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Free-Play Guidelines for Historical Fencing Mock-Combat Practice
*Note: These are our old guidelines from 2004. They are not the current manner which we use for free-play. "As much as is right, fence in play as
you would in fight"
The peril in any simulated fighting lies in the temptation to begin to train only for the "sporting fun" of competitive sparring, instead of using mock-combat practice ("free-play" or sparring) merely as only one aspect of overall weapon study and practice –precisely the approach ARMA advocates. Consider always that sparring is a tool not an end in itself.
To answer the age old question of how to prepare a fighter for real encounters some form of mock-combat has always been found necessary. But in this the problem arises of just how to determine what would or would not have been a good hit that incapacitated or killed your opponent and thus prevented their responding to do the same to you. We try to answer this question much as the historical Schools of Defence did. We have devised four key ideas to guide us in our practice fighting. ARMA's four general rules of thumb for mock-combat free-play:
Basic Guidelines Just as our historical forebears did, the ARMA advises its students to develop skill at free-play using blunt steel blades and wooden weapons employed with controlled yet quick and firm blows. Our goal is to have a fighting mindset not a play-fighting mindset; to be good at fighting, not at play-fighting. The following guidelines govern only ARMA contact sparring for group combat:
The duel ability of free-play to be conducted either armored or unarmored sparring is a great asset of the system. The ARMA's free-play guidelines do require more discipline to learn and develop control as novice participants cannot feel they can make up for lack of skill by trying to "put all their might into a blow" (it's not designed for this when unarmored). Above all, the weapons are intended so you can hit your opponent not as hard as you want necessarily, but as hard as they need to feel it.
In free-play, blows are never "counted as good" just because they make contact – especially light or weakly thrown strikes. Light, flippy, wrist-flicking touches are hardly appropriate practice for the full-arm slashing blows of a sturdy cutting blade. We do not accept "non-contact." blows or light wrist taps and flipping surface touches that would be virtually irrelevant with sharp swords (nor are such moves advisable if in trying to use them your arm is cleaved off or your head hacked). Keep in mind, the sole purpose of contact-sparring is just that, "contact". When utilized, padded contact-sparring weapons let you strike with intent in proper range, force, and follow through. If you never train to hit with full speed and full power how then can you possibly learn to properly calibrate your blows? How can you judge in what context light controlled strikes can even be effective? Target Areas and Hits for Group Mock-Combat Unarmored Target Areas: The whole body excluding: head, throat/neck, and groin. Hits to the head or off-target areas are ignored. Un-helmeted fighters can not be struck to the head. Armored Target Areas: The whole body excluding the throat/neck, and groin. Hits to off-target areas are ignored. Armored sparring or free-play includes both helmets and either Light or Heavy armor. Unarmored sparring is without armor/padding (but may or may not include helmets). Against unarmored targets no blows should cause pain. All are made with good contact (not soft or light but not full-contact either). Without armor on their is just no need for full power strikes. Strikes can be made clearly, strongly, and with great speed while still being safe and discernible to your opponent. With ARMA contact-weapons, this must be demonstrated and experienced to fully appreciate it. Any solid, clear, firm blow to a limb, armored head, or the torso is a Kill. Any other contact can either be considered insufficient (and called Light") or Disabling if made against a limb. Participants may call blows Light, Disabling or Kill. Thus, blows to arms and legs may result in either "death" (dismemberment) or a "wound." Strikes to armored heads are called either Light or a Kill. In the case of disabling blows to arms, participants no longer utilize the arm. Arm targets include the whole arm (fingers, hand, wrist, forearm, upper-arm). Shoulders count as Torso. Disabling hits to the legs restrict tactical movement to limping (no walking fast or running). Legs strikes do not require the fighter to sit, fall, kneel or lie down. They may continue standing and fighting, but must restrict their movement to limping. Legs targets include the entire leg (foot, shin, knee, and thigh). Hips count as torso.
