Full Medieval Panic

I got to strap on armor and fight medieval style for the first time on Tuesday! I learned several important things at the SCA Heavy Fighting practice:

1. When worn properly, the armor will absorb a huge amount of impact. The first hits are startling, but they didn't hurt much after I got used to the surprise factor.

2. When worn improperly, the armor will not absorb nearly as much. A loose, ringing helm is no bueno.

3. There are gaps in the armor. I have a beautiful bruise larger than my fist on the side of my thigh to prove it. It stung at the time, but was in no debilitating. I acknowledged the hit, shook it off, and kept sparring. It doesn't hurt now either, but it's great for eliciting sympathy from the wife (along with a few looks of "why in the world would you ever do that again?")

4. SCA people are nice. It takes a special sort to help another man dress...even if it is in armor. They also went much slower and would allow me to initiate almost all of the exchanges instead of laying on the hurt.

5. I'm out of shape. I've been trying to work out some in preparation for fighting. Hwever, running around in armor can wear you down surprisingly quick. Also, unlike when I wrestled, you can't just drop against a wall and rest after a match either. You're still encased in an armored sauna.

Basically, when I showed up on Tuesday there were four guys there. Two were doing medieval fencing, and then Will and Ragnar were there to do the heavy fighting. Everyone ended up standing around talking before the action started. Ragnar suited me up, and then Will gave me my first sparring match while Ragnar half coached while putting on his armor. After I was worn out (Will was rearing to go more), Ragnar tossed me a water bottle, and then he and will went at it. Will had tried to recreate a French glaive from a picture, and Ragnar used two swords (Florentine style). They ran all around sparring for a while (Will managed to get backed into a tree at one point), and I eventually got to try a quick match against Ragnar. After we were done, Will and the Baron (now done with fencing) had a sparring match while I stripped down. Carrie sent me a few "When are you coming home" texts, so I watched for a little bit and said my good-byes.

So far, it's easier and harder than I expected. Easier, in that the theory behind fighting sword and shield is pretty simple. Ragnar showed me four basic types of strikes and that was all I needed to know to start. Harder, in that it's much more difficult to time things right, hit where you want to hit, and maintain good form and energy while in motion. In the end, it was a lot of fun and I plan on going back next week.