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.