What is SCA rapier combat?
Rapier combat is based on the sword-fighting done in the later part of the SCA period. While armored combat simulates tournament and war-fighting in the Middle Ages, rapier combat is based on the practice of dueling. Fighters wearing puncture-resistant cloth armor compete with blunt, rubber-tipped metal blades. Like armored combat, we have both single competition and melees. In tournaments, rapier fighters fight one-on-one, while melees are fought between two teams. The goal of a melee may be to defeat all the members of the opposing side, to capture a flag, or to hold a certain amount of land. Some rapier melees simulate fights in a town or tavern brawls.
