Swordplay
Those of you following the comments to a post late last week were directed to the "Battle of the Nations" Medieval Combat World Championship. In the Longsword, Poland's Marcin Waszkielis achieved the men's gold medal. America's own Suzanne Elleraas collected the gold in what I understand is the inaugural competition for females.
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7 comments:
Thanks. that video was much better quality- shot from a much better vantage point. I'd love to see some good footage of the 16x16 melee.
It seemed to this non-sword fighter (I was pretty good with an epee at one point), that these folks were more interested in hitting each others' swords than they were in hitting each other.
And they were so focused on using their swords that they forgot about all the other weapons they had with them. Including sword points.
Are there rules in that sort of thing against using the other weapons?
Eric Hines
Their website has a video about the rules, Mr. Hines. I haven't watched it, to be honest, because my own organization (ARMA) has a policy of only practicing to kill, not for competitions.
The accepted zone excludes open face areas, groin, feet, back part of the neck, and back of knees.
OK, peacetime safety rules so the man can live actually to fight. That works. In Krav, cups are worn and blows expected to be pulled when delivered to "soft tissue." Harder to do with edged weapons, et al.
PROHIBITED FIGHTING TECHNIQUES
All the techniques and other weapons of which I was thinking. [sigh]. Did folks in those times actually think war was a gentleman's game? Not from what I've read of history.
Eric Hines
You might like ARMA, then. We don't exclude anything, especially including sword-points and other grappling ("Ringen") and half-swording techniques. Daggers, rocks, shoving your opponent backwards into the river, whatever.
If you're going to do tournaments, though, I suppose it's necessary to have rules.
Too much sport in fencing.
Grim is correct about ARMA's reputation, but their quality is really self started. Each local branch differs due to human motivations and skills (or lack of them).
Thought I'd comment since I was just there. The rules are based on the 14th century tournament. King Rene's book was one of the primary sources. There is no choreography, pulled blows or slow work. Techniques are on the prohibited list for that reason: we are trying to have full force competitive combats that do not kill or cripple the competitors. Imagine being in an arm bar when someone tackles the man who put you in that hold.
There are two distinct styles: single combats with matched weapons in pole arm, longsword and sword and shield, and group fights in 5v5 and 16v16. Single combats are best two of three rounds, one minute each with a one minute break, points awarded by judges for clean, authoritative strikes. Victory in melee is gained by putting all of the other team on the ground, although the refs will call the fight if the sides are down to three or more against one fighter for safety's sake.
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