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Guys
I am just curious as to how people fight in the gladiatorial reenactment world. Previous talks about this have turned into what people consider dangerous or not, I am deliberatly trying to avoid that with this topic.
Rather than this I guess what I am wondering is how you construct your fights for the fighting part of the public exhibitions you carry out.
Here is a basic run down of what we do, to try and get the ball rolling.
1. Decide upon partners for the coming year.
2. Slowly create the fight trying to think intelligentally about the moves and techniques on two levels, what physically works and what the gleaned historical information has given us.
3. Slowly the fight takes form.
4. Transform the dangerous bits into safe bits using stage combat techniques.
5. Rehearse and polish the fights, until we hope we have something which looks nie and authentically lethal as well as entertaining for the crowd.
If you free fight it would be interesting to see exactly how you get things together. Later, given half a chance I plan to try and create a video sequence showing the whole process.
Looking foward to your responses.
All the best
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We're just starting up, so we have no history to fall back on.
First, we're using needledfelt weapons, so we don't have the inherent dangers of steel. We'll probably use basically free form fights, because it takes less acting on the part of the fighters if they, too, don't know what's coming next.
We're beginning training with sword/spear and shield. Also with heavier weights than the combat, to improve muscle tone. Basic attacks and defenses will be practiced until we're sick of them, but by then they'll become more automatic. We have an instructor who is very proficient in sword, shield, spear, and longsword. He's helping us a lot!
We may have a few fights which are practiced. The difficult thing in that, like stage combat, is making it look like it ISN'T practiced. Somehow, the freeflow has to be apparent, even if the actors are already thinking ahead to the next exchange. Otherwise, it looks fake, and nobody is much impressed.
Anyway, that's where we're heading for now. We may have some metal weapon fighting in the future, but not yet.
M. Demetrius Abicio
(David Wills)
Saepe veritas est dura.
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Hi Guys ,
This is our First season as you may be aware , but we have a number of events under our belt now and being a Fight co-ordinator I hope I can comment on this .
Our Fight sequences are Totally Choreographed and the method of putting a fight together is almost Identicale to yours Graham . Our main concerns are saftey , Authenticity and having it look as realistic and natural as possible . When I say natural and realistic I mean moves that would match your body position . It has to work for the public as they are unforgiving if the fight looks like something out of the A Team , keep it realistic , Safe and beleiveable .
Cheers ,
Paul .
Paul / Verus
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Gashford, I'd love to get a copy of that video if it will play on US format. We're somewhat on a deadline here, though, and won't attempt live steel this year: we have two presentations contracted on Nov 4, 5.
We're just forming up the group, and there is not time for sufficient practices to make any kind of believable steel show. Some of our group asked, "How is stage combat different from needled felt combat?" So you see the level we're floating. Still with needledfelt, it's safe enough, even without choreography...so we're sticking at that level for now. (as regular soldiers, we've staged combat for the public with those weapons, and they accept the substitution quite well).
We may be rough, but we'll be there at first curtain. Gathering gear is the slow part. And finding practice time that's not ridiculously hot. We've been running near 100 degrees pretty much daily (your 38C temp, imagine that with 50 to 60 percent humidity, and you can see how it's difficult to get a cast on set for practice!) I'm planning to string some llights so we can do some of what we do at night. Nobody much can handle the heat, humidity and distance to my rural property all at once. Can't blame them, and I live here.
So far, we have a retarius, a couple of Thracians, a Hoplomachus, two Provocators, and two unspecified. Some of us have acquired helmets...mine needs to be rebuilt.
We hit on a great use for that dreadful Trooper legionary helmet! Take off the browband and cheekpieces, build a Provocator face plate, fill the holes left from the browband with tube rivets for feathers, and hooray! Something useful from junk! Not altogether accurate, true, but closer than bareheaded. Anyway, what else can you do with one of those? Carry water for the fighters, I guess.
M. Demetrius Abicio
(David Wills)
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Hi David ,
I think you are going about this in a sensible way , it takes time as you well know , good luck mate .
Paul . 
Paul / Verus
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Hi,
Quote:I am just curious as to how people fight in the gladiatorial reenactment world.
in our case all our fights are fought with blunt, wooden weapons with the exception of the trident and the scissors knife, which are metal, still blunt with tips or edges covered und cushioned. Fights are free and unchoreographed from start to end with no predetermined winner.
Tactics generally are to start with lots of feints to draw and find out your opponent, avoid infights as they make for short-lived fights (and gladiators) and often prevent a clear outcome of the fight (who actually did hit first and decisively?). Heavy use of shields, especially by Murmillo, Provocator and Thraex to prepare attacks and unbalance the opponent.
You can find a number of pictures of our last event at:
http://ww-photodesign.de/galerien/museu ... fault.html
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Good Pictures Martin , well Done .
Paul .
Paul / Verus
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Ave!
We had an extremely successful training camp behind us.
At the end some of our brothers made successful grading. For higher grades 2 fighters graded with lots of techniques and 1 hour non-stop free fight against changed enemies in full armor, with dulled metal weapons.
So what we do is free fight after a given level of experience.
It is possible with lot of practices. (years with thousands of trainings)
Opifex
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