Posts: 599 Location: Brooklyn, NY
Fri 16 Oct, 2009 12:56 pm
Lets break it down in a list and compare the two in a table form.
...................................................................................... WMA....................................... SCA
Use of simple cuts and guards to build upon: ....................... Yes......................................... Yes
Use of drills to develop technique:......................................... Yes........................................ Yes
Use of predetermined attacks and defenses............................Yes........................................ Yes
Flexibility to adjust as the fight develops.................................Yes........................................ Yes
Priority of defense and attacking defensively........................... Yes......................................... Yes
Ability to kill if weapons were real...........................................Yes......................................... Yes
Verifiable by historical sources................................................Yes(1).....................................Yes(2)
Open to influences from other fighting arts................................?(3)..........................................Yes
Used in Melee tactics............................................................?(3)..........................................Yes
Free mixing of weapon forms..................................................?(3)..........................................Yes
(sorry about the misaligned columns. It is hard to get straight in this post format. It looks straight when I type it)
(1) The level of historical sources may vary with the different weapon forms. For example while we have a good deal of information on longsword and rapier, we have a limited amount of information on buckler, poleax, sickles, dueling
shields. A good deal of extrapolation is done from one source to another on forms were less historical information exists.
(2)We see through period art and literature the the detailed use of shieldwalls and flanking maneuvers as a staple of combat. We also see the use of skirmishing units and archers to break up lines. We see the use of terrain to aid in combat. All these things will will employed at any large melee battle in the SCA.
Furthermore, while the individual SCA techniques did not originate from historical manuals, the historical manuals as they have been recently interpreted serve as validation of techniques used in the SCA. The techniques I have been taught all originate from the lower body. Their is a good deal of similarity between the various strikes with sword and shield. on-side/offside=Zwerchhue, slot shot=Schielhau, Krumphue- there is an advanced offside people use. It is very good at getting into someone ribs or arm. Scheitelhau- there is an funky on-side shot we use to get over shields topside. Zornhues come into play when people fight single sword or greatsword. The use of these techniques becomes more apparent when you see people fight greatsword since it is more recognizable in that form. Do they transition for guard to guard... obviously if you swing and don't come back to a guard to rest you get killed. I talk to a lot of people who have studied Asian sword arts in the SCA, they see similar similarities with the Asian sword arts.
(3) Just because the information is not available to us does not mean it did not exist.