Sword Fighting, Fencing, & Stage Combat

Sandi & I are sport fencers and students of theatrical stage combat. We both enjoy swords. We believe that you have to have a very secure relationship to trust your spouse with a 4 foot blade in their hand. Fencing and sword fighting is an excellent way to keep in shape, and both forms work your mind as well as your body.

Fencing

*The Olympic sport of fencing is comprised of three weapons: foil, epee, and saber.

A. Epee: Similar to the dueling swords of the mid-19th century, epees have stiff blades with a triangular cross section,
and large bell guards.

B. Saber: Descended from dueling sabers of the late 19th century, which were in turn descended from naval and cavalry swords, sabers have a light, flat blade and a knuckle guard.

C. Foil: Descended from the 18th century small sword, the foil has a thin, flexible blade with a square cross-section and a small bell guard

The most popular of eastern fencing techniques is Kendo, the Japanese "Way of the Sword". Kendo is fought with a bamboo shinai, intended to resemble a two-handed Japanese battle sword.

Sword fighting as a sport has existed since ancient Egypt, and has been practiced in many forms in various cultures since then. Modern fencing owes more to unarmored dueling forms that evolved from 16th century rapier combat.

By the mid-19th century, dueling was in decline as a means of settling disputes, partially because victory could lead to a jail term for assault or manslaughter. Emphasis shifted to defeating the opponent without necessarily killing him, and less fatal dueling forms evolved using the dueling sword, or epee de terrain, an unedged variant of the small sword. Later duels often ended with crippling thrusts to the arm or leg, and fewer legal difficulties for the participants. Dueling faded away altogether in the early 20th century. This is the basis of modern fencing.

Rapiers "Real" fencing is a duel with sharp swords and lives on the line. The primary difference here is that with live blades
you only need to hit your opponent once, and therefore only require one good move . The sport fencer, by comparison,
has to hit his opponent as many as 15 times. The sport fencer takes many more defensive risks, since he has up to 15 lives to work with.

There is a saying that it takes two lifetimes to master fencing. By the time anyone has come close to "mastering" the sport, they are long past their athletic prime. Some may feel that this is a drawback to the sport, but most fencers see it as a great strength: fencing never becomes dull or routine; there are always new skills to master, and new grounds to conquer.

On the athletic side, speed and endurance must rank foremost. Other traits that can be exploited are strength (for explosive speed,), precision, and flexibility. Quick reaction time is extremely important.

On the intellectual side, a good mind for strategy and tactics is essential. The ability to quickly size up your opponent and adapt your style accordingly is essential.

Psychologically, a fencer must be able to maintain focus, concentration, and emotional level-headedness under intense conditions of combat. Stress management, visualization, and relaxation techniques are all helpful to putting in winning performances.

As far as body type goes, it is always possible to adapt your style to take advantage of your natural traits. Even so, height seems to be useful in epee, but not necessarily in saber. Small or thin people are harder to hit in foil. A long reach helps in epee, and long legs are an asset in foil.

Beginner's dry fencing setup: about $100 - $200 US Includes: cotton jacket, glove, dry weapon, mask

*My thanks to Morgan Burke for allowing me to excerpt blocks of his Fencing FAQs. Thanks to The Weapons Emporium, for the picture of Sabre/Foil Epee.

Theatrical Stage Combat

As students of stage combat both Sandi and I perform with swords at Renaissance Festivals and other entertainment venues, Events like movie openings, "Zorro" and "Ever After"for example and intermission shows at sporting events. In addition I perform stunts such as high falls, burn stunts, and together we work with whips and stage firearms. While there is an element of danger in any stunt performance we endeavor to take every professional precaution possible to make the stunt as safe as possible. In the past 4 years that we have been doing stunt work neither of us have been injured in any way.

Although we use many of the same skills developed in competition fencing, theatrical combat is a completely different art. Theatrical combat is acting. There is no competition involved, (except in the audition hall when you are trying to get hired to play the part over other actors). It is no less formalized than Olympic style fencing but in addition to making the correct sword moves a theatrical combat practitioner is also required to remember and deliver lines of dialog, hit his/her mark on the stage and act out the role/character they are playing. Because the camera forgives little during a fight scene it must be believable and yet safe for the actors involved. When you are doing 3 shows a day you can not afford to be injured. On a film set or during a stage show run, down time is lost revenue and holds the probability, for the actor, that you will not be hired again by that production company.

