Fighting

SCA martial activity covers a wide variety of combat events.

“Heavy Fighting,” the original SCA Martial Activity

In heavy fighting, participants wear protective body armor and compete in different kinds of contests, including: tournaments (one-on-one), melees (small group), or battles (large group). Heavy fighters use weapons made of rattan. Each fighter must authorize to show they understand the rules and safeguards. All fighters and equipment are also inspected before activities for safety. Information about all the requirements can be found on the Resource page. It is considered a combat sport, or a contact sport.

Rapier, or “Light Fighting” SCA Martial Activity

Rapier combat simulates civilian fighting methods of the 16th century. Participants wear protective gear and fight with schlagers (not the epees and foils typically used for sport fencing). Rapier combat is also a martial activity that requires inspections and specific rules. There is a guide book that outlines the requirements on the Resource page.

Archery

Archery is another martial activity. Combat archery is sometimes used in the Heavy fighting scenarios. It requires the same armor of a regular heavy participant and specialized bolts instead of live arrows. Target archery is also popular, and there are Kingdom and Inter-Kingdom competitions.

Other Activities

Other SCA martial activity in the Kingdom includes Live Weapons, Equestrian, and Siege Weapons. The SCA website has great information about all the martial activities.