The head shot

[Jonathan Atkin]

freeze this at around 40-43 seconds that looks like a REAL hatchet lol wtf! lol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-920nTEmFCA

edited to add look for it bottom left

[Vitus von Atzinger]

I'm not sure what a battle of this kind (done in deadly earnest) would look like. Bending over to finish a guy off could be very, very dangerous. I suppose the deal would be to knock guys down and then advance over them- letting the guys behind you take captives or kill the bums. Of course, that would rarely work if guys stop to grab each other for ransom. I guess the cutting edges of weapons must actually be a deciding factor- otherwise these guys would be seriously hurt in droves.

Broken fingers and wrists must be fairly common among these guys.

I like the video of the guy doing all of the shield bashes- pretty cool to watch.

[Vitus von Atzinger]

Yeah, I noticed the hatchet guy yesterday. I was dying with laughter.

[Leo Medii]

I do know that we've been doing some fighting at our local practice where only a telling blow to an unarmored spot counts.

It totally changes the way you fight.

[Vitus von Atzinger]

Yeah. It does.

[Galfrid atte grene]

What strikes me the most is that they all have great kits in pretty much every video. I wonder why their medieval fighting groups can pull that off but here in the SCA we cannot. Is it just a matter of motivation? Rules (that allow em to field so many despite restrictions)? Availability? I dunno.

[Leo Medii]

What strikes me the most is that they all have great kits in pretty much every video. I wonder why their medieval fighting groups can pull that off but here in the SCA we cannot. Is it just a matter of motivation? Rules (that allow em to field so many despite restrictions)? Availability? I dunno.

I think it might have to do with the rules of the SCA as well? The SCA has NO restrictions on how you look to fight. It is in some ways even advantageous to not wear protective equipment or armor.

Also, I bet pain is a great motivator. The pain from a strike of a rebated weapon is WAY worse than a rattan one. I can tell you this as a fact.

[Baron Alcyoneus]

Yeah, I noticed the hatchet guy yesterday. I was dying with laughter.

Don't be such a puss, he was only using the back side of it.

The front edge is for rhino's.

[Richard of Rivenvale]

:shock:

what he said

Ditto!

[Peikko]

What strikes me the most is that they all have great kits in pretty much every video. I wonder why their medieval fighting groups can pull that off but here in the SCA we cannot. Is it just a matter of motivation? Rules (that allow em to field so many despite restrictions)? Availability? I dunno.

I suspect that they have a smaller target timeframe...looks like 14th and 15th century gear for the most part.

[Signo]

From an outsider, I could suggest 2 reasons behind their average better look:
1) maybe people from the old world are more easily hooked with their roots, thus strive to improve their kit during the years, that is one of the main goal of reenactment (fighting and battles usually are just the cake to have fun and make people happy),not the purpose of the event.
2) Rules are then different, look come before safety, because safety is supposed to be "active" and not "passive" (no thrust allowed and so on).

In short, you are comparing oranges to apples, the fact that you see them fighting doesn't mean that they are doing it the way you do it, it's all different, like comparing nascar to indycar.

The reason that make those battle just confused melee, is that probably nobody cares if their side win or lose, most of the time who win is scripted, and even if it's not, fight for win is not encouraged, because there are not the safety requirement to make a safe competitive fight.

p.s. most of those poleweapons look like padded or made of some sort of rubber, while probably swords are steel and not Al.

p.p.s. They are crazy, but not so crazy as it may look.

[Peikko]

Well, it would seem that they indeed have rules. Some seem very rigid while others are vague. I found this Russian group (www.bugurt.ru) and some of their rules are found here: http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_ur ... =yfp-t-887 ...my apologies for the horrid translation, but you get the idea.

[Aaron]

I do know that we've been doing some fighting at our local practice where only a telling blow to an unarmored spot counts.

It totally changes the way you fight.

