Welcome
to the Sick
Individual Productions
“Basic Staged Weapons Combat Page”.
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Here
I am aiming to explain to you the basics of staged weapon
combat as I have learnt and used myself for many film and
live performances. I hope that it helps the beginner and
experienced practitioner alike. Although below is more
focused for live performances the same theories apply to
film performances. On film you just have to consider the
angles that you want it shot in more carefully. So all you
backyard ninja and jedi lets begin training!
Before
we go any further I must point out that I will accept no
responsibility at all for you hurting yourself, hurting others or
damaging any property by following the techniques outlined below. You
train, read and use these teachings at YOUR own risk!!! And
be prepared: This tutorial is large!
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Sick
Individual
Sword Fighting
You
can see examples of
Sick Individual Productions
Sword Fighting Techniques
by viewing the following films:
Staged
combat is all about practise, gaining confidence, having fun and most of all
its about trust. Trust can be seen in various forms: trusting yourself
to wield the weapon with precision and safety, trusting your opponent to
wield the weapon with precision and safety, and also trusting the
producer/director for his guidance and for looking after the welfare of
their cast and crew. Staged
combat can cover such situations as that of a mass medieval battle to that
of a one on one sword duel to the death. Show combat is NOT and I
stress NOT real combat. It is a skilled and highly rehearsed act, and
far more extended and flamboyant then real combat. The point of it is to put
on a “show” for the audience, who ever and what ever medium they may be
watching. Unless your planning it, the fight is far more extended than in
real life. Normally a swordsman would aim to end the fight with one single
cut motion, you do not want to waste energy or risk injury with a prolonged
encounter. For entertainment value however the duel would go for much
longer. People are very conditioned these days to that of viewing the
Hollywood style of combat and fighting where the hero normally takes a
shocking beating and then comes out on top. The extended fight scene is much
more entertaining.
Real
combat is very much different to this. One clear example of this is
seeing how messy and basic a normal pub fight is. One guy may get blindsided
and be punched in the nose and simply collapse on the ground….end of
fight. Also in real life most fights end up in a grappling situation, not a
fast flowing and beautiful looking clean and crisp encounter. The belief in
Hollywood fighting being believable often leaves people disenchanted when
they go to train for real and find out how much hard work and basic in form
most combat really is. Also having been stabbed, punched, kicked and cut
myself, I can tell you that it does not feel very good and is a very painful
experience. Professionals get hurt themselves at times even after lifetimes
of experience.
Anyway enough of my harping
on about all this, I must also say that there are in fact slight parallels
between stage sword fighting and real sword fighting. You will gain a lot of
confidence, fitness and faster reaction times from practising staged combat
than you would from just sitting on the couch and watching videos all day.
The fact is that you wish to
entertain the audience is it not? So to do this you must train with the
weapon, look natural whilst using it and act along with the performance.
There is no other way of pulling this off successfully. YOU MUST TRAIN AT
SOME POINT IN YOUR CAREER!!!! There is no easy route to attaining the
skills taught here.
It is also no good trying to
build a show/film around a combat scene. The vast majority of people will
bore of this and most of you will not have the effective skill to pull this
off, so remember that a good plot and scenario are also extremely handy to
have.
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Lets move on to training. I will start off by saying that you
must understand that this is not a Martial Art or form of
self-defence. As stated above, these techniques are just for
entertaining people.
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Some
major considerations:
Practise
rehearse practise rehearse!!
Go
at the speed your partner and yourself are
comfortable with.
Follow
the routine as it has been rehearsed. Do not
deviate!!
Don’t
be over excited and get carried away with your
force.
Never
try to hurt your opponent!!
Never
fight whilst intoxicated, drugged or in a bad
mood!!
Never
strike in anger!!
If
you are injured in any way, stop immediately and
assess the damage.
If your opponent accidentally hits you do not take it personally and never try to get revenge!
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For
this tutorial I am mainly focusing on the use of the
double-handed sword, which is very popular in use today.
Be it a broadsword, Katana or lightsabre, all the below
techniques apply in
the same fashion. You can apply the techniques to all melee
weaponry though. The two-handed sword is common for most
people and easier than a lot of weapons to control in
motion. When selecting a sword make sure that it is the
hardest degree of steel that you can afford. The sad fact
is that all swords get damaged during a fight and lesser
steel
versions may not last very long at all. I have seen some
cast alloy swords only last a few practise hits at times.
This could lead to you having a very expensive past time
indeed, and not too mention the safety concerns involved.
To avoid damage to your sword some people employ the method
of
blocking your edged-strike to the flat of their sword,
instead of blocking and striking edge to edge. This is very
helpful for softer steeled swords, but it will normally
cause the blockings sword to bend upon impact. Some truly
hardened steel swords blocking in this way can easily snap
or shatter, so always try to be aware of what your sword
is capable of and can handle in training.
