There are a wide variety of SCA Martial Activities you can watch and participate in. At many events you will see armored fighters facing off with shields and weapons made of rattan (a springy bamboo-type wood), rapier combatants fencing in the round with real (but blunted) steel blades, and youth fighters competing against each other with padded weapons. These warriors participate in tournaments one-on-one and in teams, in melees involving dozens of combatants, and even in large-scale wars with hundreds of participants! Unlike reenactments of battles from history, our combat activities are unchoreographed and the outcome is entirely based on the skill and training of the combatants involved.

All these combatants wear protective armor made from a variety of materials (metal, leather, padded fabric, plastic, etc.), as well as steel helmets (or fencing masks), which must meet a minimum standard.  They train in fighting safely before they are allowed to participate in combat. Combat is based on a system of honor – the combatants themselves determine if the attacks they receive were successful based on the angle, location, and force of the strike.

At other events, you may encounter equestrians on horseback jousting against each other and playing medieval training games, archers shooting at targets with longbows and crossbows, thrown weapons participants hurling axes and spears at wood targets, combat archers shooting tubular arrows at the opposing side, or siege engineers using ballistas, catapults, and trebuchets to fling soft ammunition at advancing armies.

For all martial activities, safety officers (marshals) are always on hand to ensure that the combat is performed safely and to ensure that all equipment being used meets established safety standards.

Please use the links in the gold menu above to view information for the different martial activities.

You can see pictures and details about martial activities at the SCA Newcomers’ Portal.


Society Marshal

Dr. Melissa Midzor (Maestra Arabella da Siena), [email protected]
The Society Marshal is responsible for overseeing all the martial activities in the SCA.

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