SCA fencing is a joke.

[ReverseLunge]

Some SCA dorks came to the club to fence last week. They were all fat out of shape and they had home-made uniforms on. Some of them had either rusted or home made masks so we didn't allow them to fence. One of them actuallualy introduced himself as Sir Damian Orlock of Loch Forest or something like that. Anyways those dorks sucked big time! Absolutely no skill or control. There footwork was all over the place. One dork even fell over while doing a forward cross-over in saber! Their actions were as big as hell. One guy looked as if he was gonna lasso his opponent with an epee! They fenced like small retarded children. One of our junior fencers beat all of them and she is only nine years old and has been fencing epee for only 2 months.

[J.Harris]

I don't think the SCA is all that bad it just doesn't produce competetive fencers, maybe the people that came to your club shouldn't have come but that doesn't mean they can't go to the SCA and have fun.

[haroldbuck]

Hey, nice subject line for a troll.

I'd bet if you went to their club they wouldn't be able to believe how bad you are at what *they* do.

[Reebek]

I'm not SCA, but I work with someone who is and loves it. This is my understanding of them:

SCA's objectives are different than ours. They seek to recreate combat - whether fencing, heavy list, or melee-style. They make their own "uniforms" because they seek to emulate what would have been worn in the period they're recreating while still providing themselves with protection from serious injury. They take on a personna - they do research to determine what a person from their chosen geographic region would have been named, their class, and their fighting styles. When they engage in drills or combat, they must be in costume and in character. There's also a heirarchy involved, but I'm not familiar enough with that to go into it. Anyway, it can be quite theatrical, and, depending on the event, quite brutal

[wflaschka]

It also depends on the "era" that the SCA folks are currently reproducing. If they're keyed to broadsword and shield/buckler then they will have a confused approach to modern fencing. Smallsword fighters will have a clearer idea, though iirc they fence in the round and don't have a dynamic distance game. I haven't ever seen an SCA fighter who could survive a similarly experienced fencer, using fencing rules (as one would expect).

IMHO the SCA are a social group where the fighting is a sideline; fencing is an athletic sport where socializing is a sideline. We get the clarity of technique and the expediency of sport, whereas they get to hold big faires with jugglers, punch-n-judy shows, in-costume weddings, and women in bodices.

I hope the SCA people were made to feel welcome. There had to have been a big "fish out of water" feeling among them; considering the mutual contempt that fencing/SCA often hold, they were pretty brave to even show up.

[The0ne]

SCA fencing is just different. I imagine that I would whoop most SCA fencers on the strip, but in a round arena on rough ground or whatever, my guess is I would get my *** handed to me. . . It's like if a baseball player came to a basketball club, he would be pretty bad, even though they both play with balls.

[CarlKnoch]

The SCA is an entertainment that many people in the USA enjoy. It's not competative fencing. It's not trying to be that either, people are just trying to have a good time.

And if the SCA sucks so much. I wonder how they get so many members around the nation.

I was turned on to competative fencing by some guys in the SCA. Without them I would probably not have become a competative fencer.

I've fenced with the SCA before just for fun, and that's all it is. Just for fun. There is room in our world for just this kind of diversity in fencing. Some like to compete, some like to have fun and dress up like they are in some earlier era of our history. Both are valid, and both are good things.

[ReverseLunge]

SCA fencing is just different. I imagine that I would whoop most SCA fencers on the strip, but in a round arena on rough ground or whatever, my guess is I would get my *** handed to me. . . It's like if a baseball player came to a basketball club, he would be pretty bad, even though they both play with balls.

You would not get your butt handed to you. With them it is as simple as just extending and keeping PIL. There actions are just too big.

[ReverseLunge]

The SCA is an entertainment that many people in the USA enjoy. It's not competative fencing. It's not trying to be that either, people are just trying to have a good time.

And if the SCA sucks so much. I wonder how they get so many members around the nation.

Whatever the case these people were very off the wall. They didn't have any awareness of where they were. One guy even had a little cape on. It would be the same as if some guys dressed up as Klingons came to fight you. Only thing is these guys dressed up as Klingon couldn't fight worth crap.

Everyone was trying to be nice but its really hard when these SCA folks were acting so conceited.

[wflaschka]

Everyone was trying to be nice but its really hard when these SCA folks were acting so conceited.

Well, in that case I'm jealous. My inner snob likes to see smug people bumble around and get schooled.

On a similar note, I finaled in a small local tournament last year. The opponent was unathletic, dressed all in black, with a skull-and-crossbones kercheif around his head. He was a certain "type." He'd gotten into the final on the strength of his parry riposte and being very skinny and missable, so I made sure to score the first half of my touches with counter-parry riposte+disengage. Then, because a final bout should leave the fencers tired, I started hitting him without blade contact via flying lunges -- closer to a modern game. He complained to the director about some hard hits (they weren't), but I eventually got him moving. It was all a bit disappointing, since this was the reward for taking out a B/C+ fencer in the semi's, which had been immensely fun and challenging.

When talking after the bout, my opponent said, sniffily, "I don't fence like that." I was very surprised (that he thought he had that option), and almost said, "Well of course! You can't." I think I said, "That's super" instead. I didn't want to point out that I'd taken special pains to humiliate his hand game before I nuked him from space. I'd felt like I was beating him up, but his purer-than-thou attitude made it all good again.

[Zeta]

Well, I couldn't help but laugh after reading the decription of the SCA, but I must admit it sounds fun. I certainly would not have tried going up against a real fencer if I were a part of that group, though. It's like apples to oranges.

[prototoast]

We get the clarity of technique and the expediency of sport, whereas they get to hold big faires with jugglers

Speaking as a juggler, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't associate us with SCA people.

[swordsen]

Over the years we have had several SCA people come to our club to learn more about fencing to improve their game. They learned our way and at times we woudl play their way. It was fun. We only had one who stuck around for very long though.
We did have one of our fencers go into SCA havies. Where many of his opponents learned with dismay that a parry riposte works very well with a rattan club.

[frenzl]

its not a 'sport' thats why it not our fencing ----> whatever floats your boat!

[Inquartata]

Poor RL, he sems to be absolutely surrounded by inferiors wherever he goes...

[ReverseLunge]

Poor RL, he sems to be absolutely surrounded by inferiors wherever he goes...

Oh come on! Why do you want to put me down for?

[swordsen]

Probably has somethign to do with the fact that so many of your threads start off by putting someone else down....

[J.Harris]

I really hope a moderator locks this before RL has a chance to reply to that.

[ReverseLunge]

I really hope a moderator locks this before RL has a chance to reply to that.

I guess I deserved that.

[MikeHarm]

The fast tempo and timing of a skilled modern competitive fencer I think would destroy folks trying to fence from a SCA angle whatever historical style they were using, and wether they were fencing on a strip or in the round.