I also highly
recommend training with bamboo swords (bokkens) or wooden
sticks at first until you get confident with the blocking
and attacking motions. Also this will lengthen the lifetime
of your actual stage swords and will lessen the degree of
injuries. I would also recommend for obvious reasons to
steer clear of “live” or sharpened blades. Using
training swords is a great to warm up with before a
performance or a shoot. I introduce trainees into contact
training with the use of bokkens, staffs and tonfa batons.This gets them used to being hit, used of hitting
back and gets their reactions working swiftly.
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Swords to Avoid Fighting With:
This is for
your short-term and long-term welfare so please read.
Just a few general hints on what types of swords not
generally use if you can help it.
Generally swords that are meant to be only a
decorative ornament. They are usually made of very
soft metal and are not very sturdy
Swords that have been only spot welded together in
parts. This is very brittle and can break without
notice.
Avoid using swords that are sharp, or as we say
“LIVE”. Considering the amount of injuries that can
easily arise by sword fighting I would try to lessen
the chances of any wounds.
Also
avoid mixing swords of varying steel strengths.
Normally only the stronger sword will survive!!
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In
time you will acquire great control over your weapons and
attacking motions. This will help you pull the strike if need be
and lessen the force of the blow when it strikes. During a
broadsword fight once in front of a live audience and with steel
swords, my partner and I were going at it really hard and we were
also free fighting which adds more of an element of danger. He did
not block my vertical strike in time and I managed, some how, to
pull the sword up within an inch of his head and managed not to
cleave it in two. This was a prime example of control and luckily
I did not hit him at all. Even if I had of hit him though with
control the injury would have been far less in impact. This is
important for all forms of stage/screen combat, including
hand-to-hand or weaponry fights.
This
is a diagram portraying The
6 Basic Attack Zones as
taught to me and is very common amongst the performance
fighting circles
Below
are the six basic strikes described.
Basic
Defences:
It is essential to block, and with your sword. You must
block the strike away from your body, and before it has
any chance to strike you!!
I
have seen people be struck and I have been injured
myself through poor blocking techniques. Otherwise you
are going to be very sore and sorry! Below are the basic
blocks to parry the six basic strikes.
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Offensive
Defensive
1.
This is the basic vertical cut, perpendicular to the
ground and is clearly aiming to come down onto the head.
This is probably the most common attack used most times.
1.
Raise the sword above your head and parallel to the
ground. Make sure your sword is above your head. This is
a common fault and often leads to the head being struck!
Some people also like to have the defending sword tilted
slightly to the ground so the attack glances off. With
which hand is in front is your own preference, most
people practise with the next move in mind and from
which side next you are going to attack or defend from.
2.
This is a horizontal cut, parallel to the ground and
aimed at the opponents left shoulder.
2.
Move you sword to the left side of your body at a
comfortable distance away from it and confidently parry
the strike. Try to keep your sword as vertical as
possible with the blade central to your shoulders.
3.
This is a horizontal cut, parallel to the ground and
aimed at the opponent’s right shoulder.
3.
Move you sword to the right side of your body at a
comfortable distance away from it and confidently parry
the strike. Try to keep your sword as vertical as
possible with the blade central to your shoulders.
4.
A downward swinging cut to the opponents left leg. A
rough angle of 45 degrees is most commonly used with the
sword glancing down.
4.
Swing the sword down to your left side at a 45-degree
angle and parry the attack away from your lower body.
Make sure your blade is pointing down towards the
ground.
5.
A downward swinging cut to the opponents right leg. A
rough angle of 45 degrees is most commonly used with the
sword glancing down.
5.
Swing the sword down to your right side at a 45-degree
angle and parry the attack away from your lower body.
Make sure your blade is pointing down towards the
ground.
6.
A thrust to the centre of your opponent’s torso. This
is clearly the most dangerous manoeuvre and requires a
lot of practise. This thrust commonly also incorporates
a lunge forward with the body. Many people have trouble
using and defending against this attack. You can of
course thrust at multiple heightened targets at the
centre line if planned for and rehearsed.
6.
Now this is important because no one wants to be gutted!
A nice and tight downward swinging defence is the most
common technique used here. The attack is simply knocked
to one side and slides past you. Keep you sword nice and
vertical and strike the sword to whatever side you are
comfortable with. Thereare of course more detailed blocks for this
technique, which involve angling in to your opponent or
away from them.
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Offensive
Notes
With
rehearsal and lots of practise you will be able to judge the
required force to use for the fight you are wishing to
portray. Do not go full force at your opponent at any time!
This is where confidence and distancing also come into
play.
