WMA Combat in the SCA

Hello and Blessings

I can't see it. WMA is so 'No BS' in it's approach, and the SCA is bogged down with zounds of regulations and ranks (as far as I've seen.) To be truthful, I also see big WMA organisations getting bogged down in their own structures and formalities instead of fighting. I mean, when I started off in WMA I was handed a mask, gloves and a 36 inch waster and steel buckler and I was involved in technical from the onset, onto steels in 4 weeks, into longsword and quarterstaff in 8 and then, sparring by week 12 in Sword and buckler. Last year, after 5 years of intensive WMA training and sparring, I moved to an area where the SCA are active and realised that it may be a long time of specialised SCA training and preparation with equipment to get to participate at any real level of combat. Even with accelerated progress (use of the wallet to purchase lots of nice new equipment) there was still a mountain of retraining and chopping up of authentic armour pieces to meet requirements. What I mean is, I wanted to learn how to fight, and WMA taught me how to fight. If I'd have renewed my SCA membership, I'd still be trying to meet requirements and trying to please everyone.

Which to me, begs a question, "Why not simply join a WMA club?"

Because there's more to the SCA than fighting, and frankly, more to WMA than fighting as well.

Who did you train with when you started?

Because the SCA has had a few decades to permeate pretty much everywhere in the U.S., and a lot of other places as well.And because, sadly, there are still big pieces of this country (and Canada) that don't have any kind of decent WMA group in them, much less more than one so that a person might have a shot at finding a specific art/weapon.

Maybe some day? Also, not sure what "structures and formalities" you're referring to, but given the huge possibilities for non-trivial injury in what we do, I'm all in favor of safety-related rules and regs.A few years ago, I joined the local SCA Shire. I soon asked about  implementing Celtic wrestling and combat grappling into their program. I soon realized that you join the SCA to do what the SCA does. And yes, it would have taken e several months just to learn how to talk and talk SCA. What we do simply does not transfer well. I could see where sword fighting would transfer much easier then some of the other styles we promote. So like so many of us, I simple have went back to my once or twice a year promotion at events that are open to our exhibition.