The Armour Archive

This past weekend I heard of a discussion of a group (household?) that uses hollowed out rattan for their swords and sandbags for the thrusting tips. So they can swing faster and harder. They also hit hard enough that you bruise through your steel leg armor. Also they don't take a hit unless you swing as hard as you possibly can and hit them directly on the cheek.

I am trying to decide if I want to go into heavy fighting and this is not engouraging. Is this normal for SCA fighting? Is this something where you trade a few blows and then chiviralicly decline to fight any more? Is hollow rattan legal?

Congrats! You have fallen victim to "This is why we dont win!" itis.

Don't believe the hype.. sounds like several things all rolled into one.. someone who uses siloflex and makes non-speed-compress thrusty points.. (both of which I have been known to do.. but they ARE legal), and just takes at a higher level than someone wants to hit.

I have been hit by guys using regular sticks, not hitting insanely hard, and been bruised through metal.. its really NOT that hard to do.

Maeryk

Don't believe other people's sour grapes. If they legitimately had a beef, it is easy to bring the matter up with the marshals.

Character assassination is easy too.

Next time, ask "Have you talked to a marshal about it?" if they say no, then reply "Then keep your mouth shut." I would find it forgivable to use stronger language if the situation allowed it.

Character assassination is a loathsome activity, and it sullies the game.

f

There are small groups of people who do freaky stuff, and who seem to be playing a different game. Yes, some people also cheat outright. However, these people are very, very rare.

Think about it.. hollowed out rattan hits harder? Not unless you fill it with lead. In which case it's definately not "faster".
Tell whoever was spreading these rumours to practice using his sword arm rather than the tongue.

-Dmitriy

P.S. So far the only horrific-sounding rumour I found to be true was that people out east wear cleats for fighting

Wow... I wear cleats. Am I evil? Yes I am! Ooops, sorry, went off on a song there. Seriously, I wear 6the reebok football cleats because on grass I cant walk if I dont. I have a foot drop and residual paralysis from back surgery. I have about 40% use of my right leg and no lateral support on the outside of the calf so if I walk on stuff like grass my ankle rolls on every step. BUT... with the cleats it's almost like walking normal again. I'm not totally sure why it works but it does. Way cool!

the most evil thing i have heard of (regarding SCA fighting) is how the CA pick out anyone wearing a white belt or a crown, or shiny armour.

Combat Archers do make the game more realistic, but i have to say, the nobility is hard pressed to stay alive when they are about.

Animal,

You're evil through natural inclination, not because you "Cheat". I believe that in this instance, there is distinction.

f

Im not any sort of expert on it, but my hunch is that if you tried to hollow out rattan and then hit someone with it at full force, it would probably just collapse under the force. Not really very useful. I can see someone trying to make their sword tip-heavy to get more force on it, though, but I suspect that would make them slower, if anything. Its my impression that a hilt-heavy sword handles faster.

So, as others have said, sounds like wild rumour to me.

I am trying to decide if I want to go into heavy fighting and this is not engouraging. Is this normal for SCA fighting? Is this something where you trade a few blows and then chiviralicly decline to fight any more? Is hollow rattan legal?

Things like force and fighting norms vary depending on where you are, so whatever I say probably wont be a simple answer for you. Having said that, I wouldnt let rumours of that sort dissuade you from trying out heavy combat. Ive never had any complaints about it, and Im just about the smallest/lightest person at fighter practice.

Having said that, people are going to be hitting you with a stick, and even with armour you're not going to avoid all bruises. Probably the best thing to do is just to go to a local fighter practice and give it a try, talk to the Marshall and some of the people there.

Knight's Realm wrote:the most evil thing i have heard of (regarding SCA fighting) is how the CA pick out anyone wearing a white belt or a crown, or shiny armour.

Combat Archers do make the game more realistic, but i have to say, the nobility is hard pressed to stay alive when they are about.

