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A Beginner's Guide to Fencing in the East KingdomDon Malcolm Bowman Table of Contents
Part I - Origins, Weapons, Modern vs. Medieval and Basics "En guarde, foul dog! For this insult I shall run you through!" without hesitation, he reaches to his left side, drawing forth a long, slim bladed weapon with a simple round guard. He takes a stance with his elbow bent, blade pointed towards his adversary, legs shoulder width apart, his other hand up just behind him, ready to be brought forward to sweep away his opponent's blade. This image could be from one of dozens of films involving men and women called Swashbucklers, Musketeers, Duelists, and even Fencers. Or it could come from the participants in the Arte of Defense in the SCA. The Arte of Defense, called Rapier Combat or Period Fencing in the SCA, is a form of fighting involving light swords such as the Rapier, from the period beginning in the mid 15th century. Our attempts at the recreation of this form of combat come from multiple documented sources. This is a very basic overview, and an introduction into the world of fencing from the SCA perspective. Especially in the late sixteenth century, it became fashionable to wear the lighter, longer rapier blades in civilian dress. These cut and thrust blades were more practical to dueling than to military combat, though both styles of weapons would evolve along the way. These weapons also encouraged skill in both attack and defense, and would evolve to the point where treatises were created on the best styles to use these swords. Eventually, schools developed where this art could be studied and taught. The primary stylistic schools would be the Italian, French, and Spanish. Each of these styles held very different philosophies on the application of rapier, and later small sword and modern fencing weapons, in combat. There are tons of historic references to these available, though some translations have been better than others. Over time, as swords became outmoded, the arte of defense moved towards a sporting form, leading to modern day fencing and the unsharpened, blunted weapons involved. Modern fencers in Olympic and Collegiate sports use three kinds of weapons, the foil, epee, and sabre. In the East Kingdom, we use the foil and epee, in addition to the schlager. The foil is a thirty-five inch thin blade with a square cross-section. The epee is a thirty-five to forty inch blade with a triangular cross-section. The epee is slightly heavier than the foil, less flexible, and less whippy. The schlaeger is a flat blade thirty to forty-five inches and approximately once quarter to about one inch wide, often tapered as you go from base to tip. Schlaegers have a definite flat and edge, and a diamond or oval cross-section. Heavier and much closer to the classic rapier than the epee, more and more fencers are starting to work with this blade as their primary weapon. In fact, only schlagers can be used for fencing in several kingdoms throughout the Knowne World. As we are attempting to recreate period style swordplay, fencers attempt to make this armor look similar to the garments worn by those who walked the streets with a rapier at their side. Modern fencing involves very specific rules and regulations, and is done on a strip, in a single line. With epee, for example, fencers attempt to score a touch, tip only, to a specific target area on their opponent's body. Judges determine whether a touch was valid, and a point is scored for this. Each segment of the fight is called a "bout". There is also a time limit, depending on gender and weapon type. Men and women do not fight each other, and epees and foils only fight like weapons. Our recreation of medieval period fencing varies dramatically from this elaborate, complicated sport. We fence in the round - no specific strip or line. Thus we can circle our opponent. We are not attempting to score points - in most fights we attempt to kill or disable our opponent, metaphorically speaking. The exception to this is a bout fought to first blood - where it's usually considered in poor taste to kill your opponent. The entire body, bottom of the foot to the top of the head, is a target. In the East Kingdom, there are four ways to use a blade against your opponent. The thrust - pressing the tip of the blade into the body, is the expedient way to kill or disable your opponent. This is done to the lightest intentional touch your opponent can feel. Thrusts to the head, neck, chest, belly and groin kill. Thrusts to any limb, arm or leg, hand or foot, disables that limb. This is generally considered the quickest, most desirable form of attack. The other three uses of the blade are cuts. The draw cut involves a blade being pressed against an opponent, and either drawn or pushed in a straight line. The tip cut is when the tip of the blade is drawn across an opponent, rather than pressed into them. A push cut is generally a shot intended to be a thrust, but landed with a push-off and cut. With all cutting forms, one cut of six inches of blade or blade travel work the same as a thrust to kill or disable as above. Though there are, in tournaments, marshals to keep an eye on things, SCA fencers use an honor system, calling the type of shot they have taken. There is no time limit, usually - although it can be a bit tedious to watch a pair simply circle around one another for ten minutes. Men and women can fight each other, and foil can fight against epee, although schlaegers may only be used against other schlaegers. There are several approaches taken to the teaching of rapier combat, ranging from that based purely upon period techniques, to slight modifications of the basic modern styles of combat. Individual teachers use their own style and skills as the basis for training new combatants, and most fencers develop their own unique style with time and experience. This will be continued and detailed in Part II. This is an exciting and complex form of combat, requiring a decent amount of time, effort, and instruction to gain a deep competence and understanding. I hope this is an informative beginning. So the next time someone hurls an insult at you, you'll be ready to give them a sharp, pointed response.
