Armored combat on martial arts fight card?

[captain zorikh]

I am working on ways to help promote TeamUSA for the Battle of the Nations (which is gathering steam quite nicely, BTW. We will have over 30 fighters signed up, our first national practice is Feb 16-19 in Springfield, Il, and the event is scheduled for April 29-May 3 near Warsaw, Poland). A local fight promoter has invited me to compete in a grappling match in their next event, and I thought that it might help to promote the team if we had an armored combat match on the fight card and an exhibitor's booth to sell t-shirts etc http://www.usaknights.org .

The question is this: how many more people do you think would buy tickets to a boxing/kickboxing/grappling/sport jiu jitsu "fight night" in Long Island or Fishkill, NY if it also included a full-contact match between two armored knights with swords who will be representing the US at the Battle of the Nations this spring?

Captain Zorikh

[gregaquaman]

What is the rule set?
Do you have a video of what it will look like?

[Permalost]

I've seen a flashy TKD demo halfway through a fight card. I don't think many people liked it, but there was no heckeling or anything. I think armored combat is cooler than that, so you should be fine. You might get some taunts about being Dungeons and Dragons nerds but I'm sure you're used to that by now :)

For those there because they like seeing the mix of fighting styles, they'd probably like it.

[captain zorikh]

http://<iframe width="420" height="3...reen></iframe>If we use Battle of the Nations on-on-one rules, it is full armor, full speed, full contact "rebated" (blunt) steel weapons, no thrusting, no punching, kicking, or grappling, whoever scores the most strikes to the opponent wins. Three rounds: sword & shield, sword & buckler, two-handed sword.

Here is some video from last year's BotN
http://youtu.be/hawg00s-BuM

I would love to have an exhibition of the melees, in which strikes and takedowns are allowed, but the boxing ring is too small.

The Americans involved have been doing similar combat for decades with rattan weapons. It will be the first time we will be going to Europe to fight by their rules with steel.
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hawg00s-BuM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[DdlR]

Won't armor and steel swords risk damaging the canvas?

[captain zorikh]

Won't armor and steel swords risk damaging the canvas?

Curse you and your practical considerations! Shhhhh!

[Eudemic]

Never mind; this will hopefully help my reading comprehension.

[Syphilis]

I would love to see a match like that, especially if they included knights clinching and grappling. If anybody is yawning seeing two dudes with steel swords fighting each other then A) hollywood has been doing things wrong for a long time. b) they won't be after one slams the other down on the canvas.

[Eudemic]

. . . it is full armor, full speed, full contact "rebated" (blunt) steel weapons, no thrusting, no punching, kicking, or grappling, whoever scores the most strikes to the opponent wins.

So it's pretty much going to be like SCA Heavy-fighting but with steel blunts?

[captain zorikh]

The main difference between BotN singles and SCA is that in the SCA one good blow to the head or body stops the fight, while in BotN it's either three good blows or they count the total blows in a round, depending on the specific weapon used, and striking with the shield is allowed, but does not count. Punching, kicking, and grappling is not allowed. It is in the melees that punching, kicking, and grappling are allowed and that only hitting the ground will take you out of the fight.

Oh, and Syphilis, Hollywood has been doing things wrong for a long time. ;P