I see nothing wrong with this (as a CA) I was told to shoot anyone with a white belt, crown (with permission), shiny helm and anyone giving orders or who looks important. It destroys the enemys command system and leaves them unorganzied and without a leader

actually if those are glenns lyrics animal it is "am i demon, (you) need to know"

regards
logan

Animal wrote:Wow... I wear cleats. Am I evil? Yes I am! Ooops, sorry, went off on a song there. Seriously, I wear 6the reebok football cleats because on grass I cant walk if I dont. I have a foot drop and residual paralysis from back surgery. I have about 40% use of my right leg and no lateral support on the outside of the calf so if I walk on stuff like grass my ankle rolls on every step. BUT... with the cleats it's almost like walking normal again. I'm not totally sure why it works but it does. Way cool!

Glenn...what a pain in my ass that guy was...the hardest skull I have ever encountered.

Knight's Realm wrote:the most evil thing i have heard of (regarding SCA fighting) is how the CA pick out anyone wearing a white belt or a crown, or shiny armour.

That's not evil, that's just funny. I try and do the same thing but I use a spear.

i did some security for the guy back during the lucy fudge tour. never had any issues with him. of course when things went bad, really bad, at rockafellas in columbia i was able to get him out to the van in one piece. so maybe he liked me for that.

regards
logan

Vitus wrote:Glenn...what a pain in my ass that guy was...the hardest skull I have ever encountered.

I was pals with him for years, and then he became a cock-rock dork. he produced an album of mine, and he and my label screwed the pooch big time.

sorry to hear that. like i said, he was always cool with me but that was back in the day after it was back in the day so to speak. then five came out and i had enough. hadnt seen him since then. not surprised though, he always thought himself a big time rock star more important than most. but i know all too well what its like to have a "pal" slap you in the face. but we learn from that and are better prepared to pick more wisely.

regards
logan

ps would love to hear some of your stuff if i can get a copy somewhere.

Vitus wrote:I was pals with him for years, and then he became a cock-rock dork. he produced an album of mine, and he and my label screwed the pooch big time.

Glenn is cool! I met him at ComicCon one year.

He was supposed to have a big part in Prophecy 2 kind of as a prelude to him getting the part of Wolverine in the X-Men movie, but then he got cut form the movie because they didn't like working with him and he didn't act so well.

DA

PS- I met Leif Garret one time,

My sister and I met Glenn in a Kmart before a show at
the local arena. I think he was getting shapoo. She
was a huge fan so she was pretty psyched when
I stopped him and introduced us.

mike

Actually the line was from a Diamondhead song" Am I evil". Metallica covered it on one of their albums too.

seyc wrote:This past weekend I heard of a discussion of a group (household?) that uses hollowed out rattan for their swords and sandbags for the thrusting tips.

Sandbags for thrusting tips would be illegal. If they broke, you could have sand in someone's eyes. That would be bad. It can happen anyway, just from falling down, etc, but that would not be intentionally hitting someone in the eyes with it.

Also they don't take a hit unless you swing as hard as you possibly can and hit them directly on the cheek.?

The other guy ALWAYS takes harder shots.

Is hollow rattan legal?

I suppose it could be, but it would be pointless. Take a 1.25" whippy stick, and turn it into a straw. It won't last long, and it isn't going to have the structural rigidity to hit harder. The added speed increases bounceback, not felt force.

When I was using 1.25 inch sanded rattan, I was blowing up a sword every practice or so. A hollow rattan stick would be pointless unless you were going to load it with something. And putting extra weight on the end of it, a la a sandbag, would just make a hollow rattan sword bend farther around your opponent kinda like siloflex, not really "hit" harder- much of the energy would be go into the sword's bending not be transmitted into the target.

Alaric

Dmitriy wrote:Think about it.. hollowed out rattan hits harder? Not unless you fill it with lead.

