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On The Use Of Combat Swords: things every actor should know [This is a very condensed extract from our not-yet-releas ed book - "The Textbook of Stage Combat". All rights reserved]Stage combat grade blades are all made of high carbon tempered steel, and have been blunted to remove the more obvious hazard, but they are still true weapons whose construction and design were predicated upon one goal: the taking of human life. Under the right conditions, even the "flimsy" blunted foil can pass through the human body, so please treat all weapons with great respect and a certain amount of fear. "If weapons can be so dangerous, shouldn’t we stay away from steel? What about plastic swords, or wood or rubber?" Steel is safer than any alternative. Plastic and wood can break more easily than steel, leaving the actor with a very sharp and unforgiving instrument in his hand, just as capable of going through the human body. Rubber is impractical for a sword fight: if made too floppy it looks foolish, and if too stiff it's like fighting with clubs. Only tempered steel or the more rare and costly tempered aluminum should be used for stage combat. If that makes you uneasy, cut the fight scenes.
Even steel weapons are not impervious to damage, and even broadswords can snap in half without warning. For this reason we strongly urge that all fights be choreographed by someone recognized as a fight instructor by the Society of American Fight Directors, or others equally qualified. By this we do not mean a "certified" Actor/Combatant, who might have enough experience to perform the fight, but not to entrust with others’ safety (would you entrust your kids to a bus driver if his only license is a learner’s permit?) nor a fencing instructor (the techniques of fencing are unsafe to both actors and weapons). Also, many techniques appropriate for Renaissance Fair demonstrations are completely unsuitable for stage work. Likewise, members of the Society of Creative Anachronism are not qualified to fight on stage, and certainly should never give direction to actors who do. If it should come to pass that a stage fight director is unavailable for your production, we suggest that the actor keep the following principles in mind: 1. There must never be even a fraction of a second in which any weapon is pointed at or crosses in front of anyone’s face under any circumstance. 2. Don’t force your partner to block your weapon on your attack. If she is supposed to block your incoming thrust to the outside of her left hip, then simply make sure that your target is outside of her left hip. Always thrust and cut off-line. 3. Conversely, don’t force the block, pushing your partner’s sword away; simply meet the incoming sword at the pre-arranged point in space. Blade "kiss" on contact; they must never bash. 4. Always parry (block) with the edge of the blade, never with the flat. 5. Cutting motions with the sword should not be confused with tree chopping. u Make sure that your arm, hand, and sword form a straight line at the very moment that your cut is blocked. This will both look far more real than the traditional bent elbow "cut", but also has the added benefit of completely dissipating the energy of the cut before it reaches your partner. u Remember the three P’s of cutting motions: point your elbow toward the target; push the pommel toward the target until your arm is straight, and only then engage the point of the sword to the target using only your wrist. [Think of throwing a ball rather than swinging a bat] u Keep the mental image of striking a crystal bell with your sword: if you come in chopping, you’ll shatter the bell; if you don’t flick your hand at the moment of impact, your strike will not resonate. (Imagine trying to reach around and behind your partner with your sword tip.) To get the stage version of the cut to look clean and still be safe, here is a great exercise: Get a plastic bottle of any size, fill it with water, and stand it on a tall stool. Try several full speed cuts to both sides of the bottle. How close can you get while not knocking it off of the stool? Until you can touch the bottle but not knock it over, you really don’t have control of the sword.
Is the above exercise easy? Great! Now try it with an empty bottle. 6. Always use gloves. It can mean the difference between a bruised finger and an infected and broken finger. Make sure your tetanus vaccination is up-to-date. 7. Look at what you want to hit. We are built to do that automatically. DO NOT STARE AT YOUR PARTNER’S EYES! You will only end up losing track of your own sword. Follow the sword tips if you want to develop control of your sword. 8. A rule of thumb: actors should have one hour of fight rehearsal time for each five seconds of finished fight. Any techniques not polished before going into tech week must be cut from the fight. 9. Improvisation has no use in stage combat. Every part of the fight, every shove, every feint, every half-step, must be carefully agreed upon and then set in stone.
In moments of stress, we do not rise to the level of our expectations; we drop to the level of our training.
Disclaimer: Stage combat and the use of theatrical weapons carry an inherent risk of injury. Visitors to this site assume full responsibility for their actions and agree by accessing this site to hold blameless this company, its owner and agents for any results of using the information contained or referenced herein. Richard Pallaziol |
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