The swords we use are very different from the light foils we fence with. Rapiers and broadswords from the pages of history. OK, they're reproductions and the edges are not sharp... think I'm nuts? (don't answer that!) Of course my favorite weapons are the Scottish blades, but my lovely wife Sandi bought me a Del Tin Rapier that's a wonderful piece.

We have both trained with "The RING OF STEEL" Theatrical Stage Combat and Stunt Troupe in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The "Ring" is one of the premier training groups for theatrical stage combat in the United States. The Rings Director, professional actor, sword master, master fencer and certified stunt performer is Chris Barbeau I highly recommend that anyone interested in learning how to sword fight, do theatrical stunts, perform at renaissance festivals or anyone interested in an exciting, fun and enjoyable hobby give them a look.

For more info on "The Ring Of Steel" check out their Web Page.

Another organization I am a member of is the Society of American Fight Directors. The SAFD is a professional training and certification organization with chapters in many states that promote stage combat and professional stunt work and constantly work to advance the art of stage combat. With representatives in almost every state the ASFD constantly works to advance technique and improve safety within the industry. There is a link at the bottom of the page if you want more information.

Just what is "Theatrical Combat?"

Theatrical combat is a multidisciplinary performance art that combines acting with elements of fencing, martial arts, dance, and music to allow the staging of safe and effective stage violence.

Violence is rampant in the theatrical profession. Not real violence perpetrated by individuals to the detriment of others, but choreographed violence presented by performers for the enjoyment of others.

How does this "Theatrical Combat" differ from Fencing?

Fencing is called Escrime in French and Scherma in Italian, both terms coming from Medieval root words for "skirmishing;" however in English, "Fencing" is a contraction of an ancient phrase that describes swordplay as "the Art of Defense and Offense" and in our modern world has come to mean the competitive sport as it is practiced with three theoretical "weapons" - the foil, the epee, and the saber.

The practice of any one of these weapons is an art unto itself; mastering them is a difficult and arduous task. No less arduous, however, is the art of Theatrical or Classical Swordplay (Escrime Theatrical or Ancienne,) which is not fencing, but another art that descends, like fencing, from the art of the sword, but, unlike fencing, has another ancestor in that other ancient art of humankind, the art of telling stories to thrill, delight, amuse and instruct.

The concepts of competition have no place in the context of theatrical fight scenes at all. Performing a fight of any sort is above all a cooperation between partners, not a competition between opponents. When that cooperation is coupled with skill and training a performance can be raised to a higher level of reality where it allows an audience to suspend its disbelief and become involved emotionally with the action, rather than merely being spectators. ** My thanks to Chris Barbeau from the Ring of Steel, for allowing me to excerpt blocks of his Web Page info FAQ.

Sword Collecting

Along with fencing both Sandi & I collect edged weapons. I collect mostly Scottish pieces. I have several Scottish basket hilt broad swords and back sword, claymore's, phallic dirks, regimental dirks, skein due (black knife in Gaelic) and related paraphernalia. I also have a modest collection of hunting and folding knives, several German daggers and bayonets and several katana's including Connor's sword from the first Highlander movie. Add to this my fencing sabers, epees and foils and it leaves little room on the wall of my den. Sandi has all of the stage combat and fencing blades I do and her pride Duncan's sword form the Highlander TV series. We are currently working on a stage fight for our local Renaissance festival I as a kilted Scot warrior and she as a sexy red headed woman of the blade.

This is the oldest sword on my collection it dates from the late 1700's. It's a basket hilted broad sword. That means both edges are sharp (or used to be). A back sword would have only one edge sharp.

It's in poor shape because during that time the Scot's were not allowed to have weapons (or wear the Tartan).

Well, the Scots have never been ones to listen to the Englishers and when the order was given to surrender their swords many hid them. They buried them or hid them in the thatched roofs of their houses.

The problem with that is that these swords have a high carbon content and they tend to rust quickly. Many wonderful weapons were lost in this way.

The ones the English got did not fare any better. They had the hilts broke off and the metal used for other purposes. In the 1980's an English historian staying in a small pub in Scotland was labeled a nut when he offered the local farmer 500 pounds for the rusty metal garden fence in his front yard. What the farmer did not know was that the fence was made from old blades. Several were Andre Farrah blades.

Historic Swords In the picture to the right, he sword on the left is a Scottish two-handed sword or 'Claidheamh da laimh' (often referred to as ‘Claymore’). The imported blade is stamped upon the forte with an escutcheon bearing a foreign, probably German, blade-maker's mark. The hilt, having the long grip and guard with sloping arms ending in quatrefoils, is typical of Highland 'great' swords of this period, and was made in Scotland, c1550-1600.