Another
important aspect is not to “fight air”. This is where it
is clearly visible to the viewer that your intended strikes
would never have hit your opponent. This often makes the fight
look very soft. It is not logical or energy efficient to block
a strike that will clearly not hit you, and most people out
there are fairly logical. With rehearsal and confidence all of
the fighters should be able to get in nice and close to each
other and strike at a reasonable speed and force. You must be
able to and feel confident with the ability to pull your
strike as much as possible it you need to. This would happen
if amidst a fight your opponent forgets the sequence, looses
his footing/balance or is injured and unable to quickly block.
With lots of practise you will also be able to invent and try
many other types of strikes and defensive counters for these
strikes. .
This
is the wrong way to block a vertical strike!!!!
As
described in defensive action no.1, Raise
the sword ABOVE your head.
If at anytime you are
injured during practise or the actual performance then STOP and
access the damage. You may want to fight again sometime in the
future. Always keep a first aid kit on hand and a phone nearby to
dial emergency if need be. There are usually no minor injuries due
in sword fighting. Generally the hands cop a degree of punishment
over time, whether it is via the sword, staff or knife. I recommend
wearing leather gloves, as thick as you feel comfortable with,
during weapons training to try to lessen any accidental impact.
Now before every
practise and show/shoot you should warm your limbs and body up with
a basic stretching regime. Stretching will decrease the chances of
muscle tear injuries and will increase your range if bodily motions.
This will help speed and fluidity increase more rapidly.
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The
Fight
Now we have the
basics out of the way we can get to the choreography of the
actual fight sequence. This is never an easy task and usually
has to be tailored to suit the film/show that you are working
on. As mentioned above, a show does not normally revolve
around a fight scene so it must be woven carefully into the
plot. I also prefer actual weapon-to-weapon contact and force
in my manoeuvres. I think it adds more realism and intention
to the fight.
Some points
to ponder
Make sure
the fight is fluent and flows well. Ensure all fighters
have nice comfortable stances and are balanced
The actors
usually have to look confident with their weapons and
actions
Do not
“fight the air” and use as real distancing as possible
The actors
have to “ACT” within the fight. They perhaps have to
give the impression of desperation, effort, injury or
exhaustion.
Try to
incorporate hand-to-hand strikes and fast grappling
manoeuvres into the fight to make it more interesting to
the viewer.
Enjoy the
performance/shoot & have fun.
I prefer to
write the sequence down in paper first. If the duel is only
between two people then I write down each one’s moves step
by step and the other fighters moves in response. Sit down and
work out what the fight is trying to achieve, what the
fighters are capable of and what the setting allows.
Once
down on paper run through it very slowly with the
fighters in a distinct step-by-step motion. Start
assessing early on if any changes for any reasons need
to be made. Once the fighters have the gist of it memory
then start rehearsing it at a slightly faster speed and
with increasingly more gusto. Full speed and required
force cannot be used until the fight has been learnt and
is 100% completely natural to the fighters. They must
have everything correct. This will take time and
sometimes a lot of time. This is totally unavoidable,
even for seasoned fighters. During this process
introduce the costumes and the actual swords that are
intended to be in use for the actual performance (if not
already used so), so that the actors are used to the
weights and feel of their equipment.
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Stances
used within the fight will vary accordingly to the
styles and time periods that you are trying to reflect.
These can be found out by watching a video that reflects
what you are after or be studying historical book on the
subject. Just make sure you move smoothly and balanced
between stances. Many stances you see in movies are
usually not very combat effective. One stance I love is
where the hero has their front arm extended virtually
straight out towards the enemy and his backhand is
holding their sword above their head. In reality I would
cut off that leading hand straight away.
Wether
for stage or screen, assemble the fighters early and
have a briefing of the fight and what is to be expected.
The fight should be rehearsed a couple of times at a
nice comfortable speed and then once at full speed and
power. Any last minute concerns should be addresses
here.
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Problems
During The Fight
Problems and
glitches can commonly occur during the actual performance. One
common one is that of a performer forgetting the combat sequence.
In a live show it is important not to just stop at this point and
look like the fight has gone astray. Maintain eye contact with
your opponent and quickly respond or try to act along with the
slight mistake. The audience generally does not know what is meant
to come next and the error can be cleverly disguised. If need be
begin to quickly circle your opponent and keep the motion
continuing, then launch into the next attack sequence that you
know if you or your partner has given some sort of eye or head
nodding indication. Communication is very important during these
problems. With lots of past rehearsal fighters should be easily
able to get back into the groove of the routine.