Part II - Rapier Combat Instruction and Style
"Make ready! Did your really think you could call my mother a hamster and get away with it!?" without hesitation, he reaches to his left side, drawing forth a long, slim bladed weapon with a simple round guard and swept quillons. He takes a stance with his arm over his head, blade pointed down towards his adversary, legs shoulder width apart, his other hand up in front of his chest, ready to sweep away his opponent's blade. The participants in the Arte of Defense in the SCA address this style of combat in many varied ways. As well, those who teach new combatants use various methods and techniques drawn from their own experience and study. Every teacher of Rapier Combat uses a different approach, blending his or her own skills, techniques, and even philosophies to teach this style of swordplay. Even though the styles range from documented period teachings to modifications of modern techniques, there are several factors that are common with most styles. Balance, Footwork, Point Control and Blade Work are some of the major components of the arte of defense. This is not about brute strength - this is about timing, agility, and strategy. My own style of instruction is generally done in the order above, but individual instructors vary their approach. Balance is in my opinion is the core of the game. Balance is an important consideration in safety, and factors into skill immensely. A well balanced combatant can combine footwork, bladework, and point control in the most effective manner. If one remains balanced throughout, one can react quickly to any situation during a bout. Balance, however, can vary, depending on school, Italian versus French versus Spanish, and even to some degree weapon. No matter if one stands en guard with a fifty/fifty balance between right and left, or a seventy/thirty, more weight placed on the back leg, it contributes to every other action. It all begins with footwork. There are several ways in which the various teachers of SCA fencing approach footwork. I think we pretty much all agree that without proper footwork, a fencer cannot maintain balance. For some instructors, footwork is the core of what this game is all about. The basics are pretty much the same. Footwork begins with a proper stance. Feet should be shoulder width apart, no more. This places the fencers' center of gravity right down the middle of their body. Knees should be slightly bent, keeping the fencer fluid, ready to move. This also helps to maintain balance. At this point, teachers vary the initial upper body placement. Some instruct fencers to stand with blade forward, elbow slightly bent, off-hand (the hand without a weapon) forward at chest level. Others teach a reversed stance - off-hand forward, elbow slightly bent, blade pointed forward at chest level. The former offers a longer reach for the blade, where as the latter gives the fencer better use of the off-hand to block an opponents' attack. From this basic positioning, a fencer can be taught several ways to move that will keep them balanced and fluid, ready to defend or attack their opponent. The actual motion of the fencer varies, depending on the action being undertaken, the stance from which it originates, and the overall style in which he or she fences. There are three primary forms of motion for a combatant: advancing, withdrawing, and circling. All of these are multi-directional, as advancing and withdrawing can be done in straight lines, as well as angles to the left and right. These are relatively self explanatory, and all of these are approached differently by each individual instructor. Point Control is the next element. Point control primarily involves two key components - the ability to thrust a given target, and the ability to keep the point of the blade aimed at a given target. For instance, if a target area is only one inch square, a fencer should be able to extend his or her arm in a thrust and hit the target consistently. This is not as easy as it sounds - and again balance is key to this. With the same one inch square target, the fencer should be able to advance, withdraw, and circle the target while keeping the point true, as though an invisible line is drawn from blade tip to target. Again, without proper balance, this is no easy task. Blade Work is the next element. Again, emphasis on blade work varies from instructor to instructor. This is probably the most complicated of these concepts, combining balance, footwork and point control. This also has variances factored in for schools of combat, as well as the weapons used. However, all blade work involves several elements, including thrusts, parries and ripostes. This glosses over things a lot, but the following are some of the absolute basics. As described in Part I, a thrust is when the tip of the blade is pressed into an opponent to the lightest intentional touch. Back in the old days this was equivalent to no more than a two inch bend in a foil, but foils have fallen out of favor