From: badorion@watyew.uwaterloo.ca (Brian A. Dorion)
Subject: Re: Broadsword fencing - StageFighting (Longish?)
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 14:41:39 GMT

In article <1992Dec14.062209.27721@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> scasterg@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Stuart M Castergine) writes:
>I've been sport fencing for years and years, but only tried SCA
>broadsword fighting a couple times. And I found one thing horribly
>frustrating.
>
>I am left-handed.
>
>The stupid shield.
>
>It was on the wrong side.
>
ACKKKKKK!!!!!

>Really. I ended up blocking 90 percent of the blows with my sword,
>while my shield basically just served to deprive me of an arm and
>obstruct my vision. Ah, how I longed to have a weapon in that hand!
>
As a local marshal in the SCA, I have to say that one of my first questions for
someone interested in trying SCA fighting is to ask; "Are you right handed or
left?".  A righty fights with his shield on the left arm and a lefty fights 
with it on his right arm.  A lefty can have quite an advantage in fighting
a righty who isn't familiar with left handers.  Putting the shield on the   
correct arm probably would of made things feel more comfortable for you.
However getting use to carrying and using a shield can take some time.

I've known at least one fighter who learned to fight left handed although
he was right handed.  He did it deliberately for the advantage it gave him.

>I've heard people argue that the Florentine (two-weapon) style
>is/isn't more effective than sword&shield, but does anybody have any
>commentary from a purely left-handed perspective? Just from my
>instincts as a fencer, I felt that I could have been a lot more
>effective if I had had a short sword in my off hand -- something like
>the Japanese two-weapon style. I saw all sorts of things that I could
>have been doing, and since I have very good defense, I feel confident
>that I would be able to parry just about anything that came in without
>the need for a shield. Like I was saying, since most of it comes in on
>the sword side anyway, the shield was just something to hang on my arm
>and get in the way.
>
Florentine can be very effective (especially in Kingdoms with shield size
restrictions).  It does take quite a bit of skill to use effectively.  It 
tends to be a very aggressive style, most people learning it have quite 
a problem with their defense.  

>I can see how it would be useful in a war when there is too much chaos
>to be able to concentrate on parrying anything that comes at you, but
>in single combat, I think a shield is a loser for a lefty.
>
>scasterg@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu -- Stuart M. Castergine
>Fiver: "Oh, Hazel, look! The field! It's covered with blood!"
>Hazel: "Don't be silly, it's only the light of the sunset." -- Watership Down

I've seen some devastatingly effective left handed sword and shield fighters,
sword in left hand shield in right.  Their ability to throw shots into a 
rightee's ribs around a shield can often win them the fight.  It is ammusing
to watch two left handed fighters fight each other (something not all leftee's
get practice at).  Suddenly there is shield in the middle of their prime 
target area and they are not quite sure how to get around it.


Brian Dorion			Herr Konrad Matthias Jaeger
Kitchener, Ontario		Bryniau Tywynnog, Ealdormere
Canada				MK
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