We have been running this web site for a while, and though we are happy with what we’ve produced, we felt it wasn’t enough. At the heart of any discipline is the philosophy on which it is based, and we have not addressed our philosophy. We have articles dealing with the physical aspects of fighting (i.e. armor, drills, etc) and we have advice on the psychological aspects (i.e. confidence, patronization, etc), but we haven’t really dealt with the esoteric part of fighting. Our web site is oriented toward women fighters. What is our philosophy? Are we primarily talking about fighters, or women?
The answer is simple: We are talking about fighters. In our aggregate experience on the field, we have encountered every possible point of similarity and dissimilarity with fighters of either gender. We each have met women who were stronger, men who were shorter, women who were more aggressive, men who were slower. The difference in individuality is far more striking than can be accounted for by a gender-based parameter.
Separation of Female and Male Fighters
The idea of having a web site or something that makes some sort of separation for male and female fighters is something that we dislike. We feel that men and women are equal but simply have different assets to which you need to train.
Eringlin Chimes In:
When training women to fight, I treat them just as I would any man whom has any certain limitation or asset. If I’m training a very short person, his or her height must be taken into consideration, the same goes for someone very tall. Whatever proficiencies and deficiencies a fighter has must be incorporated into how they are trained. So if, in being female, a fighter has certain issues, which require attention, they should be addressed. If they are too timid, teach them it is OK to be a bit aggressive, and how and when to do it. If they are too aggressive, teach them control and how to channel the aggressions. If they are not strong in their upper body, show them how to use the larger muscle groups to facilitate more force and speed. If they are very strong, show them that not using their shoulders, backs, and legs will limit their efficacy. Every person has strengths and weaknesses, and should be evaluated and treated accordingly, male or female aside. This is how I approach any fighter I am training.
Same goes for opponents, regardless of their gender, I start out expecting the most, and adjusting to what ever they throw at me (hopefully). I’ve seen far too many fighters be punished for assuming they can go easy on someone just because they are female. Gender can never be a factor when sizing up an [unknown] opponent. I can’t count how many times Eichling has pummeled me, I learned from the very start not to underestimate opponents, especially based on gender.
Paul Says:
My personal opinion is that certain people have psychological problems with some aspect of fighting. Usually this concerns either hitting someone, or being hit. This happens to both men and women. One of my early male students, who was somewhat larger than I am, stopped fighting shortly after he got into armor, because he couldn’t stand to hit people.
I would suspect that many women experience difficulty because of three reasons: (1) Unrealistic expectations of being a great fighter, without having to do all that boring and painful work, (2) Lack of proper physical conditioning, and (3) poor training. Having said that, let me also say that I think the same is true for many men.
Eichling Adds:
“Train people, not Gender!”
Why then a Female Fighter Web site?
Had the Armored Rose not had such a prolonged effect on the mind set of the women who fight, there would be no need for the site to present an alternate opinion.
But there are many fighters, especially men, who have swallowed “The Armored Rose” hook line and sinker because they had a female student and wanted to do a good job of training her. It has been the only body of opinion presented and has been taken quite “biblically”. While the Armored Rose may apply to some females (and men) it does not apply universally. Some trainers in the process of trying to do a good job in teaching inadvertently teach their female students to have the problems that the Armored Rose describes.
Do You Hate the Armored Rose?
No, we don’t hate the Armored Rose, we just feel that it is not the only text out there. Duke Paul Bellatrix, Duke Patrick Darkwrath and Duke Gyrth have all written books on fighting. Yet no one seems to take their works with the absoluteness that people have taken with the Armored Rose. People realize that their books are reference material and pick and choose what works for them. Yet trainers and fighters alike look at the Armored Rose as if it contains all the answers for women fighters.
We do have some specific issues that we disagree with how the book is interpreted:
Stance. While the sword foot forward stance may be a good position for women fighters, you have to realize that you have to be able to throw a good shot with whatever foot is forward. There is no way in the heat of a quick battle that you can always revert to your sword foot forward stance. You have to be able to switch.
Blows. There is no such thing as a ‘woman’s blow’ versus a ‘man’s blow’. A woman can throw any blow a man can and vice versa. The only reason you can’t throw a specific blow is because of how your body is setup, not because of your gender.
The 5 Hurdles. Elina never says that the hurdles apply to all women, but it seems that in practice everybody assumes that all women go through these hurdles. This is not true, there are many women who don’t have these hurdles at all, especially women who tend to be younger and were raised in a different generational mind set.
Lizard Brain. The lizard brain allows you to externalize some of your internal mental attributes. If people used this as a tool to overcome their shortcomings, this would be an excellent method of dealing with a problem. But what we have observed with some of the people who use the Armored Rose concept is that the ‘lizard brain’ allows the externalization and denial of responsibility (”I’m not to blame; it is Society’s fault for conditioning me this way.”), as opposed to the acceptance of responsibility for your own actions.
Also check out Duchess Elina’s Rebuttal to this section of our philosophy
As a sage old timer once said, “ask 10 fighters their opinion and you’ll get 11 answers”. The Armored Rose is not the one true path for female fighters; there are many paths and many things to help you become a better fighter. Find out what works for you!
Female Only Tournaments
Here at SwordMaiden.com we differ in our opinions even about our own philosophy, which is great, because the world would be boring if we all thought alike.
Eichling Says:
I don’t support the female only tournaments, below are the main reasons why.
By Separating women and men, you are subconsciously telling women that they can’t compete with men. It reinforces the idea that women aren’t able to excel as well as their male counterparts.