There are no restrictions on how one uses a regulation weapon except that Disabling and Killing blows are struck with the authorized, padded portions. There are no restrictions on the number of opponents one may be engaged by nor the direction they may attack from. Participants fight 360 degrees until either one or both are "Killed", call a halt, or a third party calls a "Safety Hold!". No referees or intermediaries are required or used under this system. Kills and Disabling hits are in affect for the remainder of that bout (assuming single combat) or the encounter (in the case of group fights). In group fights (melees) Killed fighters must sit or lie immobile until all combat in the vicinity (approximately 50') ceases. The general guidelines for single-combat or duel apply equally and wholly to mass group melee. Armor Implications in Group Mock-Combat
Armor is defined as any authentic material used in historical fashion on limbs, torso or head. Imaginary armor such as aluminum, plastic, foam, or rug does not qualify and is not employed. We also stress dissimilar armors. That is, a variety of armor types that reflect increasing protection and categorized as either Unarmored, Light or Heavy. Light armor consists of actual leather (soft or hard, minimum 1/8" thick) or heavy padded cloth (minimum 1/2" thick). Heavy armor is replica mail, brigadine, and hardened leather (minimum 1/4"). Types of plate also count as Heavy armor. Helmets must be a minimum of 18-gauge steel or 1/4" hardened leather. Helmets must be fully encasing with either a face plate, metal mesh, or bars. Eye-sockets and openings must be no larger than 1 1/2 " wide (small enough to prohibit a weapon tip thrusting through). Wearing Light armor on the torso allows the participant to receive 2 blows before resulting in a Kill. However, consider any single sufficiently firm or strong blow as resulting in an immediate Kill. Light armored limbs can receive 2 blows before being Disabled. However, any single sufficiently "great" blow causes an instant Kill. With Light armor, any 2 blows received results in a Kill. When wearing Heavy armor on the Torso, the fighter can receive 2 blows there before resulting in a Kill. However, consider any single sufficiently firm or strong blow as resulting in an immediate Kill. Heavy armored limbs can receive 2 blows before being Disabled. However, any single sufficiently "great" blow may result in instant Disablement. The first Limb blow is called as a "Quarter Kill". With Heavy armor, any 3 blows received as good result in a Kill. No draw cuts on are viable on Heavy armor. Notice that the rules governing the nature of blows received are left up to the individual, but that once struck, wounds become a matter of allowable hits based on armor. This methods combines subjective and objective elements and avoids the cycle of feeling a blow too much vs. not feeling it at all. It acknowledges qualitative differences in armor types as well as in the severity of blows and allows for simple sparring to be a reasonable simulation of combat. The focus is on the use of a simulated weapon safely performing as a real one would. When attacking from behind, it is often necessary only to tap or firmly touch the opponent rather than delivering a blow. When making any thrust at unarmored targets or against helmets, caution should be taken in using a looser grip as it is safer than a firm one.
Gloves heavy enough to offer protection from serious hand injury should not be necessary. While lighter gloves that prevent minor discomfort should not be much of a factor when controlled strikes are employed. Although they are not a requirement when fighting unarmored, participants are encouraged to wear gloves and any other padding they feel comfortable with (i.e., shin guards, cups, knee and elbow pads, mouth pieces, etc.). Minimum recommended padding is a helmet, knee and elbow pads, shin guards, and heavy gloves. Advisable protection includes collar, upper arm, kidney and hip padding. Suggested equipment for this is commercial gloves intended for historical fencing, street hockey gloves, martial arts and baseball gear, and home-made plastic armor. However, for realism and appearance, such modern padding or equipment should not be obvious. Any "open face" sparring head-gear or helmet may be worn but is not viable for receiving head strikes. No face stabs are allowed unless helmets are fully encasing. The philosophy behind the ARMA contact sparring system is that the less the rules, the more the fun. The more inclusive the fighting rules are, the less restrictive and idiosyncratic your fighting will be. What matters is not personal assertions of skill, nor the proclamations of rules books or the well-meaning intentions of organizations, but only how good you are in battle.