No, Dmitriy, you have to hollow it out so that you can stick the rebar into it. Not only does it make the sword last longer, but it gives you a good base to weld the trailer ball thrusting tip to.

- Scott

If your gonna hollow it out, cork is the way to go! Talk to Sammy Sosa He'll tell ya!
Back to topic

This is a club with people, some people are ass-monkeys. If people are caught cheating, they are delt with. The best I can offer is: give it a try, you may fall in love with it.

hmm,

two things, first is, i think youi would need a really good lathe to even try to hollow out a piece of rattan.


the second its, i know some CA's, why do you think i'm making my own armour well, but dull and unobtrusive?

Knight's Realm wrote:the most evil thing i have heard of (regarding SCA fighting) is how the CA pick out anyone wearing a white belt or a crown, or shiny armour.

Combat Archers do make the game more realistic, but i have to say, the nobility is hard pressed to stay alive when they are about.

Hey, guess what? I hunt them with my spear as well!

Knight's Realm wrote:the most evil thing i have heard of (regarding SCA fighting) is how the CA pick out anyone wearing a white belt or a crown, or shiny armour.

Combat Archers do make the game more realistic, but i have to say, the nobility is hard pressed to stay alive when they are about.

There is CA bodyguards tactic to prevent that, shoot the enemy CA before they shoots your boss... You can also have a ninja bodyguard who can parry the arrow and throw shuriken back at them... And well... Flip out and kill everyone... ;-P

Fukushima Masanari Hanzo wrote:There is CA bodyguards tactic to prevent that, shoot the enemy CA before they shoots your boss... You can also have a ninja bodyguard who can parry the arrow and throw shuriken back at them... And well... Flip out and kill everyone... ;-P

Sort of all off the topic at hand, but it brings to mind something I had wondered about earlier... are you allowed to 'parry' an arrow? As in, with your sword or other weapon? Someone mentioned to me that in light combat, parrying one of those rubber-band guns with your weapon can result in the weapon being 'destroyed' by the shot. I dont think it would work the same way in heavy, but Im curious.


Just because it would be pretty darn cool to cut incoming arrows out of the air! Take that, Swordmasters of Hoeth! </obscure reference>

Woah..wait a minute.


Glenn? as in DANZIG?!


And Animal....F'ing DIAMONDHEAD?!?!


I woke up in the 80's this morning! Someone bring me Erin Gray and a bottle of magic shell!

Endymion wrote:Just because it would be pretty darn cool to cut incoming arrows out of the air!

Sir Takamatsu does it all the time. He spent a significant amount of time practicing it.

Pretty much if you are looking at an archer they can't kill you.

Gaston

bdebedebedebeb.. OKAY BUCK!

Maeryk

I met Erin Gray about a year and a half ago at a show. She was still pretty hot.

Gotta say thought that the girl (Ornella Muti) who played Princess Aura in Flash Gordon was Waaaaaaaaay hotter.

Alaric

DukeAlaric wrote:I met Erin Gray about a year and a half ago at a show. She was still pretty hot.

Gotta say thought that the girl (Ornella Muti) who played Princess Aura in Flash Gordon was Waaaaaaaaay hotter.

Alaric

What, no pics? where's the love, skinny man?

LOL

regards,

Jonathan Blackbow

I have a signed 8x10 of her around in a box somewhere, but as I am in the process of moving, I ain't going to pull it out.

but just for you... enjoy the love.

Alaric

[img]http://www.geocities.com/snakepliskin1971/039_34594.jpg[/img]

for all your retro babe needs http://www.retrocrush.com/babes.html

The only Thing I see hollowing out a Rattan sword for would to put a lead weight in it to slide from one end the other. Like a Dead blow hammer. So when you hit the surface all the force is transmitted to in a single blow. I have also heard that in the early days of the SCA. That they would wrap Mase's with lead, or attach Vacums to the ends of rattan swords and siphon Elmers glue up it. But these were justr Rummors

from Knoch