In female only tournaments, it is frequently commented by observers of both genders that chivalry seems to be conspicuous by its absence. Tempers flair, calibrations are unusually high, blow acknowledgement idiosyncratic, and ill feelings abound. Perhaps it is that women feel that they shouldn’t loose to other women. Or perhaps the trainers, on the way to the tourney, each said to their respective student, “You’re the best woman fighter in our shire/barony/kingdom. You ought to be able to win this one!” The emotional cost of disappointing someone who has invested a lot of effort in your training can be high. This is not a gender specific occurrence; in its own way female only tournaments are the best of the best of females. You also observe the same phenomena in best of the best tournaments for royal peers, knights, general fighters and war points.
Whatever the reason, these tournaments seem to reinforce the least admirable aspects of competition.
Kolfinna Says:
Large Scale women’s tournaments at events such as Pennsic War, Estrella War and other large venues are okay in my book. At these events there are all kinds of specialty tournaments which limit the participants who can enter. For example the champion tourneys, volunteer tourneys, royal peer only tourneys and so on. These specialty tournaments are designed to showcase the fighters participating in them. We have all heard legends and stories of women from other areas, and this gives us a chance to fight them. It lets you do a bit of bonding with your fellow sisters at arms. It can be a good time and a good venue in which to showcase your talents.
Small scale tournaments on the other hand can be damaging as they end up becoming “Junior Varsity” tournaments. This is a perception that female fighters must avoid. It does no good for the cause of female fighters to have people believe that the only reason the female tournaments exist is because women can’t handle fighting men. The day to day playing field of tournaments must be gender equal.
Paul Says:
Personally, I think that women’s tourneys are a good thing, on whatever level. It’s fun, and actually useful training, to have matches with people who are similar in skill and physical characteristics. Everybody needs to win, sometimes. I think it’s similar to the concept of “novice” tournaments. The only thing to avoid is staying exclusively in the restricted events.
So Now What?
We’ll we’re going to keep producing articles and information for this web site. And even though the title of the web site may be “A Resource for Women Fighters in the SCA”, we believe that almost all the information found here can translate to male fighters as well. Our goal is to educate fighters and their trainers in the best way we know how; some of those fighters are women.
Written by: Eichling von Amrum, Eringlin Aldhelm, Kolfinna kottr & Paul of Bellatrix
5 Comments
- 1
Ceolflaed Pyper Says:
Thank you for this website! It is an inspiration and a refreshing alternative to some of the other information available for female fighters.
Like all new fighters, I got a lot of advice from a wide range of sources. After about a year of fighting ( which I reached just last year) I came to the conclusion that being a lefty seems to affect my fighting a lot more than being female. But even still, a lot of issues are the same for me as they are for everyone else.
Reading the accounts of female knighting cermonies on your site brought tears to my eyes, and the wealth of information elsewhere on the site will bring me back, I’m sure.
See you on the field!
Ceolflaed Pyper
proud new Squire to Sir Martin le Harpur, An Tir
Posted on July 24th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
- 2
Ailbhe Milbourne Says:
Many thanks for this site. Although I started with a look at the philosophy (and haven’t got much further) it is very good to see that there is another way of looking at how I should train myself to think.
I was somewhat influenced by the Iron Rose and much of what it seemed to be saying was quite adverse to what I had been brought up believing.
This aside, being reasonable new to fighting in the SCA I find it is a great way of releasing pent up energy, a creative outlet and have it set in my mind to be the very best fighter I can be, both for my own personal agenda (wanting to be Queen of Lochac in my own right…eventually) and as an example to my daughters that they too can be whatever they want to be in life.
Please keep up the good works, for fighters everywhere!
Ailbhe M
Posted on October 19th, 2007 at 5:45 pm
- 3
Diana Says:
A woman dont do this, a woman don´t do that. I had enough of this.
This site is great. It has always been my opinion that we have to compete with men. There is nothing to lose, except our fears. We could do and we should. We can be everything what want to be.
Posted on February 11th, 2008 at 10:40 am
- 4
Sita Says:
It’s true not every woman goes through those hurdles, and some men do. It’s also true that the gender gap is slowly starting to close with new generations. However, some women do go through this. I’ve been fighting nearly three years now, not a terribly long time compared to some, but long enough to get to know my body and my brain a bit. I still find myself going though some of the things is Lady Elina’s book. I have read The Armored Rose cover to cover several times not just the little snippet about the five hurdles. I found it very enlightening because not only does it describe her experiences as a woman and in fighting/ training other women but it also provides facts, statistics, and examples. The armored Rose most certainly isn’t the only perspective/ scenario from a feminine stand-point but it is also certainly not an ill-informed or incorrect one. On a side note acknowledging that society has an impact on the way we think is not meant to provide a scapegoat for a female “handicap” but only an eye opener. Once it is realized that you (not society) as a female may have very well set limitations on yourself because of the way you have been brought up to think, only makes it easier to overcome and break down those limitations.
Posted on March 23rd, 2008 at 7:28 pm
- 5
Uta Says:
Been fighting for 12 years, mostly within all male groups. In battles I find that the lack of weight can be a bit of a hinderance when breaking through a pike unit. However when it comes to one on one sword fight, I’ve killed and maimed my way through male and female fighters alike and have been killed and maimed in return. Was all worth it!!! (Including the broken rib and finger) I’ve come across my fair share of male prejudice sometimes boardering on malice and had some men refusing to fight me in a melee for fear they maybe beaten by a woman. In battles I get around this by dressing as ‘male’ as possible, and most fighters don’t know that I’m a woman until the after-battle hose-down (excuse the pun;-) I had to take some time out this winter due to pregnancy, but I can’t wait to get back into fighting! Lovely to see that this site has been set up. It would be nice to think that one day we won’t have to fight 3 times as well as men to get the same respect!
Posted on December 9th, 2008 at 6:29 am