NK - Light Weapons Question

[Kevin Mayfield]

Yoshiie wrote:

Well said!

Yoshiie




Tim Kwasny wrote:
> 
> As far as I know there has not been any problem with the breakage of
> Schlager blades in this or any other kingdom.  If there has been it
> wasn't brought up at any of the recent White Scarf meetings nor have I
> heard any discussion about it with any of my fellow Dons.  The only
> blades that I know of that have been banned by the rapier Marshall
> have been some counterfeit Del Tin blades that are being sold.  If you
> are going to purchase a Del Tin blade be sure it comes from Dark Wood
> Armory, they are the only forge that makes Del Tin blades which are
> legal in this kingdom.
> The only Schlager blade I have ever seen broken in a fight was broken
> by Don James Navare last year at Wasteland Yule.  It broke at the tang
> and was never a danger to either fighter.  In fact Youchi was able to
> weld the tang back on and James is using the blade still.  The
> overwhelming number of blades which are broken in combat are FOILS.
> Foils also have the smallest cross section when broken near the tip
> and will penetrate the easiest.  Our armor is specifically designed to
> resist the penetration of a broken foil.  In my opinion the foil is
> the most dangerous blade on the field today (as well as being as far
> from the size and weight of a real rapier as you can get)..  I would
> love to see Annsteoria ban foils as many other kingdoms have already
> done.  The only information I have seen regarding the deaths in
> Olympic style fencing I read in report published in the magazine of
> the American Fencing Association.  It reported that in the last 50
> years the were 4 deaths in the entire world due to blade related
> accidents.  All four involved foil blades (imagine that) but were
> directly related to failure of another piece of protective equipment.
> They didn't go into detail on the specifics of each incident but I
> recall the most recent incident involved a Polish fencer in the mid
> 1980 who had a broken foil puncture the bib on his mask.  The article
> I read went on to report that less  than 1/10 of 1% of all injuries
> reported in USFA sponsored events involved broken blades which
> penetrated the armor.
> Will we ever have a death or serious injury in the SCA?  Who knows?
> But everyone who participates in Rapier or Armored combat understands
> the risks involved before they are allowed to enter the field (that is
> what the waiver is for).  If you have any concerns about the safety of
> SCA combat DON"T FIGHT its that simple.
> 
> Remember its much better to look good the to fight good.
> Don Timothy Le Corbuiser