"Make ready! Did your really think you could call my mother a hamster and get away with it!?" without hesitation, he reaches to his left side, drawing forth a long, slim bladed weapon with a simple round guard and swept quillons. He takes a stance with his arm over his head, blade pointed down towards his opponent, legs shoulder width apart, his other hand up in front of his chest, ready to sweep away his opponent's blade.

The participants in the Arte of Defense in the SCA address this style of combat in many varied ways. As well, those who teach new combatants use various methods and techniques drawn from their own experience and study. Every teacher of Rapier Combat uses a different approach, blending his or her own skills and techniques to teach this style of swordplay. Even though the styles range from documentable period teachings to modifications of modern techniques, there are several factors that are common with most styles. Balance, Footwork, Point Control and Blade Work are some of the major factors in the arte of defense. This is not about brute strength - this is about speed, agility, and strategy.

My own style of instruction is generally done in the order above, but individual instructors vary their approach. Balance is in my opinion the core of the game. Balance is an important consideration in safety, and factors into skill immensely. A well balanced combatant can combine footwork, bladework, and point control in the most effective manner. If one remains balanced throughout, one can react quickly to any situation during a bout.

It all begins with footwork. There are several ways in which the various teachers of SCA fencing approach footwork. I think we pretty much all agree that without proper footwork, a fencer cannot achieve balance. For some instructors, footwork is the core of what this game is all about.

The basics are pretty much the same. Footwork begins with a proper stance. Feet should be shoulder width apart, no more. This places the fencers' center of gravity right down the middle of their body. Knees should be slightly bent, keeping the fencer fluid, ready to move. This also helps to maintain balance. At this point, teachers vary the initial upper body placement. Some instruct fencers to stand with blade forward, elbow slightly bent, off-hand (the hand without a weapon) forward at chest level. Others teach a reversed stance - off-hand forward, elbow slightly bent, blade pointed forward at chest level. The former offers a longer reach for the blade, where as the latter gives the fencer better use of the off-hand to block an opponents' attack.

From this basic positioning, a fencer can be taught several ways to move that will keep them balanced and fluid, ready to defend or attack their opponent. The actual motion of the fencer varies, depending on the action being undertaken, the stance from which it originates, and the overall style in which he or she fences. There are three primary forms of motion for a combatant, called advancing, withdrawing, and circling. These are relatively self explanatory, and all of these are approached differently by each individual instructor.

Point Control is the next element. Point control primarily involves two key components - the ability to thrust a given target, and the ability to keep the point of the blade aimed at a given target. For instance, if a target area is only one inch square, a fencer should be able to extend his or her arm in a thrust and hit the target consistently. This is not as easy as it sounds - and again balance is key to this. With the same one inch square target, the fencer should be able to advance, withdraw, and circle the target while keeping the point true, as though an invisible line is drawn from blade tip to target. Again, without proper balance, this is no easy task.

Blade Work is the next element. Again, emphasis on blade work varies from instructor to instructor. This is probably the most complicated of these concepts, combining balance, footwork and point control. Blade work involves several elements, including thrusts, parries and ripostes. This glosses over things a bit, but the following are the basics.

As described in Part I, a thrust is when the tip of the blade is pressed into an opponent to the lightest possible touch, no more than a two inch bend in a foil. As the thrust is the most expedient means of attack, often times when the attack misses a cut is done instead. For close-in fighting, cuts are far more practical.

A Parry is when a thrust is made against you, and your blade is used to move your opponent's blade away from it's intended target. A Riposte is when you follow through on this maneuver with a thrust of your own.

Style is an element of the Arte of Defense approached differently by each individual fencer. For some, this is a recreation of the teachings of the likes of the London Masters of Defense, and the schools of the art from the later period. For others this is a recreation of the common street brawl, where a disagreement would be settled by pointed argument, so to speak. I prefer to think of this as a combination of the two; although I may well be fighting Butthead Number One, who bumped me in the street and called my mother a hamster, I prefer to fight honorably. If my opponent drops his or her weapon, for example, I generally allow it to be picked up. I consider this a part of the style I am attempting to recreate, and each fencer approaches these things as they see fit. Style also determines things ranging from the stances a fencers uses in a given bout, to the clothing we attempt to recreate. Some fencers place a far greater emphasis on the style by which they fence than on winning their fights. Time, experience and individual preference are of course the deciding factors. Now we've taken a look at rapier combat instruction, and a brief overview of stylistic approaches. In Part III, I'll go over the components of any given weapon, and the other forms we fight with, Case of Rapier, Dagger, Rigid and Non-Rigid Parry.

So the next time someone has the chuzpah to call your mother a hamster - your cutting response will really get the point across.

Part III - Weapon Components & Multiple Weapons Combat