as SCAdian weapons. Now, we maintain as light a touch as we can, but there must be intent behind the thrust, as an incidental contact with the point is not sufficient. (At the time of this writing, calibration varies all across the East Kingdom, as well as around the Knowne World, and has been a source of endless rules lawyering I will not get into here. But that might be a good future paper.) As the thrust is the most expedient means of attack, often times when the attack misses a cut is done instead. For up close or in-fighting, well within your own thrusting range, cuts are far more practical. A Parry is a blade action carried out when a thrust is made against you, and your blade is used to move your opponent's blade away from its intended target. A Riposte is when you follow through on this maneuver with a counterthrust of your own. There are numerous forms of parry which vary by school and even to a large degree by weapon, but all include high line, low line, inside and outside line defenses. This is a serious oversimplification of this action. Style is an element of the Arte of Defense approached differently by each individual fencer. For some, this is a recreation of the teachings of the likes of the London Masters of Defense, and the schools of the art from the later period. For some, attempts are made to follow the different approaches employed by the French, Italian, and Spanish masters. For others this is a recreation of a common street brawl, where a disagreement would be settled by pointed argument, so to speak. And some fencers think of this as a combination of all of these. Style also determines things ranging from the stances a fencer uses in a given bout, to the clothing we attempt to recreate. Some fencers place a far greater emphasis on the style by which they perform their combat than on winning their fights. Time, experience and individual preference are of course the deciding factors. So the next time someone has the chuzpah to call your mother a hamster - your cutting response will really get the point across.
Part III - Weapon Components & Multiple Weapons Combat
"You dare to call me a filthy mongrel? Why you ugly, malodorous, drunken dog-faced heathen! Prepare to die!" without hesitation, he reaches to his left side, drawing forth a long, slim bladed weapon with a complex guard and swept quillons. He reaches behind his back with his left hand and draws forth a long dagger. He brings his sword hand forward, blade at chest height, his dagger is also forward, though slightly below, but also pointed at chest level, legs shoulder width apart. In terror, his opponent turns to flee. Participants in the Arte of Defense in the SCA use many different styles in the way they attack and fight opponents. In addition to the styles discussed in Part II, the addition of secondary weaponry is another important factor. These are the basics on the components of a sword, as well as the combinations of weaponry a rapier fighter may choose to employ. Any weapon we use, be it a foil, epee, or schlager, is referred to for SCA purposes as a Rapier. The Rapier historically was a relatively light, double-edged sword with a sharp point. All blades are made up of several components. Some blades have additional parts that are unnecessary, but that add an interesting dimension to the game. This will be explained further. The blade itself can be broken down to three parts, the tip, foible and forte. Let's start at the top of the blade, the Tip. In period, this was sharp, used to make thrusts and tip cuts. Ours are of course blunted and capped in rubber. Moving down the blade, we get to the Foible. The Foible is the part of the blade from about the tip to just over a third of the way down the length of the blade. This is the point from which draw and push cuts are made. The remaining two-thirds of the blade, the strongest part, is the Forte. The Forte is the part of the blade used primarily for parrying. Blades vary in length. Schlaegers, now the preferred weapon of most SCA fencers throughout the Knowne World, can have blades varying from thirty to forty five inches (and I even heard rumors of twenty-eight at the minimum, and fifty inches maximum). The standard Guard is made up of a bell, hilt and pommel. Some guards, however, include Quillons and knuckle bows. The bell is a simple, round guard that protects a fencer's hand. Size and overall shape varies. With schlagers, this section can be open metal in intricate patterns. The hilt is simply where a person holds the rapier. The pommel is a counterweight for the blade, providing the balance of the weapon. Quillions are the crosspiece found on some hilts. The quillions can be strait, curved up or down, or in the Toledo style, half up, half down. These add another tool for the parrying of other blades. Finally, the knuckle bow is an additional guard for the hand of the fencer. Each fencer prefers rapiers of varying weights and configurations. Some prefer more closed guards, others want them open and