With it's romanticised slant on the middle ages the SCA is perfectly poised to recapture the image of the Knight errant rather than delve into the blood and slaughter of an actual period battle. To this end we have based our combat style upon the 'Béhourd', a type of small scale, informal tournament fought with batons. Our aim is to allow a display of prowess and pageantry upon the field whilst avoiding actual injuries (one no longer gains accolades for returning home covered in blood)! This leads to an approach somewhere between a full contact sport and a martial art.

We fight in full armour, to protect vital areas from damage (and to cut down on bruising), using weapons made from furniture cane. The weapons thus approximate the weight of their historical counterparts without the risk of shattering into a mass of sharp points. Full speed blows are employed and victory is obtained by striking the head or body of one's opponent.

The Articles page has come articles on fighting and armouring and there are some relevant links at the bottom of the page. Gunnbjorn's introduction to SCA fighting does a pretty good job of explaining what it's all about.

Training

Our regular practices are held on Tuesdays from about 8pm to 10pm at 'Oakridge Methodist Hall', Vivian Road, Oakridge, Basingstoke, Hampshire. Please contact the marshal for exact times or to arrange to borrow armour.

To find the practice hall:-
Make your way to the glorious Basingstoke ring road then turn off at the A33 Reading junction. On the roundabout at the top take the turn to Oakridge. Drive carefully through the new, rather dangerous, traffic calming measures and take the first left. The church hall is a short way ahead of you on the right hand side. There is a car park in front of the hall. (If you find a turn to the shops you've gone too far!).

You can find an online map here. The practice hall is on Vivian road approximately opposite Coleman Close.

Fighting links

• Gunnbjorn's introduction to SCA fighting.
• The Way of the Warrior (lots of good links on from here)
• The Bellatrix fighting school. Text on SCA fighting.
• A Treatsie on the Form and Organisation of a Tournament written by Rene of Anjou in about 1460. 
• A number of fighting drills  by Sir Caedmon macAhern

Rules and Regulations

• The Marshal's handbook can be found here. Fighters need to know this stuff.

Armouring links

• Master Paul's book on Basic Armouring can be found in the Articles section of the Brighthelm site.
• Master Paul's butted chainmail guide.
• The Arador Armour Library.
• The Armour Archive.
• '"The perfect armour" articles on leatherworking from Duke Cariadoc
• Weapons, how to make and use them
• Gavin's Keep. List of armourers and armouring articles.
• The equipment page provides links to some other equipment suppliers.