For
those who love competition, history, and challenge, the SCA
fighting form represents a very flexible, durable and exciting
activity that can serve a wide variety of purposes.
Originally based upon the experiments into medieval fighting
done as a result of Diana Paxton’s famous party, the
SCA form has developed into a real martial art that can be
experienced on a variety of levels. For the majority of combatants
the sheer pleasure of combat and competition is enough; but
as the combatant experiences more and more of what the SCA
has to offer, it becomes clear that the form hints at and
teaches much, much more. It is a tool for the exploration
of chivalry, the medieval knight in both history and in romance.
Through the combat form developed in the SCA we can learn
something of what it was to be a knight in the Middle Ages
while at the same time being able to experience what chivalry
is today. As a philosophical ideal chivalry has survived the
ravages of history, adapting to meet the new realities of
our own world as it did to meet the successive realities that
followed the end of the Middle Ages.
 The
Medieval analogies for the SCA style of fighting can be found
in a variety of places. The SCA itself is very tolerant of
divergent cultures and aspects of the very loosely defined
‘Middle Ages,’ the combat being developed as a
matter of reaction and experimentation. For all of this, it
is remarkably like some of the historical precedents, most
notably the béhourd or the 14th and 15th century pas
d’armes. In terms of the béhourd, the similarities
are striking. Although medieval terms for the tournament seem
to be imprecise, it is clear that the béhourd was a
combat à plaisance, done for the pleasure of the combat
and for the pleasure of the ladies. Béhourds were fought
with weapons of wood or ash, the armour in at least one case
of cuirboille, or boiled leather. These combats were still
used to demonstrate the prowess of the combatants, but their
intent was not to injure or slay; much like the tournaments
today.
Like
the béhourd, the pas d’armes was also fought
for pleasure, à plaisance, the intent being to showcase
the chivalric ideal rather than the reality. The pas d’armes
of the 14th and 15th centuries took their cues from the romantic
literature that helped to drive the development of the knightly
ideal, the settings evoking directly the images of the knight
errant, seeking adventures to earn renown. At a pas, one or
more knights would make their intentions to hold a given field
or place known via letters and the voices of heralds. Challengers
would come from afar to make their acquaintance and compete
against them, sharing the joi de combat in a communion of
chivalry and knightly community. These combats often cited
the deeds and high quality of the knights who went before
them, the intent being partly to encourage the knights of
the day to seek to emulate the bright worthies who preceded
them.
 The
tournaments and joi de combat of the SCA form is no different.
We too look both to our ancestors, the knights of medieval
Europe, and to the romantic ideals to provide us with the
guides we use in our behavior. Like these knights of the Middle
Ages, we seek to improve our lot by using these knightly tests
and displays of virtue. And to a degree, the SCA succeeds
in this quest.
Like the
béhourd, the SCA uses wooden weapons made of rattan
instead of their more dangerous steel counterparts. Though
the weapons are of wood, the fighting is a full contact, full
speed, hard pressed competition between two powerful combatants.
Combatants face one another armed in armour of steel, cloth,
or leather, some home-made some produced by fine craftsmen
coming close to the quality and line of the medieval models.
They fight with speed, elegance, and power, their techniques
different according their local region and their own individual
style. Their weapons, covered with silver duct tape (as Edward
I had weapons silver-leafed for his famous Windsor tournament
of 1278), weigh between 2 ½ and 3 pounds, each capable
of leaving their mark on the unwary defender. The combat itself
is regulated by a set of rules built by trial of thirty years
time, mostly built on safety considerations so that the combatants
can meet and fight to the best of their ability with a record
of safety superior to football or fencing. With more than
10,000 combatants recorded, no one has been killed.
Unlike
modern fencing, the combatants themselves call their own blows,
determining when they have been struck. In fencing the judges
or an electrical system determines when a touch is made. By
removing the judges and systems from the combat, the SCA is
able to place the responsibility for the conduct of combatants
squarely upon the combatants themselves, reinforcing the desired
emphasis on chivalric conduct. It is a crucial difference
that has, I believe, allowed the SCA to retain something of
the original intent throughout many changes.
The
last two paragraphs describe what I consider the form of SCA
fighting. It is a form that allows for a number of styles
within that form, each style possessing advantages and weaknesses.
Some styles are completely authentic, while others are a natural
evolution based on the rules that govern the combat. Most
often you will find combatants fighting with a sword and shield,
but you will also see single broadsword alone, axe or mace
and shield, polearms, daggers, two broadswords, two-handed
swords, spears and even (in some places) archery.
Nowadays
would-be combatants, novices, can participate in SCA fighting
on a wide number of levels, either for weekend entertainment
or as a serious martial art, a tool for developing the whole
human being. Training is easily accessible and generally friendly,
begun by simply attending ‘fighting practice’
in their local area. At these informal gatherings, groups
of combatants and spectators build their skills and engage
in friendly banter. People are usually open and helpful. There
is no charge to participate, no dojo fee, though armour and
fighting clothes can be expensive. Even here, however, the
novice will find no end to the help offered, almost to the
point where they might find themselves overwhelmed with offers
of help and support. Sometimes old equipment is given or freely
lent, enabling the novice to start with very little investment.
The novice
will also find bountiful support in terms of people willing
to teach what they know. Most often training is taken on an
individual basis, combatants being very eager to share what
they know. In a few places, training is more formalized into
classes, but this is still relatively rare. As the novice
progresses, they might choose to build a formal bond with
a single knight, or another trainer, who will take their development
as their own responsibility, helping the intermediate combatant
along towards the day when they too are experienced veterans.
Novice
combatants are generally drawn towards the compelling action
and excitement of the fighting itself, some with a solid grounding
in the historical or romantic past, others who just think
the fighting is too much fun to stay away from. Many combatants
participate for a long time simply bathed in this attraction,
enjoying their participation. Others are drawn to perfecting
their physical and mental skills, while still others want
to explore one or more aspects of the Middle Ages. Over time,
most combatants come to realize that a great deal more happens
on the field than the simple exchange of blows; the mental
aspects of fighting, the advanced focus (this is very useful
in everyday life), and the importance of renown are things
that slowly make themselves visible to combatants at different
rates; but most discover the rewarding and challenging opportunities
that the fighting offers once the basic skills have been mastered.
This glimpse into ‘what lies beyond’ keeps combatants
addicted; there are more than a few who have been around for
more than twenty years.
While
the SCA is not perfect, it has created something greater than
itself--an awareness of the deeper realities of chivalry and
good conduct that give the organization life. These elements
are the stone and mortar of the SCA fighting form, from which
the great accomplishments and deeds of arms have been done
in a way that is not unlike the ‘re-enactors’
of the 14th and 15th centuries. I warmly encourage you, if
these words strike you, to come in and sample what I describe--the
rewards are worth every bruise, and you will take away an
uncommon treasure.
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