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| Guidelines
for Rapier Free-Play Bouting
To train as rapier fencers did in the Renaissance, and perform proper rapier techniques, we feel we must use the same tools in the same manner as they did. (The obvious exception we make is for safety masks and padded jackets -- arming coats, aketons, gamebsons, etc.). To do this means using blunt, rebated, or refoiled weapons, often called "foyles" at the time. This means dulled blades with specially flattened out points (like a nail head). Foiled rapiers can be made by hammering over the point of a replica before adding a rubber safety tip to it. Some commercial practice rapiers with flat points are also available. Historical foiles, forged with flat points or wrapped with safety tips, were known in the 16th and 17th centuries. We previously employed a variety of rapier blade forms from diamond and oval schlägers, to flexible practice-rapiers and accurate historical replicas, all of various lengths and hilt configurations. However, after considerable experiment with various flexible rapier simulators, ARMA shifted away entirely from flexi-blades for rapier fencing in favor of foiled blunt training blade replicas and wooden rapiers. We have concluded the problems and habits associated with fencing with flexible practice rapiers are not worth it. Our reasoning was two fold. A. We feel the advantage of flexible blades for safe hits is outweighed by the distortion such blades inherently have in wobbling and wavering on thrusts. The distortion that such flexible blades cause in the execution of techniques overrides their "safety" value. B. There is no actual historical evidence we can find that flexible blades were ever used for rapier instruction or fighting practice during the 16th or 17th centuries. Thus, while we are not entirely excluding flexible rapiers from our study, we are recommending foyled replicas instead.
Further, the ARMA's rapier fencing philosophy is that just as it’s not possible to properly understand the use of all variety of Medieval swords by relying on one "generic" model, it is similarly impossible to gain a full understanding of the different styles of rapier fencing by relying on any one type of modern rapier blade form. A "typical" rapier of 1560 or 1590 is not identical to one of 1610 or 1650. No one rapier replica represents all rapiers from say, 1550 to 1670, let alone those earlier or later blade types. Thus, to avoid misconstruing historical methods it is important to utilize a variety of rapiers of varying lengths, weights, hilts, and forms to reflect the subtle characteristics of different blade geometries which effect a weapon’s speed, reach, and handling. The
idea in ARMA is simple: To study the method of a historical weapon, study using a
historical weapon (i.e., use accurate replica weapons, and not modern light sport tools or
modified theatrical versions).
For rapier fencing under ARMA Guidelines, the following affirmations are presented:
Safety EquipmentAbsolute required minimum: regulation fencing mask Strongly advised additional: fencing jacket or padded/quilted jack, gambeson, aketon, etc., weapon-hand glove, shoes or boots, mask/bib tie cord, Highly recommended additional: free-hand glove, groin protection, knee pads, elbow pads, under mask hood, chest protectors for females. Optional equipment and clothing: any appropriate period historical armor. Un-allowed and unacceptable items: Loose belts, ties, hangers, slings, straps, loops, rings, etc. Bucklers with prongs, hooks, or bars. Uncovered blade tips. For light contact-sparring using blunt (dulled, unedged replica blades) "cut-and-thrust" or early Renaissance short-swords, the same equipment can be used but shin guards and armored gauntlets are also recommended. Bouts and Free-Play / SparringFor fighting practice or bouts, encounters should end only when one or the other swordsman freely admits to being clearly outclassed or else gains a clear preponderance of hits. Rather than conduct "bouting" matches, which place emphasis on externals, combatants should just freely spar.No competitive, tournament, or sporting considerations are included. In this way, the focus for each fighter is internal and not upon winning a mere single match or a judge's decision. Fighting should be a personal matter between each swordsmen themselves and their adversary. However, encounters can be decided by either single hit kills, or end after 3 consecutive unanswered hits.
Depending upon the style of rapier simulator or replica blade being used, cuts or slashes shall be kept to a minimum and be utilized as light controlled blows to distract, harass, and provoking the opponent – unless using heavier earlier rapier blades, they are not on their own considered lethal killing actions or disabling cuts unless delivered to the neck. When heavier blades are used, even greater control must be exercised. Timed cutting attacks to the face, neck, inner arm and knee may be considered by combatants to "stop hit" or prevent the opponent action.
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