Some recent Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) incidents have gotten me thinking about whether the risk I’m taking by participating in SCA rapier is something I’m comfortable with

I don’t mean this to throw shade at HEMA - we are fundamentally very similar activities. I also saw the local SCA fencing group discussing at length how HEMA isn’t one thing with a commonly used standard the way our Society is, and the consensus in that conversation was that we think that does keep SCA fighters safer to some extent on calibration and armoring standards.

I don’t think that I ever had a serious conversation about the risks of rapier fighting before I decided to do it, but I’m much more risk averse than I was a few years ago anyway, so it’s good to periodically revisit what I am comfortable with.

Anyway if you’re just here for the gossip here’s the HEMA incidents I’m referring to. I am aware that as a non-HEMA-practicioner I only hear the egregious stuff and it’s probably usually not like this:

There is of course a history of fatality in modern Olympic fencing as well https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Smirnov_(fencer) and much of modern safety practices in all steel swordfighting today is based around mitigating that risk.

What are the risks of SCA fencing?

Read these sources for more info, below is a short version of what I consider.

https://www.nols.edu/media/filer_public/57/d5/57d5cd89-3778-4098-a694-3b8977059745/accidents_in_outdoor_pursuits.pdf Potential Causes of Accidents in Outdoor Pursuits – it’s only one slide and I recommend you read it and ponder. h/t Jacob Kaplan-Moss, full thread at https://social.jacobian.org/@jacob/114699206739553351

https://drive.proton.me/urls/EYWPHWQTWM?fbclid=IwY2xjawLAI5dleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETE2OW9BWko5bWo2WEp2cUxwAR6mBnuRInkm1t9pNEK6VqbDd2DVc4ZaGghsGzcjdjPtoBnzPtaTDpCWfpo0Og_aem_EpoZ9vr_avHYe392OioPFA#QVuzRNB4fGVn – Observing Safety and Handling Incidents Together, a guide for HEMA – it’s longer but very relevant.

Without equipment failure

The major risks I am trying to avoid are concussion from oblique hits to the head (usually melee and/or spear), broken fingers from hits to the hand (usually in Cut and Thrust), and heatstroke/heat exhaustion from overheating at summer outdoor events.

Knee injuries from lunges, and sometimes shoulder/rotator cuff injuries are also relatively common, from anecdotal discussion. (no I don’t have hard data on this :( I should ask the SCA Society Earl Marshal if she has data!).

Bruises are a regular part of the sport but I don’t mind them as they don’t endanger my livelihood or well-being long term.

I still believe that SCA Rapier is maybe an order of magnitude less risky than SCA Armored Combat, in large part because I have only done rapier in “lightest touch” calibrated kingdoms. If I didn’t overall trust my opponent to not hit me too hard, I might say something different.

Nothing is without risk; I have a desk job, and I believe that not exercising would be worse for me overall than going to weekly practice.

With equipment failure

A broken blade with a sharp point can easily penetrate armor and kill. (I am shocked at how cavalier I was in high school - my fencing team usually had 2-3 blades break per season, at least partially because it was from November to February in New York and we were constantly going in and out of buildings and into the snowy outside with our stuff, also because our training was… somewhat adhoc and I hit way harder then than I do today in the SCA. It is also worth noting that the SCA has almost entirely deprecated use of modern epees, foils, and flexi-daggers at this point, specifically due to the higher risk of breakage with the thinner blades compared to the thicker historical recreation schlager cross-section blades.)

It is worth noting that SCA events generally occur down dirt roads with no cell service. I assume that anything that is treatable only if handled promptly by an ambulance will potentially kill at an SCA event.

What am I doing to keep myself healthy and safe?

1. I’m continuing to follow SCA standards and best practices for equipment and inspection.

I am also continuing to wear “reduced armor” of a single layer of thin fabric on my torso in non-C&T non-melee situations, with people I already know who aren’t brand new. It is less safe in the broken blade failure case but overall it keeps me cooler in the sun than my chainmail can, and makes me less tired to wear which is a benefit to my safety.

2. I’m buying a new mask and likely padding it with additional anti-concussion foam.

This is a me thing – the mask I fence in was purchased new when I was 15. I am currently 31. I used it for two four-month varsity sport seasons for modern epee (as well as for moonlighting at Pennsic two summers), it sat in a closet for seven years, and I have been using it continuously for SCA fencing for the last eight years. The inner padding isn’t as bad as it could be but it noticeably wiggles when we test it in inspections to see if it hits my face after I put it on my head. The velcro/elastic straps have almost fully worn out and I sewed new elastic to them but it doesn’t help a lot.

My new mask has a built in rigid back of head which will be nice because my existing C&T back of head has gapping and I don’t feel safe in it. https://swordgear.com/product/cobra-fencing-mask/. It is heavier which will both train my neck muscles to protect and support me in case of head hits, and require more force to move my head thus reducing my concussion risk. I bought it in the large size because I hear it runs a bit small due to the built in padding and if it’s too big for me when it arrives in the mail, I plan to additionally pad with https://www.nadlermetalcrafts.com/MISC-ShockTec-Air2Gel-Foam-Sold-by-the-Linear-Foot-3-8-Thick-x-12-Wide-p300459065

https://www.keithfarrell.net/blog/2021/01/protective-equipment-vs-concussions-in-sword-fighting/ https://sparkyswordscience.blogspot.com/2017/07/bonk-analysis-of-blunt-impact-forces.html https://historicalfencingresearch.com/2025/03/17/safety-tips-phase-1-project-results/