Monthly Archive for October, 2008

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Published on 29 October, 2008 in Articles. 0 Comments

Something big is in the pipeline, and Halloween next year promises to be very big for the western sword arts, as for what it is, you’ll have to wait and see:)

As a build up though, We as a school have been working hard to formulate a set of exacting and comprehensive rules for HEMA competition…some of which may seem strict, but we hope they are universally harsh and lead to a higher standard in not only the competitors, but judging as well.

WHY?

Having witnessed a fair few competions in my time in hema, I have been left with a very strong feeling, that(particularly in long-sword) the standard of skill displayed, is over shadowed by a desire to smash, bash, ignore shots, and roll together one the floor as much as possible…

That may seem nasty, as there are, some very skilled long sworders out there, however they are not, as we, (me, my class, every other poor sod in the community are not) getting, or giving to, the full potential our bouting, something I witness more in the realms of (ick, I hate to say it) skilled well paced, rapier competitions.

These Rules have been formulated to get something better from our bouting, that we may leave the mat, with not only an improved ability to strike our opponent, but an improved ability to, not get hit within a counter tempo, through exploitation of distance, winding and the like.

I hope you like them, they will be updated as time goes on, and are by no means set in stone, we are also opening up the discussion forum to a wider audience, so if you wish to benefit from, and add to these rules we’d welcome your input, you can join the forum here (your permissions will have to be set, so don’t worry that you can’t see it straight away).

ANYWAY…

THE RULES

Proviso:

Equipment shall be at minimum; nylon sword, fencing mask, padded gloves.

Further protective gear will be identical to that possessed by the most minimally armoured participant.

victory will be attained:

upon accruing, an agreed number of points from a set number of exchanges, with each exchange being recognized by one or more successful hit, upon that condition being met, the fight shall be re-set.

OR that total not being reached within a set time(ie three mins) the holder of the most points.

Rule 1 clean strikes and points

A clean strike will be:
Any edge, point, or pommel contact on any part of the body, this applies also to buckler strikes, a successful grapple

A strike against an opponent will be awarded 2 points
a strike received will incur a 4 point penalty.
so:
If a strike is given unopposed by party A the score will be: A(+2/-)  B(-/-4)

In  the event of a strike being given and a strike being received at the same time or within a single tempo(double kill).
the score will be awarded A(+2/-4) B(+2/-4) Regardless of the location struck on either party.
However a concessionary point will be held in reserve for a strike deemed superior, these concessionary points will only be used in the event of a tie.
For example.
A strikes through the face of B, be gives a counter touch to the toe of A within a tempo.
a double kill will be awarded, but a will be awarded a concessionary point to be held in reserve for the event of a draw.
so:
A(+2/-4[+1])  B(+2/-4)
Tempo(used in deciding double kills) shall be regarded as follows:
Counter in tempo is…
Counter motion of point or blade(stab, slice, strike) which occurs within one pace, and without the prior withdrawal of the weapon.

So if strikes hits and is hit at the same time.

if A hits and withdraws and is hit as he steps back by B, if: B strikes within one pace/does not pull back the weapon first.

Tempo is not awarded if:

i: B takes more than one pace in pursuit of A

ii: B is struck, pulls back/charges the weapon then strikes A

iii: any combination of the above. A withdraws after a strike, B takes a single pace, leaving the weapon in position, then strikes, the blow and the step must be delivered together to be regarded as in tempo.

A clean takedown grapple(unopposed) will be awarded the full 2 points.

To be clean it must be unopposed with no edge or point contact to any part of the grappler.

A pommel strike counter is not regarded as opposition, but will be awarded as a double kill.

any unresolved standing grapple will be halted after five seconds.

any grapple taken to the floor must abide by the above rules must be done with minimum force and maximum control.
failure to grapple safely will result in disqualification.

IF the grappler is struck by any part of the blade on entering, he is given a score of(-/-4) and the fight is over. conceded to the opponent.

