VCU HEMA Sparring Games
These games all use sparring to train different aspects of fencing and can be a good way to introduce something different and fun into practice. It also gives the opportunity…
Go to, skill-based drills
Bear Pit
This exercise is great for mixing in new and old members, it also exposes fencers to a variety of fencing styles and trains conditioning.
Fencers in full kit make a line around a circle or arena and one person volunteers to enter first
The first person in line enters and the two spar, the first one to land a win
The winner stays in the pit; the loser goes to the back of the line, banter is encouraged
The goal is for one person to fight everyone and be king of the ring
Conveyer Belt (of Doom)
This is a fantastic drill to train endurance and adapting to different styles in quick succession.
All fighters line up shoulder to shoulder facing a partner in full kit
They fence for one minute till the instructor calls halt
Everyone rotates one spot so they have a new partner and they fence for one minute
This continues for however many rotations of the group the instructor feels like. When you meet your original partner in your original spot that is one revolution
Square Dance sparring
This is a good social mixer that teaches mobility in kit, situational awareness, and moving quickly from point A to B.
Everyone finds a partner and spars for 1 minute
After that minute they must run to find a new partner and spar for another minute
Rest after 3 minutes of continuous sparring
Practice Competition
This is an informal way to pit club members against each other and allows the club leadership to practice setting up and running a tournament. This is also a good opportunity to test any scorekeeping software like HEMA scorecard.
Pick a ruleset and set up a tournament with registration forms, brackets, and fencers fencing for first second and third place with designated judges and directors in a low-stakes competition
This is done mostly to acclimate new fencers to the tournament atmosphere and get them used to one exchange at a time fighting
This also provides a more formal opportunity for everyone to practice different tournament roles as points are awarded to each fencer, and their scores determine who places where
Fun drills
Pirates
This is a fun drill that lets fencers play with different ranges and tactics and teaches them situational awareness.
Have everyone line up in 2 even groups facing each other with a line down the middle and a border 2 feet behind them
The instructor calls “prepare to repel boarders” then “Boarding action” at which point each team tries to kill or ring out the other team
They can work together to defeat the other team
If they are hit, then they move out of the combat area, if they are pushed past the border behind them then they also leave the fighting area
The winner is the last man standing or the team with the most members left. Use jerseys or other identifiers to distinguish the teams
Another play is to have every man for himself on either side then call boarding action and have both sides fight as a team against each other
Mcbane’s duel
This teaches fencers how to watch each other’s blind spots and teaches mobility and situational awareness in full kit. Excellent for armor acclimation.
Everyone chooses a partner to spar with
After 1 minute a brawl breaks out, and you have to team up with your opponent to defeat all the other brawlers
The winner is the last team standing
If your teammate is hit, then you both lose
Kill the king
This is a tactical game that encourages teamwork and defensive fighting for the defenders and flanking and careful advancement for attackers.
One team has a king armed with a shield and weapon of their choice
The defenders have to protect their king from the attackers who want to kill them
If you are hit, you have to sit down
If the king is killed the defenders lose, if he stays alive for longer then 2 minutes the defenders win
Variations
Have the defenders protecting more than one king
Have an uneven distribution of shields
Have the attackers also have to protect a king (like capture the flag but with more murder)
Change the “map” to bridges or walls with chokepoint gates, whatever you can imagine
The castle arrangement (2 bridges and 1 central gate) is always a good variant
Experiment with giving the defenders an advantage in geography or numbers, play around and experiment
Capture the flag
This is a classic game that is just as valuable with swords.
There is a flag in both goals and a line down the middle
If you cross the line into enemy territory, you can be hit. If you get hit you go to Valhalla and can be rescued by a teammate
If a defender is hit on their side they have to go to a specific point to respawn then wait 3 seconds before they can reenter the game
Link Tag
This game teaches teamwork and quick footwork.
In this large group game of tag, everyone is unarmed and one person begins as “it”. As other players get tagged, they link arms with the person chosen to be “it” and form a chain.
The chain of people must work together and communicate as they try to tag the remaining players. Only the two people at the end with free arms can tag others.
The last player to get tagged is the winner, and a new game can begin.
Sharks and minnows
This game teaches speed and how to navigate a dense crowd.
One or two people start in the middle as the sharks while everyone lines up against a wall as minnows
When the sharks call “fishy fishy come out and play” the minnows walk slowly towards the sharks
At any point, the sharks can call “shark attack!” at which point the minnows sprint for the opposite wall
While the minnows run the sharks try and tag as many as they can, if a minnow is tagged they become a shark. Once they touch the opposite wall they are safe.
The game resets when there are only 1 or 2 minnows left who become the sharks for next round
Revenant tag
This teaches situational awareness, footwork, distance management, and endurance all in one drill that can be played regardless of equipment levels.
Each person has a sword and its every fighter for themselves
a no swords modification is everyone has a hand tucked behind their back and the only way to hit them is to tag that hand
If you are hit you must sit down, you can still use your sword so long as your butt doesn’t move
If the person who killed you is hit then you get to stand back up
The game ends when one person is left standing or after 5 minutes
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