IMCF Spain 2013.

[Thorsteinn]

This is what "Hit's like a Girl" looks like to fighters. This is what Lisa Galli's (known in the SCA as Duchess Sir Bryne McClellan) opponents helm looked like after the polearm match at the International Medieval Combat Federation event in Spain which she won, then won the Women's Polearm Tournament.

Yeah, and folks wonder why I don't want to face her alone on the field.

Image copyright Kelli Thompson 2014:
A Portuguese woman's helm after Team USA's Lisa Galli got a hold of it in the polearm match.

Her brother Jeffery Galli (ska Viscount Sir Brand McClellan) won the Men's Division Polearm Tournament. Here he is doing his thing in the SCA:

[Sir Nate]

That looks fun, And Painful!!! I like.

[Sir James A]

I guess I just don't get that mentality. Just because you're capable of hitting like a truck, doesn't mean you should, and to me quite the opposite - unless you're intentionally trying to severely hurt someone.

[Ian]

I guess I just don't get that mentality. Just because you're capable of hitting like a truck, doesn't mean you should, and to me quite the opposite - unless you're intentionally trying to severely hurt someone.

That's precisely why I'm not really into the whole ACL / BOTN movement that much.  It's cool to watch, but every 'bladed' weapon is just a mace in drag, and it seems like everyone is just trying to concuss their opponents.  If that's your thing, have at it, but please make the Public Service Announcement that this has little to do with proper technique with any of those weapons.

It certainly fills that desire to see an ultra-violent sport though!

[Sir Douglas]

Yep...you'd never get me into armored combat. No sir. Any kind of sport where you intentionally let people come at you with a weapon and trust that they won't kill you requires way more trust than I'm willing to give.

I'm perfectly happy playing a scholar with delusions of grandeur.

[Thorsteinn]

There's some talk that the great helm in the pic died due to design flaws like too great a spacing on the rivets etc.

[Thorsteinn]

Lisa Galli also won the Womens Sword & Shield tournament.

Also I'm told the grow them big in Belgium. For reference Aveloc is about 5'10" and his opponent is 6'11". 

Aveloc Twiceborn of Team USA vs the Jotun of Team Belgium.

[Thorsteinn]

NZ vs USA Women's Polearm IMCF 2014.

Lisa Galli is the woman from the USA.

[Ian]

The lady from New Zealand doesn't even appear to be able to defend herself.  She's just kind of swinging aimlessly every now and then before getting smashed in the face 3 or 4 times in a row.  'Murica!

[Sir Rodney]

Yikes!  She struck from the high guard with impunity.   

[Thorsteinn]

What my lady & I noticed was how Lisa's SCA experience kept showing up. She would show the strike & execute it from high guard with great speed & power seeming to expect it not to work then when it did, got in close, and whomped the Kiwi.

We kept seeing her pause or hesitate looking for the Kiwi to try & do something, which she never did. "One sided" truly is a great way to describe her fights. Is it a wonder non of her polearm opposition went to 3 rounds with her? I understand her brothers fights weren't walkovers (see the pics on Esmeralda's page), though he too won his division.



Abouve is Lisa Gali fighting a different Kiwi in Sword & Shield. It's something that fighters in the SCA notice is that we tend to use the back edge more. Just us seeing that?

[Sir Patrick]

Anyone here ever attend an ACL event?  There is a fight club in Springfield, IL and was curious if it'd be worth a 2 hour drive to watch. I for one would love to get out on the field and try it, but it looks like I'd be looking at a $5k investment just to get started. Icefalcon sells some starter rigs, if anyone is interested. It'd be one thing to sneak out for an afternoon of mayhem, but I doubt even that harness would protect me from the lady wife when she found out how much it cost

[Lord Chagatai]

His grace Icefalcon is the USA team captain and is probably just returning from Spain where we won the gold in the 5 v 5....it is amazing and if you want to watch some before you go to see it...check out www.usaknights.org


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[Sir Patrick]

I guess I just don't get that mentality. Just because you're capable of hitting like a truck, doesn't mean you should, and to me quite the opposite - unless you're intentionally trying to severely hurt someone.

That's precisely why I'm not really into the whole ACL / BOTN movement that much.  It's cool to watch, but every 'bladed' weapon is just a mace in drag, and it seems like everyone is just trying to concuss their opponents.  If that's your thing, have at it, but please make the Public Service Announcement that this has little to do with proper technique with any of those weapons.

It certainly fills that desire to see an ultra-violent sport though!

In a real melee, how would the weapons have been used?  I was under the impression that by the mid-14th century a sword was pretty much useless against armored knights and impact weapons were the thing. If swords were still being used as primary weapons, would we have seen a lot of Talhoffer in the press, or just a lot of hacking?

[Sir James A]

I guess I just don't get that mentality. Just because you're capable of hitting like a truck, doesn't mean you should, and to me quite the opposite - unless you're intentionally trying to severely hurt someone.

That's precisely why I'm not really into the whole ACL / BOTN movement that much.  It's cool to watch, but every 'bladed' weapon is just a mace in drag, and it seems like everyone is just trying to concuss their opponents.  If that's your thing, have at it, but please make the Public Service Announcement that this has little to do with proper technique with any of those weapons.

It certainly fills that desire to see an ultra-violent sport though!

In a real melee, how would the weapons have been used?  I was under the impression that by the mid-14th century a sword was pretty much useless against armored knights and impact weapons were the thing. If swords were still being used as primary weapons, would we have seen a lot of Talhoffer in the press, or just a lot of hacking?

You'd be trying to thrust at gaps in the armor, but for BOTN, you can't thrust, so you have to club. Using a sword, the sharp edge, as an edged club, was both futile and self-defeating. So late-period swords as a general BOTN weapon are borderline anachronistic in my opinion. Mace, pole-axe (the flat head side), etc, would be used for bludgeoning, just like BOTN does. For the single-handers like falchions, you wouldn't be hitting plate, and probably not mail either... but BOTN they whack away at plate with them. The reality is that doing any proper historical combat will kill people, so we can only get so close.