rapier/SCA musings
Apr. 16th, 2008 10:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
anotheranonI went to the local SCA practice for the first time in.....2 weeks? 3? Awhile, at any rate.
We still do not have a rapier marshal, so there can be no bouting, but one of our number (well, the only other one - it's mostly a heavy practice) has developed a very good pell for practicing "finding" of the sword and hand/dagger parries.
This is NOT a bad thing. I got to sort out how to use the dagger when defending in prime and got a semi-decent workout (did not follow with sport fencing because my eyes were bothering me - damn pollen!) Besides, the SCAdians are a friendly group and chill to hang out with.
However....*sigh*:
While I don't have many local historic fencing nerds to fence with, and suspect the SCA is the best place to find anyone who might be into that...
And even though historic martial arts (HMA) in the SCA is technically governed locally by arts and science and not fighting, I think I'm more likely to find sparring/drilling partners at a practice than at an A&S event...
..and there's enough overlap between what I'm trying to do and SCA rapier rules that I can get something out of it...
I still occasionally wonder if I'm wasting mine and the SCA's time, at least as far as rapier goes. I'm the newbie, so I can't blunder in and insist everyone play my way. At the same time, I know there are a few people in the organization who are interested in the old manuals and historic accuracy and I do want to be "out" as an HMA enthusiast in case any show up at this (admittedly, new) practice.
I COULD take up SCA rapier, but 1) I don't have the time to focus on YET ANOTHER weapons system, and 2) SCA combat safety rules would bastardize my ongoing goal of working with historic techniques.
Perhaps I should be more patient, hmm?
Meanwhile, it's very fair to say that due to interest/circumstance I've definitely prioritized my sport/modern game over the historical forms*.
*I'm aware of a practice with some historic manual focus one shire over... on Sundays. I've not attended because I feel like it would be disloyal to my usual historic club, which also meets on Sundays, albeit Substantially Further Away :/
We still do not have a rapier marshal, so there can be no bouting, but one of our number (well, the only other one - it's mostly a heavy practice) has developed a very good pell for practicing "finding" of the sword and hand/dagger parries.
This is NOT a bad thing. I got to sort out how to use the dagger when defending in prime and got a semi-decent workout (did not follow with sport fencing because my eyes were bothering me - damn pollen!) Besides, the SCAdians are a friendly group and chill to hang out with.
However....*sigh*:
While I don't have many local historic fencing nerds to fence with, and suspect the SCA is the best place to find anyone who might be into that...
And even though historic martial arts (HMA) in the SCA is technically governed locally by arts and science and not fighting, I think I'm more likely to find sparring/drilling partners at a practice than at an A&S event...
..and there's enough overlap between what I'm trying to do and SCA rapier rules that I can get something out of it...
I still occasionally wonder if I'm wasting mine and the SCA's time, at least as far as rapier goes. I'm the newbie, so I can't blunder in and insist everyone play my way. At the same time, I know there are a few people in the organization who are interested in the old manuals and historic accuracy and I do want to be "out" as an HMA enthusiast in case any show up at this (admittedly, new) practice.
I COULD take up SCA rapier, but 1) I don't have the time to focus on YET ANOTHER weapons system, and 2) SCA combat safety rules would bastardize my ongoing goal of working with historic techniques.
Perhaps I should be more patient, hmm?
Meanwhile, it's very fair to say that due to interest/circumstance I've definitely prioritized my sport/modern game over the historical forms*.
*I'm aware of a practice with some historic manual focus one shire over... on Sundays. I've not attended because I feel like it would be disloyal to my usual historic club, which also meets on Sundays, albeit Substantially Further Away :/
