Arming Yourself for Rapier Class
A Quick Guide to Sparring Equipment

by J. Mark Bertrand, HACA

You'd like to learn rapier fencing, but you aren't sure what equipment you need for safe sparring. Here is a quick and easy guide to the types of blades, off-hand weapons, and safety gear available. It isn't comprehensive, but it will give you a good idea of what to look for.

What type of blade should you use?

No single blade type serves as the only accurate rapier simulator. Surviving rapiers from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries sport a surprising variety of blades. As A.V.B. Norman has pointed out, the term rapier appears to have been applied generically in the early sixteenth century to most any sword worn with civilian dress. The Italians did not differentiate between rapiers and other swords at all - they used the word spada just as freely to describe the weapon of Saviolo as that of Silver. The argument over what exactly constitutes a rapier is too complex to recount here, but variations in length and cross-section make the search for a single, exclusive rapier simulator - if you'll pardon the pun - pointless. With that in mind, let's consider the most common options available to rapier fencers today.

Bated (Blunt) Blades

Some groups actually use real, bated blades for sparring. After all, this is how swordsmen of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries would have trained. The Pike & Musket Society of New South Wales is a re-enactment group that uses Arms and Armor rapiers for training. They practice "scholar's privilege" - i.e., no thrusts to the face - and make other allowances for safety while sparring.

One difficulty associated with using bated blades is that few manufacturers make blades in the longer lengths associated with late sixteenth century rapiers. Joseph Swetnam insisted that blades be a full four feet long, and many seem to have been longer. Blade lengths on modern replicas rarely exceed 36 inches.

Even if you decide against the exclusive use of bated blades for sparring, groups like the Historical Armed Combat Association emphasize the need for training with blunts as a part of your regimen.

Del Tin Practice Rapier Blades

Del Tin Armi Antiche now produces a "practice rapier" blade that offers the length and some of the handling characteristics of a real rapier blade with enough flex to allow for safety. Scott Wilson of Darkwood Armory designed the blades as an alternative to schläger blades (see below). They feature a true ricasso, diamond cross-section, and a distal taper - i.e., the blade thins slightly as it approaches the point. Unlike schlägers and epees, the practice rapier blade does not seem to acquire a "bend" in use. Instead, in flexes on impact and returns to true. The blade length is 42", perfectly acceptable for a rapier.

In return for its realistic handling, the practice rapier blade is something of a bruiser. It definitely packs a punch. When using these blades, you will need to pay close attention to safety equipment (see below).

Schläger Blades

Two cross-sections are available with the schläger blade - diamond or oval. The oval bends more readily on impact, but it tends to be "whippy" in use, unlike the vast majority of real rapier blades. The diamond cross-section eliminates this sensation somewhat, particularly on shorter blades, but the trade-off is stiffness: the diamond delivers a lot more force before bending.

Schlägers are probably the most popular form of rapier simulator in use today, perhaps because they are available in so many lengths. You can find blades anywhere from 34 inches up to 45 inches long. In addition, schläger blades are less likely to break than epees and double-wide epees, as Arms & Armor's Craig Johnson pointed out in a letter to the Modern Aviso.

Epees and Double-Wide Epees

The epee is one of the three weapons used in modern fencing. The blade has a triangular cross-section and tapers leading up to the point to allow for bending. It is short, light, and not really suited to rapier combat. The double-wide or Musketeer epee is a more robust version that some find appropriate. Certainly, in the longer lengths (you can get a 40 inch blade from Triplette Competition Arms) it resembles some later period rapier blades.

Other Options

Naturally these are not the only options. You can have a blade custom made to your specifications (expensive, yes, but you get exactly what you're looking for). A number of different blade types are rumored to be in development now. Rapier fencers may have several more to choose from in the next few years.

What About Daggers?

Rapiers were often used in association with off-hand weapons such as the dagger, the buckler, and the cloak. The two most common dagger blade options for fencers today are the flexi-dagger and the "black tulip" dagger. The flexi-dagger is a square stem fitted with a flat blade not unlike the saber blade used in Olympic fencing. It is extremely flexible and prone to bending, and in the heat of the moment it is not uncommon to be stabbed with the flexi-dagger blade and not feel it - especially if you're wearing protective clothing. Another shortcoming of the flexi-dagger blade is its inability to parry the heavier blades well - the upper, flat section of the blade is almost useless for this.

The "black tulip" on the other hand is notoriously stiff - if you strike an opponent hard enough to flex the blade, you'll probably kill him. Assuming you don't strike that hard, though, the black tulip is the way to go. It handles the heavier blades effectively, too.

Bucklers

Bucklers are small hand shields that were used in the medieval and renaissance periods. One of the earliest surviving fencing manuals - I.33 at the Royal Armouries, dating from the thirteenth century - is a sword and buckler manual. Although they are more commonly associated with cutting swords, bucklers were coupled with rapiers during the sixteenth century. George Silver, for one, thought the buckler was a more effective off-hand weapon than the dagger.

Today, the most common form of buckler is a simple, bowl-shaped shield with an attached metal grip. This kind of piece is available from a number of sources for about $50. More complex designs are available from Arms and Armor: the "English" buckler and the Square Target are two favorites of mine.

No matter where you get your buckler, one thing to avoid is a round grip: you don't want your shield to turn in your fist when it absorbs a blow. An oval shape allows for a more secure grip.

Safety Equipment

Every organization has its own rules about safety equipment. Some pack their members into layer upon layer of heavy clothing, others scrape by with the bare minimum. You'll probably want to experiment to find gear that's comfortable for you.

At the very least, you'll need a good three-weapon fencing mask and jacket. It's a good idea to supplement this with neck protection (a gorget, for example) and even a padded doublet or leather buffcoat to absorb impact. Many participants also wear elbow and knee pads.

It is also a good idea to put rubber blunts on the points of your weapons and secure them with lots of tape. Bear in mind that these blunts can come off if your point is trapped in an opponent's swept hilt, so be observant as you spar.

J. Mark Bertrand (alias "Sarpedon") is SFMO's Historical Swordsmanship Consultant. Mark studies swordsmanship with author John Clements and is a member of the Historical Armed Combat Association's Houston Study Group. He is also the HACA webmaster. As his collection of quality replica swords grows, Mark keeps his first acquisition handy - a saw-toothed Charles V wall-hanger - to stay humble.

Sarpedon [pronounced "sar-pee-don"] is a character from Homer's Illiad, the King of Lycia - an ally of the Trojans. He is chiefly remembered for the following advice: "... death in ten thousand shapes hangs ever over our heads, and no man can elude him; therefore let us go forward and either win glory for ourselves, or yield it to another.

BACK

[TOP]  [Back -1]  [About SFMO]  [Feedback to Editor]  [Discussion Forum]