Rapier

Rapier is a martial art within the SCA that recreates historical fencing in the late medieval period using manuals and theories of combat that have survived. Fighters use unsharpened steel blades with rubber tips, with the optional use of off-hands such as canes, cloaks, daggers, bucklers and batons. Rapier has less armour requirements than Cut And Thrust, and like cut and thrust is also played to the lightest touch.

Spears, made of rattan with blunt rubber tip, have become a recent addition to rapier combat. Rubber band guns are also in use during war scenarios.

Rapier combat was formally recognized as by the Board in September of AS XIV (1979), with An Tir publishing their first set of rules in January AS XVII (1983).

Awards

From September 30, 1997 until May 16, 2015 the Order of the White Scarf was the highest level award for rapier fighters as a Grant of Arms level award for rapier combat. This was superseded by the Order of the Sable Gauntlet and the creation of the peerage level award Order of Defense, where fighters are recognized for significant skill in rapier combat.