Arm grapples and weapon secures
If a weapon arm/stationary weapon, is secured* and a blow delivered, with no counter blow received, full points will be awarded, upon the release of the arm/weapon, the rule of tempo is suspended.

*a secure: may be:
i: a grip on the arm, or stationary weapon
ii: a trap/pin, of said items with either arm, hand, or buckler

in all cases the motion of the weapon must be visibly halted, for the rule of tempo to be suspended.

If a pommel strike(/buckler strike/punch/butt) is given unopposed within tempo, full points will be awarded.(+2/-)

If like is countered with like (or any of the four interchanged) no point is given to either party.(-/-)

If a pommel strike is countered in tempo with edge or point four points will be deducted(-/-4)

…

Proviso:

Equipment shall be at minimum; nylon sword, fencing mask, padded gloves.

Further protective gear will be identical to that possessed by the most minimally armoured participant.

victory will be attained:

upon accruing, an agreed number of points from a set number of exchanges, with each exchange being recognized by one or more successful hit, upon that condition being met, the fight shall be re-set.

OR that total not being reached within a set time(ie three mins) the holder of the most points.

Enjoy

Dave

Plastic fantastic, why do we need a new sword?

Published on 15 October, 2008 in Articles. 0 Comments

As you may know, the new Nylon/plastic range is pretty well ready, but why would we choose Nylon in the first place, why would we need a new kind of sword?

The answers for us are pretty simple,

If you look at all available products, they all sacrifice something.

Clearly, if you wish for utter realism a sharp sword, made to exacting medieval methods would be perfect, however, to train with any form of realistic intention, would result if not in fatalities, at least, hideous injuries.

So that, as they say, for obvious reasons, is out.

If you move towards feders, either, the realism of feel/balance/weight is sacrificed, or again safety is.

The more realistic the sword becomes for handling purposes the more dangerous it becomes.

Wood: wood is safer…to a degree, except for it’s relative dimensions it is, ill balanced,  unresponsive, and more importantly, due to these properties, a sword shaped club, it also offers no flex in the thrust, making it again potentially more dangerous.

Shinai: I’m not the great hater of shinai that some are, my basic reasoning being that tactile sensitivity and structure make us the master of our tools not the other way around(I do despair when I hear people say that the more inferior the product the more suitable it is for a beginner, as if there comes a cut off point, where your physical knowledge can only be transferred to the highest grade materials).

The reverse should be true, the more competent you become, the more capable you should be of transferring your skills to if necessary, a twig.

However, I often witness with shinai, a lack of edge alignment, they flex in the wrong plane, and the threat removed, encourage bludgeoning, rather than, skilled exchange.

So the idea was to develop a tool in two parts,

Nylons: This is a training sword with realistic handling (weight and balance), which is durable, and ascetically pleasing,  it’s a  safe tool for drilling, and to a limited degree, light, controlled sparring. The range we have come up with, offers a large range of personal choice whilst remaining within the remit of realistic weight and balance.

Plastics: These are intended more as a sparring tool, lighter than the nylon, but still offering realistic handling and feel in the bind, they flex well in the the thrust, whilst maintaining edge to edge rigidity, behaving very much like real flattened hexagonal blade type, the flex also encourages proper edge alignment.

Of course the two ranges are interchangeable and can be used to oppose/train with each other.

one other thing with these, is the social responsibility aspect, that regardless of my feelings, regarding the government’s knee jerk overreaction to swords, we still have a responsibility to work within society and offer re-assurance, through, discipline, and willingness to offer visible safety to the public.

These I think go someway to illustrate that willingness.

I have my own favourites in the range of course, the short handled options in both nylon and plastic, with both long and short blade, with steel and alli crosses, all handle just I would like, the messer also is a dream to play with, others in my schools prefer, longer handles, differing balance, or have a preference for the one component material over another. That in a way is the beauty that these swords offer, not only are they something pleasing to hold and train with, but something that is (as is the case with their sharp historical counterparts) personal to each student of the art, something that feels right in the hand, something that makes you want to train.