The worst sword
fight I was involved in was for a Jewish Festival one day in
Melbourne. We had to fight on top of a classroom roof in the guise
of being pirates. The roof for a start was corrugated and we did
not learn of this until the day. Too cut a long story short one of
the swords broke during the first exchange of blows. We had to
quickly adapt so we both drew daggers and started a quick little
twin weapon non-rehearsed fight sequence. Too top it off I was hit
in the head by a flying Mars Bar from the crowd!!! But at least we
kept the fight flowing and moving!
The
worst thing that can happen, and especially live, is an
injury. As mentioned above, if at anytime you are injured,
stop the fight and assess the injury. Proceed off stage or
to a safe, calm area as fast as you can. Once assessed then
the fighter can decide wether they can continue or not! If
in any doubt or the case warrants it, please seek expert
medical attention as fast as possible. The problem here is
that during a fight you will be hyped up and full of
adrenalin. In this state you tend to less pain when injured.
Your judgement of the severity of it may also be underrated.Remember we are only playing heroes or villains for
the performance, not for real. I have seen and experienced
many injuries in the past. Ranging from small cuts and
bruises, to major wounds, head injuries and partial
amputations. Some of these during light practise also.
One way of getting
really good at two-handed sword fighting is to learn an actual
Martial Art that uses and incorporates sword work. This will help
you immensely with proper stances and techniques, also with
confidence and fitness.
Also
some fun practise of “free-fighting” where the fighters
attack each other nice, lightly and with care using any
technique that they wish and countering how they wish. This
gets the fighters thinking more about their actions,
improves reaction times and is an ease from the ingrained
notion if the rehearsed fight. I recommend using bokkens or
wooden swords for this phase. Also make sure that the
combatants do not get carried away with the actions and try
to score shots into each other’s bodies.
You are also
advised to watch action movies involving sword combat and
see what works for them and the angles and techniques that
they use to shoot the fight.
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Simple
Drill:
A simple
training drill to learn the basic attack and defence
techniques is to work with a partner and follow the
directions below.
One
person attacks with offensive techniques 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
and 6.
The
other person defends against these techniques with
defensive techniques 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
Then
simply reverse rolls and try to continue the flow and
momentum of the fight.
This
drill is a simple extension of the basics and you must
remember that power and techniques comes from the basics.
All other techniques and motions just extend upon these
motions
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Basic
Sword Fight:
Below
is a basic choreographed swordfight involving 2 people and
some basic hand-to-hand move that I have used for live
shows. The fight is simply between the White
Knight
and Black
Knight
and uses the techniques above for attacking and defending.
Each step is noted as being “AT”:
attacking
or “DF”:
defending.
White
Knight(AT):
2, 3, 4, 5, and 6
Black
Knight(DF):
2, 3, 4, 5, and 3 (less controlled “looking” swipe to
the side of the head)
White
Knight(DF):
Ducks under the arcing swipe
Black
Knight(AT):
1 ,1, and 1
White
Knight(DF):
Runs under the last vertical strike and both fighters
quickly turn and face
White
Knight(AT):
Charges in, 2,and
spins
Black
Knight(AT):
2, 5 cut whilst
White Knight
spins
White
Knight(DF):
Blocks 5
Black
Knight(AT):
Kicks to back of White
Knight’s knees, backhands
to the faces, this spins White Knight
over and he attempts to get up on all fours. Black Knight
then kicks White Knight
to the stomach (using flat of foot) and White Knight
rolls over on his back and acts with the impact.
White
Knight(DF):
Attempts to reach for his sword, whilst still on his back.
Black
Knight(AT):
1 to the ground where White Knight
is reaching.
White
Knight(DF):
reaches sword in time and whilst still down delivers a 4 cut
Black
Knight(AT):
Black Knight
blocks 4 and delivers 1, 1 to the still fallen White Knight
White
Knight(DF):
Blocks the first 1 and rolls out of the way of the second 1
and gets up to his feet.
White
Knight(AT):
Attacks with 2, 2 and a 3
Black
Knight(DF):
Blocks 2, 2, 3 and attacks with a 1
White
Knight(AT):
White Knight
surges forward with 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
White
Knight(AT):
Continues attack with 3, 4, 5, 6, 1
White
Knight(AT):
From the last 1 lunges forward with 6. (kill) Sword on the 6
is aimed to the non-audience side and it is seen to pass
through the Black
Knight
who acts with the input
White
Knight(AT):
Optional. Black
Knight
grabs hold of sword and the White
Knight
thrusts his sword in deeper and withdrawals the sword quickly
as the Black
Knight
slumps to the ground dead
Above
is a simple and easy to manage sword fight. As you have read,
wrestling and hand to hand combat methods can be easily incorporated
into the act. Also other types of melee weapons can be covered and
practised in the same way. Simply always think safety and have a lot
of fun while learning and performing the above techniques. .
