Posts: 34
Sat 08 Mar, 2008 10:59 am
If my comment are inaccurate of the type used by the SCA in your area I apologize, I'm in southern California. I have yet to find a 5lb.+ poleaxe, 12lb.+ sheild or and not a single byrnie that was 25lb.+. I'm not saying that SCA combat isn't useful, but it isn't medieval combat. If you reread my post, you'll see that part of the point is that in the SCA the hand can be used to block/parry shots, but look at the early fechtbuchs on the ARMA website and you'll see lots of armored combat where the hand is unarmored. Additionally, the posted videos from Vassilis Tsafatinos show him closing with sword and board against a pole arm. But, the pole can't take most of the shots available to him because the lower legs are off target and Vassilis takes several shots on his sword that would have taken his hand, if not for the basket hilt. The lack of a flat blade and and edge is also a problem because binding and winding techniques used in polearm and sword and board combat require a flat blade to bind to. SCA combat is simply not accurate in terms of blade on blade contact.
SCA combat is useful in many ways that other forms cannot replicate. There is no substitute for the velocity and force at which SCA combat is done. The unfortunate backlash of this benefit is the need for safety restrictions. The damage to knees , ankles, shins, hands, heads, and other body parts, if these safety restrictions were not in place, makes the restrictions valid. However, these restriction pose a problem with regards to arguments about realistic combat. But, then again, there are always limitations and difficulties with ANY form of mock combat. It is just that, mock, aka not real. SCA combat has done a lot to dispel many popular myths about armored combat, but it has also created some of its own.
My point is not that the SCA is flawed and useless, my point is that it should be taken in light of its necessary limitations. Just as any form of martial practice should be. I fight with lots of different styles, rules, and equipment, and I have yet to find any perfect form. Just as those that fight with wasters criticize the SCA guys for lacking attention to blade alignment, the SCA fighter can retaliate with the lack of force and velocity necessary for waster combat. In the polearm vs
shield case, the tactics used in the SCA (as demonstrated by Vassilis' video) are not realistic. What would be more realistic, in this case, would be padded and weighted weapons. This way the polearm could take lower leg shots and hand shots without endangering the opponent. Of course these implements pose problems in other situations, but would help illustrate the difficulty of fighting against an opponent that out reaches you.