kill due to the weapons destructive abilities.
Practice these two shots over and over again. The chop shot and the snap should be fluent and with little or no vertical body movement. Try not to look at the area you are attacking. Learn to know when the target is available.
Eye slot shot:
The next attack is a more of a flick of the wrist. With your sword parallel above your shield, tip to the left and either leg forward, flick the tip of the sword forward into the opponent's eyes. This can be a tactic to move the defense away from another area but must be thrown hard enough to make a kill if landed. The power for this and most blows comes from transferring weight from one foot to the other quickly. Which is why it is important to move and step as you attack and defend. The eye slot shot is a perfect attack if you tend to back up. When you step back practice throwing the blow. This action keeps you in the offense and the opponent honest and at guard.
Combo:
So far we have learned three blows, two to your right and one to the left. Also you have learned to attack two elevations, the head, and the leg. Once you have learned a few blows and can hit each individually without a lot of body movement, now you will learn to move while attacking, not only in and out of the blow, but from one blow to the next. Picture what position you were in to start the throw in a certain blow such as the eye slot shot. The sword was over the shield and one foot was forward. Then remember the position you were in, in order to hit the shield leg. Now transfer from the first position to the second without throwing the blow. Do this three or four times to get your feet and torso accustom to the direction change. Now combine the two attacks. Throw the eye slot shot, bring the sword back and use that motion and step to chop the leg. Try not to look at the leg when hitting it. Just recognize that when your opponent moves their shield to block the eye slot shot that they open up the leg. This combination is widely used among fighters, great and new. The attack must have motion and must be a smooth transition between each blow.
Another combination using the same technique is the snap shot to the leg chop. This is a same side double attack and can be used in sets of two and three. Try hitting the head twice and then throw the leg blow.
Changing attack angle is just as important as the change of elevation and side of attack. The angle of your attack depends on your distance from your opponent and where you step prior to delivering a blow, once again continuing to move your body to create openings in your opponent's defense.
Sword-side Leg Chop:
The next blow to learn is the sword side leg chop. This is a difficult attack because your vision of the swing is blocked by your shield. It is a blind attack. The easiest way to secure a clean shot on the right leg of your opponent is to wait until they put weight on their right leg. The right leg must be forward to use this technique. With sword starting high chop downward tip to your left and follow the edge of your opponents shield. If they are holding the shield close enough to their body and have committed to placing their right foot forward, then your sword will strike your opponents leg. Remember to swing fast enough to land a solid blow. Practice this chop until you are comfortable throwing the blow without looking at the target.
A common combination including this sword side leg chop is to fake a snap shot to the left of your opponents head and carry that motion into the chop of their right leg. Once again it is imperative that your opponent has planted their right foot forward. Follow the shape of their shield and land a solid blow. This attack is not without fault. When throwing blows across your body your natural reaction is to open up your own shield in order to see and strike the target. So Don't… Remember to keep the right corner of your shield covering your body and face. Get used to tilting the right corner of your shield to cover your head each time you swing. Try not to bring the corner down after each blow, especially when using a combination of blows. This pumping action is what you would look for when attacking an opponent and don't want to make the mistake yourself.
War fighting:
War fighting is all another attack style. The idea is not to die. In most war scenarios each combatant has more than one life to live throughout the day, but when you die, you must leave the fighting field and your company while you get resurrected. Dieing not such a dilemma when you are fighting for yourself, but when others are relying on you to hold your ground and keep the enemy a bay, your absence is mostly hurtful to the posse.
When fighting in wars there are two main types of fighters; Heavy combatants and lights. The light fighter is an archer or thrown weapon specialist. The normal plan for war fighting is to set up a shield wall of heavy fighters. The two sides form their wall and advance their troops closer and closer to each other until the fight over ground begins. Accompanying the shield wall is normally heavy fighters armed with long pikes or spears. These weapons can be yielded from behind the shield wall and can attack the enemy, bridging the space between the two walls. While the wall style of holding ground is taking place other smaller units of strike force fighters watch for weak places in either their ranks or those of their opponent's line. When spotted, the strike force charges the weak area penetrating the opponent's defenses or supporting their own depleting line. This array of attacks along with the onslaught of archers, axe throwers and missile weapons hurling at the lines illustrates a frantic attack for ground. The battle ends when either opponent's flag is captured or all the enemy forces have been defeated or have surrendered.
Most knights lead small groups and teach strike force tactics. The more fighters a knight can control and train the more successful the battle they fight. It takes a collection of fighting styles to form a strike force. There are normally a few shields amongst the group at least one pike or spear, and a few thrown weapons. This allows for all types of attacks and expands the group's ability to challenge other units in battle.
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