To All Interested Rapier Fighters in the Barony-

Below is a brief review of just a few of the websites I have found that can provide useful information on Rapier Fighting in the SCA and in Atlantia. I am currently building a database of website reviews, but it is an ongoing process. The list below is not meant to be an “all-encompassing” list, so if you have other sites of interest, please let me know at bcaiside@yahoo.com.

Yours in Service,
Captain Brandon Caiside (Brandon Cassady) - Seneschal, Canton of St Georges

WEBSITES OF INTEREST FOR RAPIER FIGHTERS:

http://www.salvatorfabris.com/ – A review of the Italian schools of fencing, predominantly focusing on the teachings of Fencing Master Salvator Fabris (1544-1618). This site has an excellent glossary of terms for rapier fighting, as well as a large collection of drills that range from the basics to the more advanced techniques. This site also has a short list of books written and/or translated by the two primary instructors (Steven Reich and Tom Leoni) that could be helpful to anyone studying the Fabris Style.

http://www.claymoreslinger.com/ – This site is maintained by a group known as the Daniels Academy of Medieval Defence. It has a fair glossary of terms, specifically focusing on SCA martial activities (Archery, Rapier, Heavy Combat). It is a good site for a beginner who wants to get a feel for the SCA and the combat requirements within. Its main selling point is the links offered. There is an extensive list of links covering medieval armor, foods, furniture, religion, education, literature, and many more subjects. All in all, an excellent site for newcomers.

www.kismeta.com/diGrasse - A website primarily reviewing the more advanced techniques of the DiGrasse Style of fencing. The site owner, Rick Orli, gets a bit preachy in some of the flavor text and the introduction, but the site does have solid explanations and diagrams of various techniques in fighting. This site is not necessarily geared toward SCA Rapier combat, but the footwork and other drill diagrams are beneficial. However, this site is NOT for beginners. Mr. Orli does stress that disclaimer, and it is quite evident when you get into the “meat” of the text. I would not recommend this site to anyone who has been fighting for less than a year, and preferably about 2 years of serious study. Otherwise, it would be easy to get lost in the text. So, in summary, a decent site for intermediate or higher level fighters, with some good content that can be helpful.

http://www.mindspring.com/~aedan/north.htm - This is the link to articles written by our own Atlantian fighters (Provosts and Free Scholars – if you don’t know what the two are, check out the site and it will explain). There are unfortunately few articles, but each one of them has a wealth of information, and I absolutely devoured each and every one of them. I came away with more knowledge than I started with by far. I highly recommend this one to all rapier fighters, whether beginners or experts. For the beginners, it provides good explanations for commonly asked questions. For the experts, it serves to remind you why we do this, and how we should behave.