Avalon did this in Japan, and it's fun and often causes a lot of laughter. It's very difficult and often quite amusing looking.

-Aaron

[hrolf]

Now, this is probably more to most people liking here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPx5eoz_ ... re=related

*proper* use of a round shield at 0:30 or so.

that looked beautiful.

[Lloyd]

Check out the pole weapon at 1:23 and tell me you're want to get hit by that thing at Gulf Wars.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ipr_IH5f ... ature=fvwp

Wow.

I like the guy with the glaive at 1:40 thrusting into a mass of bodies.

Aw, good times....

[Francisco Lopez de Leon]

Now, this is probably more to most people liking here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPx5eoz_ ... re=related

*proper* use of a round shield at 0:30 or so.

that looked beautiful.

BAM! Kick it up a notch!

[Steve S.]

In the first video, I'm not certain the guy is actually hit in the head? It looks to me like axe man hits him in his sword arm?

I love how first little-axe man just stands back and lets big axe man pummel his foes for him.

Steve

[Magnus The Black]

Now, this is probably more to most people liking here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPx5eoz_ ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htzHf9lb ... re=related

Now that looks like fun!

G+

Agreed your Majesty. I love the leg take downs the shield punching and the kicking. That stuff is awesome, and shows proper technique!

[TakedaSanjuichiro]

Despite the danger and other issues...

It/they look awsome!!!

-Takeda

[Peikko]

Howdy,
this is the response from Artem (Slayerbulia) who posted the original vid on youtube:
" Re:Питання про ваше відео бою на мечах
Hello.

We could use English if you like.

This depends on situation: in case of bougurt (global battle) - there is a simple rules - while you are standing - you are alive. You fall - you dead. Somewhere spears and stabs in general are legal to use, somewhere don't. It's against the rulles to hit in groan, use your fists and legs to hit someone and things like that.
The weapon could be steel or duralumin - it depends on the rules of the game or festival.
If it's one to one fight or up to 5 man on both sides hits are counted by the referies to see who is winning...

In general there are two major directions :
1. Festivals and tournaments - it's more serious, steel weapons, spears etc. Serious historical reconstraction of armory, weapon, etc.
2. LARP (games as we call it)- sometimes steel, duralumin most of the times. Topic could be historical or based on fantasy. Not so much attencion on reconstruction.

Have i answered your question?

Artem."

So the rules would appear to vary depending on where your playing...as would the authenticity.

[Jonathan Atkin]

groin shot with a steel spear

[Francisco Lopez de Leon]

Jonathan: Thanks... I didn't know that my testicles could retract like a kangaroo's, until you said that. Yeesh.





But seriously, I'd love to see kit as homogenously slick as what we see in those shots @ SCA events.

I know Atlantia's done it, but is there any other redion making people oh, I dunno... LOOK MEDIEVAL? You know, at our "Medieval" events?

[Peikko]

groin shot with a steel spear

nope groins not a legal target...but I'm sure it happens, you just don't have to take it.

[Peikko]

...But seriously, I'd love to see kit as homogenously slick as what we see in those shots @ SCA events.

I know Atlantia's done it, but is there any other redion making people oh, I dunno... LOOK MEDIEVAL? You know, at our "Medieval" events?

It would seem that they push the living history side real hard at events...we could do this too, if we wanted.

[Jonathan Atkin]

groin shot with a steel spear

nope groins not a legal target...but I'm sure it happens, you just don't have to take it.

if you can take a shot like that and not fall on the ground your a stronger man then I

[Peikko]

groin shot with a steel spear

nope groins not a legal target...but I'm sure it happens, you just don't have to take it.

if you can take a shot like that and not fall on the ground your a stronger man then I

no, a mere mortal

[Peikko]

If anyone fancy's a chance to try this sort of thing, you might want to see this thread: http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2/ ... p?t=113610

[Goldor]

This looks like a lot of fun.. I'd like to try it if I could XD.