Basic sword techniques appropriate for larping

Community Larp discussion
#1

I’m wondering if it’s possible to put down on paper (with illustrations or photos) or make a short video of very basic strikes and blocks that we could give to new players who haven’t had any experience with live combat.

This desire came about today when I felt the urge to go out and practice “something” with my sword so I can develop more of technique than my current: flail about, pull blows and don’t hit anyone in the head/nuts.

I wouldn’t intend for this information to replace practising with experienced fighters or individual instruction. More for the “I’ve just purchased my first sword from Paddywhack and will be rocking up to my first larp in 2 weeks and want a little basic technique.”

Is there anything like this out there already? I’d like:

  • How to hold your sword correctly (one and two handed)
  • Basic strikes
  • Basic blocks
  • Basic sword and shield

Something like that …

#2

People are often distracted by the idea of stances, strikes and blocks when trying to learn how to use a sword. They don’t realize that most combat, especially where there are multiple opponents, are won with the feet.

I’d recommend touch rugby as an excellent way to improve your sword fighting. It makes you use your feet and learn to judge range and speed of multiple opponents.

#3

On paper there is The Sword Book, but I don’t know how useful it is:

lulu.com/product/paperback/t … ok/4815377

Videowise, I started here:

youtube.com/watch?v=AqrdDeUzdu4

But that’s for some US boffer battle-game, and doesn’t cover the important rules of “no head hits” and “don’t stab people”.

I also found some SCAdian stuff useful, but again they’re all about smacking you on the side of the head, which is not cool (or safe).

A basic guide is a good idea.

#4

shrug I really wouldn’t bother with the SCAdian stuff.

Back when I was doing SCA fighting with broadsword & shield (mumble-cough years ago) I had a bizarre conversation about tactics with a friend who was doing live-steel fighting in the UK. We started assuming we were going to share notes on things that worked, but what worked for each of us was utterly, totally different. The SCA rules - no shots below the knee, make sure blows land hard, etc - plus the omni-present basket guards on swords for punch-parrying - implied one set of tactics; and the rules he used - no head shots, make sure blows don’t land hard, etc - meant a completely different set of tactics.

I then read up on some real medieval battle-damage. It suggests different tactics again. Eg, a small nick in the shinbone and a crushed right temple is a common pattern in a corpse from a medieval battle, suggesting a tactic that neither his ruleset or mine allowed of throwing a forehand low shot below the shield that would hurt like hell and then a killing blow up high with the backhand as they instinctively drop their shield. Not a tactic that would work in his ruleset or mine. None of which is germane to boffer fighting, but it’s kind of cool in a medieval-CSI kind of way.

As for books on tactics - would this help? feedbooks.com/search?query=B … five+rings

#5

Me either, I’ve been doing SCA combat for 16-17 years.

For first time larpers who want need some basic combat guidelines, I’d suggest the following:

The following suggestions are for right handed sword and shield vs right handed sword and shield:

  • Concentrate on not just throwing a shot into the opponents shield, always try to hit an area not covered by the shield.
  • The best targets are your opponents sword arm and lower legs.
  • Try not to attack targets by going over the top of the shield, because your opponent is likely to lift the shield and carry your blow into their head.

The following suggestions are for sword vs sword:

  • Being armed with only a short sword will get you killed, try to get a sword about 1m long if you can.
  • In general, I try to keep at a range where I can attack the arms of my opponent, but my legs are out of their reach, this way I don’t have to guard my legs as much.
  • When pressed into defence, most leg and body attacks will come from your left (assuming a right handed opponent) you can guard these with a hanging guard where the right arm is in front of the face and the sword tip hangs downwards with the sword parallel to the body. This is a reasonably good defensive position for short periods of time and you can attack from it by striking downwards onto the opponents arm.
#6

From my experience:

There is no good way of instructing live combat technique on a forum, it really needs to be done live. One on one fights are good if thats all you can manage but to survive live larp combat you need to fight in numbers.

For the big weekend games there is ample room for practice. For example, in Teonn you but need to find Shard of the Grey Cloaks. He (I) can offer up his(my) experience. Some of the other groups have willing instructors as well.

In short day games the action tends to be concentrated so you soon learn however there is almost always some time to spar before hand. So its a matter of asking.

Auckland has had semi regular combat sessions, go to those if you can. No doubt Wellington could muster such an exercise.

I have also run combat sessions in Hamilton, though that is out of most peoples way. I am keen to do so again. If I had enough interest I’d be willing to host a a combat based game perhaps focussing on training of raw troops complete with yelling sargents etc (as suggested in the Chimera boards).

#7

Maybe.

There’s a chicken-and-egg thing. We experienced it when we tried to get SCA fighting going on Chch 20 years ago. You need a certain critical mass of people doing something before you have enough events to get people doing it. Back then it took some effort from a dedicated core of people (Sigurd, Wulf, etc - including me in my own small way) to get things going.

Boffer fighting involves a lot less initial investment, but still has the same problem. Here and now in Wellington I think I’m typical: if there was a regular boffer-fighting thing here I’d kit up and come along sometimes, but I’m not keen enough to get started unless there is stuff to go to.

#8

Ok well I will pass that along to the keener fighters then… Bryn, Scott, Norm, Chris and Jackie might be interested in making it happen down there.

#9

The people travelling up for Teonn are keen to have some sessions before May; hopefully Scott or someone will post some dates.

As for the longer-term, we need a campaign to inspire it. This problem is currently being worked on.

#10

I am misquoted above. Icehawk said that, not me. [Fixed]

#11

Sorry, fixed.