Again, you couldn't be bothered to actually read what was written. sigh ...

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sword fighting is sword fighting…I have sparred Kendoka, Escrima practitioners and college fencers…all could compete.

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No, no it's not. You keep talking sparring. That is an entirely different animal than sword fighting. sparring is simply one way of training, and nothing more. You train to spar, I don't train to spar. You use the example of MMA fighters. MMA is only a good thing if you're going to fight in a ring with rules. I met an ex-professional MMA fighter when I was out in Dallas a couple of years back. He is an ex-fighter because he's now blind. He confused MMA fighting with real fighting and picked a fight with a short Mexican fellow who gouged both of his eyes out as soon as he was close enough.

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CXT and pgsmith you both could and should come out. For once you walk within our walls you will see us in a different light.

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I've hung with SCA groups and seen the fighting. It's fine for what it is, but I don't do that! I don't fight for fun, my training has different aims. I quit going to SCA events because there was way too much testosterone, and too many guys that felt that they had something to prove. I have nothing to prove so I didn't fit in.

This is my last attempt to get through to you. I think I'm done now ...

Gansu, man.. what your saying just doesnt make any sense to me

1.) your assuming everyone in a JSA has a desire to be the top dog and can kill anyone with both hands tied behind his/her back. Not the case, koryu isn't really about being a better fighter.. if it were we would all be in UFC not training to use a weapon we will never use in real life.

2.) you are insinuating that SCA people are excellent combatants... good with what they use perhaps, excellent in their own world of chivalry and compliance. But what your saying when you refer beating down kendoka is like saying you can take on a thumb wrestling champion at chess. You take someone out of their context and they won't fair as well. Play by kendo rules and its a different story. Im not saying SCA are not very good at fighting. On the contrary I'm sure they are, but its all about the individual and its about the scene.

Plus, it seems to me that you are insinuating that you can take what you have learned in SCA and apply it to true combat. That's like being really good a paintball and going to war on that basis. I can't really speak from experience (I hope no one here can) but I'm confident that SCA, kendo, iaido, etc. is not the same as a real life fight the concept of dieing would cloud your mind and make you hesitate. You would begin to doubt yourself and a single mistake can mean death, not just acknowledging a hit.

Gansukid

For once a screen name that makes some sense......sadly I can't figure out if its "kid" as someone too young to actually think stuff through or "kid" as a non-serious person.

Either way someone that refuses to actually read what I posted is simply a waste of my time.....how you could focus in one a single OUT OF CONTEXT statement and conclude that I was somehow slighting SCA and yet UTTERLY MISS ME SAYING:

"If someone is talking smack on SCA---please knock their block off---and I'll help you do it."

That is either a sloppy reader or a person willing to be intellectually dishonest in dealing with others....neither of which speakes well of you.

"no competition equals no skill"

Really---so riddle me this "jenius" back when when people were using real rapiers for real duels one of the most effective means of training was "stipped to the waist with esp long points de arts" (Amberger) is that how you train?....With real, deadly sharp weapons and no armor?

"my art is too dangerous"

Uh, I NEVER SAID THAT---YOU said that...I said nothing like that.......... I was merely trying to help you grasp that rules seriously effect how people fight and more importantly TRAIN to fight---and thus why its IMO hard to set a really "fair" means of weapons sparring.

You brought up MMA--so lets think it thu shall we?

A MMA fighter and boxer decide to match--the day of the match they tell the MMA fighter that ANY form of grappling is forbidden.

1-The boxer now has tremendous advantage

2-The MMA whom presumably has been spending at least 50% of their training time ON grappling and using strikes to set up throws, locks, pins etc is now at a serious disadvantage.

Or flip it around....tell the boxer that they can ONLY grapple.

Either way.....not what any RATIONAL person could call a "fair" match at this point.

Same with the weapons--different training and different combative assumptions makes it really, really, really, hard to to match in a "fair manner.

"The SCA culture is one based on honor and prowess"

Really, so far the only thing you have demonstrated about SCA "culture" is that you don't bother to read what people actually post and you run around the net looking for an e-fight.
In a very real fashion---as I mentioned---YOUR behavior is exactly way SCA gets bashed on occasion.

"Honor"

IMO there is NOTHING "honorable" about taking what I said out of context.
IMO there is nothing "honorable" about NOT reading about my support for SCA. There is nothing "honorable" about miscating what I said.

"Prowess"

And how are we to determine that?

I don't know you....you don't know me so you can claim whatever "prowess" you wish.
I'm probably not going to take off work and spend my hard earned money on a plane ticket to whereever you live so you are actually pretty safe in talking smack and challanging/inviting those whom disagree with you to "come out and walk within our walls" because you know that your just some dude or dudette on the net and chances are you'll NEVER have to back it up.
Hardly requires any courage or "honor" or "prowess" to talk tough from behind the safety of your keyboard.

"People who don't walk within our walls most assuredly get weighed, measured and found wanting"

Whew! Good thing that doesn't sound all weird and cultish.

BTW, if they DON'T "walk within your walls" and you DON'T actually spar with them then how in the name of god can you "weigh" "measure" and find ANYTHING "wanting??????????"
Seems to me to "weigh and measure and find wanting" something you actually have to be able to "measure" and "weigh" it to start with----if you can't do either then how can you find it "wanting??"

Or is that too rational a question?

A few years ago I came very close to joining the SCA as a member of the Barony of Delftwood.

They had held a Faire locally, a stroll through Medieval times. The costumes, the battles, the arts such as dancing and fletching arrows were intriguing. Besides their meetings were held @ two miles from where I live and their heavy arms encounters take place at parks not far from here. The skill/enthusiam of their battles was already beyond what I could muster at the time (I practice Iaido) but their archery was still within my ability.

But practicing Iaido and Aikido already took hours each week. There was simply not enough time for everything. :-(

GansuKid,

Please consider your words more carefully. You are coming off as elitist and quite rude. Just because you find value in the way that you train and practice, does not mean there is not value in the way others train. Your boasts of superiority make it clear that you are not interested in defending the honor of the SCA, but rather that you are interested only in tooting your own horn and that of the SCA.

The longer you participate in forums online, the more you will come to understand that a little humility goes a long way to getting people to take your arguments seriously.