inviting. Style is often a factor in the choice of weapon configuration. With time and experimentation, individual fencers learn what works best for them. In modern strip fencing, you are limited to one weapon. You also cannot switch which hand holds the weapon in the context of a bout. But in the SCA, we are attempting recreation of period styles - which means the use of both hands and multiple weapon combinations. Single rapier, the basic form, is not just a sword and a bare hand. The unarmed hand, referred to as the off hand, can still be employed in combat. A fencer can use the off hand to block an opposing blade, so long as they do not grab the opposing weapon. Of course a cut or thrust to the hand will disable it, but the idea is that sacrificing the hand to block a "lethal" shot is better than getting killed. And if a shot is taken to the sword hand, you can take up the blade in the off hand. Case of Rapier refers to later period, when a pair of dueling swords were kept in a single case. Rather than offer one blade to your opponent, however, you take up a blade in either hand. This can make for some very exciting combat, as both hands are armed with long blades, equally capable of killing or disabling an opponent. Point control with two swords is not a simple task, and it can be very easy to use your own weapon against yourself. This form often looks either very pretty or terribly ugly, but when mastered can be especially lethal. It is argued by many that this is the most difficult weapons form to become skilled with. Somewhat similar is the use of a dagger. Daggers can be found as the older, thin flexi-dagger blades, or newer blades with a definite edge and flat, like those from Darkwood or Alchem. The daggers range from fourteen to eighteen inches, and are generally very flexible. Like with the rapiers, daggers can have any combination of bell, quillions, and hilt. In the 16th century the long, slim bladed dagger, or main-gauche, was a tool easily carried and concealed by just about anyone. All by itself it made a potent and often times lethal weapon. But used in concert with a sword, it became something more. The dagger can be used for both attack and defense. To defend, the dagger is excellent for sweeping away the blade of an opponent. For attack, one must get fairly close to their opponent, and in-fighting is a style in-and-of itself. Cutting and thrusting with a dagger is allowed. Of course I'm simplifying this, but then I think I could write a whole paper on this as well. The next two forms are strictly defensive. Rigid and non-rigid parry. Rigid parry implements include tankards, scabbards, canes, small shields called bucklers, and virtually any solid object that can be held easily in the hand. All of these objects can be employed to block or push away and adversary's weapon. Most rapier combatants begin training with either buckler or cane or scabbard, as most other objects are a pure stylistic choice, and may be subject to marshallate approval. Some people get very creative with parrying objects such as gaffs, wooden axes, and even faux torches. These weapons can only be used to defend against blades, as the name implies, for parrying, and cannot be used to strike or push against an opponent. Non-rigid parry implements include cloaks, hats, coiled whips, and other objects of a non-rigid nature, subject often to marshallete approval. Most fencers using this style employ cloaks. The cloak can be used to sweep away an opponent's blade, and can be flourished to add a dimension of style and distraction. It cannot be used against the body of a fencer, or to disarm a combatant. Cloak, arguably, is perhaps the most difficult form to master, as it is almost as easy to foul your own weapon as it is your opponents. Sometimes combinations of multiple forms of secondary weapons have been used. Bucklers and cloaks with daggers, for example, have been taken to the field safely. So those are the components of the basic fencing weapons, and the additional weapons forms used in Rapier Combat throughout the Knowne World. The arte of defense can be a great deal of fun, though it is not for everyone. This Guide, along with Parts I and II, is only a very basic overview. For more information, seek out your local fencing marshal. So the next time someone calls you a dirty dog, your rapier wit will truly cut close to the bone.
Bibliography Don Malcolm Bowman OGR, CSC, QoC, Qhd (MKA Murray Jason Blehart)
Pikestaff East Kingdom Law and Policies Issue - February, 1997 Copyright 1997, SCA Inc. Yitzhak ibn Yoshua, Editor Encyclopedia Americana 1995 Copyright 1995, Grolier Inc. World Book Encyclopedia 1997 Copyright 1997 The Sword and the Centuries: 500 Years of European Swords and the Duels That Have Been Fought With Them Alfred Hutton, F.S.A. Copyright 1995 Barnes & Noble Books, New York Wikipedia www.wikipedia.org Definitions of Rapier www.wikipedia.org/wiki/rapierand Fencing www.wikipedia.org/wiki/fencing |
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