The second sword is a very rare survival, a longsword or ‘halflang’ sword of circa 1400. It is thought to have been found in Ireland. Despite this, it is of a form characteristic of Scottish medieval swords, having a drooping guard, the arms of which carry spatulate terminals. Medieval swords of this type were probably the stylistic ancestors of the later two-handed Highland swords.

The third weapon is another sixteenth-century two-handed Scottish sword, but of Lowland rather than Highland design. The blade, probably German (as were most blades used by Scottish sword-makers) carries the mark of the running wolf, as well as a maker's mark of a small punched shield.

The sword to the right is the type of sword that was said to have been used by William Wallace, the legendary Scottish warlord portrayed by Mel Gibson in the 1995 movie, Braveheart. Although Wallace did use a large sword similar to a claymore, his was a bit different from the blades we normally think of when we hear the term claymore. The actual sword used by Wallace, on display in Stirling, Scotland, has no leather-wrapped ricassa and has a blade that angles to a more acute point. It is entirely possible that Wallace used a standard Claymore during his years of battle, but the sword that is regarded as his primary weapon is not the claymore most people think of.

Digression aside, the claymore was an awesome weapon on the battlefield. The amazing reach (as much as 60 inches of overall length for standard claymores)made it extremely difficult for opponents to close with the weilder. The long ricasso allowed the bearer to switch to a more close-quarters style of combat should an opponent make it inside his distance.

The claymore (or more accurately, "Claidheamh-mor" meaning "greatsword" in Gaelic) was first reportedly used in the 15th century, and was used as recently as the 18th century. It was one of three popular weapons used by Highlanders (the other two being the Scottish Dirk and the Highland halberd (an axe on the end of a long pole, often refered to as a pole-arm).

The claymore (or more accurately, "Claidheamh-mor" in Gaelic) was first reportedly used in the 13th century, and was used as recently as the 18th century. The twisted hilt claymore was the most recent of the claymores (c. 1500) and features the downward-angled crosses that end in small honeycomb patterns. The twisted wooden hilt was a better way to grip the sword (and the fact that it looks so damn cool probably had something to do with its broad acceptance among highlanders)

The name associated with Scottish blades, Andre Ferrara, appears to have originally belonged to a Venetian maker,or family of makers, towards the end of the 16th century . The best Scottish swords were made by Italians, by Andre Ferrara, who settled at Zaragoza. The Moors petted and named them like children: Mahomet called his weapon, the "Sword of God." One had the inscription, "Do not draw me without cause, do not sheath me without honour." The Scots said they had magical powers.

Our sword collection

A few other of the blades from our collection.

From left to right - Scottish Phallic Dirk, Scottish Claymore, Military Basket Hilt, M.A.S. Weapons Stage Combat Swept Hilt Rapier, Highlander Connor's Sword, Scottish Basket Hilt Broad Sword, Highlander Duncan's Sword, M.A.S Weapons Italian Foil Rapier, Dress & Ancient Scottish Black Knives, Katana, Stage Combat Epee Rapier, Scottish Military Dirk.

Some of my favorite Sword Scenes

Assorted Sword, Fencing and Stage Combat links

Florida Fencing Club Links

Central Florida Fencing - http://www.centralflfencing.com/

Central East Coast
Knight Blades F.C.
Daytona Beach Community College FC Orlando and Vicinity
D'Alerta Fencing Academy
Fencing Knights of UCF
Fencing Academy of Orlando
Florida Musketeers
Orlando Fencing Club
Winter Garden Fencing Academy

West Coast (NEW)

Peter Harris Academy of Fencing

The PHA Fencing Club, conveniently serves fencers located between Sarasota and Fort Myers. By utilizing the facilities of area community centers.

Learn the ancient art of combat by sword through our fencing program. Fencing is not only a great recreational activity for youth and adults, but it also combines physical and mental abilities and practices to improve coordination, endurance and motor skills.

At the PHA Fencing Club you will receive fencing instruction for any or all three weapon categories, including foil, sabre and epee. Our students come in all sizes, ages and levels of play, including seniors and the disabled.

Resources:

The Fencing Post On Line

Renaissance Fencing Club

The official website for the United States Fencing Association

World-Wide fencing, online training resources, and a search engine of fencing sites.

American Fencing Magazine | Official Publication of the USFA.

Fencing 101

Classical Fencing:

Martinez Classical Fencing and Historical Swordsmanship's

Elizabethan fencing

The Di Grasse Manual

Swords: