Visby Beginners Tournament (Sca Nordmark/Sweden)

[Henrik Granlid]

So, this was open to all fighters who had been authorised for less than a year. Round robbin. Previous Tournaments have been open to fighters of up to 3 years (no more) of authorization, and as such, there may be some more experienced fighters in the lot, but to my knowledge, no fighter present had more than a year of heavy combat authorisation to them.

First fight starts at 9:40


It was a great tournament, slightly lighter calibration to keep it light in spirit and everybody had fun and had beautiful deaths.

I knocked my pheasant feather off my helmet in my first round (black corrazinna, white shield, klappvisier), blew out a rivet on a knee lame in my second fight, had the leg armour fixed with a balloc dagger (to remove the rivet with the armour still on) and Paracord. I died beautifully and only took home one bout... But man was it fun!

And, if any sca fighters have comments on my fighting, I'd love to hear them, or, well, read them.

[Thorsteinn]

Lemme give this a look and I'll give you an eval.

Which fighter are you?

[Ian]

Lemme give this a look and I'll give you an eval.

Which fighter are you?

black corrazinna, white shield, klappvisier, first fight around 13:50.

I don't have enough experience to evaluate SCA fighting, but it sure looks like you guys had a hell of a lot of fun!  It's pretty awesome to have the backdrop of the Visby wall to be doing this next to as well.  Color me envious!

[Henrik Granlid]

I get on the field at 13:20, closest to the camera, I'll look up the times of my other fights.

EDIT:
Second at 22:00
Third at 28:00
Fourth at 30:00
Fifth at 34:50
Sixth at 37:00

[Sir Rodney]

Thank you for sharing!  It’s always fun to see how similar SCA techniques are in other countries to our own.  The particular rule set for our game ensures style similarities no matter where you fight.

As mentioned above, the setting is spectacular.  It must be an honor and very exciting to fight on the grounds of Visby.

While I’m not a knight in the SCA, I have fought both tournaments and melees for more than 20 years.  As you requested, I will provide my thoughts on your tournament combat rounds.

Pros:
- The level of enthusiasm you display is contagious.
- Your courtesy shown during each round is very admirable.
- The blow calibration in your Kingdom appears to be spot on, in my opinion.  You don’t have to dent someone’s helm to get their attention.   
- I like the speed of your initial approach to opponents.

Cons:
- Try a smaller heater that’s curved.  This would provide better protection and visibility; you wouldn’t have to peek over the top so much.
- Once engaged with your opponent, don’t stop moving to the left or right.  Constant circling and change of direction will make you harder to hit.
- Try to keep your center of gravity more forward.  You appear to be leaning back which limits your offensive and defensive options.
- Your shield drops slightly as you prepare to strike.  A few opponents seemed to wait for this opportunity and take advantage of it.
- Mix up your attack combinations.  Try a little stab at the face or groin at the onset to see how your opponent reacts.  You don’t have to strike first, be patient.

These observations are simply the opinion of one individual.  I recommend sitting down with your fighting buddies after the event and view the video together (over a beer or two).  Each of you can then provide constructive criticism for each other.

My first two points are the most important.   Keep your enthusiasm and courtesy high!   

[Henrik Granlid]

Thank you so much for the feedback, and it's great to have confirmation of my own suspicions! My shield was built in anticipation for war and it's really physically notable in duels. A more proper one should be created and I think the blanks a friend of mine and I put together might still be out there somewhere.

As far as the wall, you get sort of jaded when you return to the same place year after year, but when you're on the balcony of your rented appartment, inside the wall and the sun sets the sky ablaze and turns the ocean into emerald and saphire, all as a backdrop to the massive ruins, even the armour of "seen it" gets pierced. I wouldn't trade Medieval Week in Visby for the world.... Ok, maybe for a really big Pennsic (never been), but not for anything else.