Why Rapier is Good for Hardsuit or How I learned to Crossdress
I know like any good squire you asked yourself a single question with this post. “If this is a Squires site, why did he include SCA Rapier combat as a category?”
The answer is simple, so you can become a better fighter, thats why. I started out in the SCA fighting rapier as a result of my time fencing in college, and it tought me a few major things as a result. The first was how to fight in a 360 degree circle as opposed to linear combat. The second, short, quick, movements are always better then big sweeping strokes. The third being that I looked pretty damn good in a poofy shirt, but thats for another time. Okay so how does this translate to hardsuit aside from the obvious? Well break it down to its elements.
If you take a look at the actual style of SCA Hardsuit Combat, our main fighting style is primarily a combination of sabre and backsword. The flatsnap, the wrap and their thumbside variants, all draw from these two styles. Therefore there is alot to be gained from the proper study of guard positions, sabre technique and most importantly, footwork. Think about this the next time your at practice. Instead of muscling through your opponent, focus on how your place your feet in respect to your upper body. Let you upper body carry the power of the shot, while keeping light on your feet and moving into positon for the next shot. If you use a thrusting tip, consider point control. There have been many fights where simply knowing how to use a thrusting tip effectively and accurately have aided many to victory.
So the next time your at an event, throw on your sundays best, grap a rapier and give it a shot. You may find that alot of the motions translate well into harduit. Besides, girls love a man who can dance when hes not out clubbing.
-Yoshi
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