Rapier and Rotella (Shield) Second Bout Nick vs. Gareth

The second of our first day of sparring with the rapier and rotella combination, a small to medium sized round and concave shield as seen in Capo Ferro's manual of 1610. Nick in all black is a rapier instructor of the AHF, Gareth is a sport fencing instructor who spars with the club on a regular basis.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Swordfighting
• rapier
• fencing
• shield

[acerb45666555]

the shield. come in low,(almost crouching), using shield,(held in diagonal slant), as cover. slash at legs. keep moving around jabbing and slashing all the time, cause confusion in opponent. .......this would be the tactic i would use. unfortunately in fencing the shield cannot be used to its full potential as a weapon itself! it makes a good battering ram ! only in medieval reenactments can this be done because everyones wearing chainmail and helmets and is safe.

[Nikos3000]

@acerb45666555 We do sometimes cut under to the legs, but you have to appreciate that the rapier cuts to the legs are often far less significant than with shorter, heavier bladed weapons. We do use the shields to strike, but with such long blades it again is far less useful, as you have less oportunity to follow up with strikes. The use of rapier and rotella changes the dynamic of a shield fight quite noticeably.

[BlueBluszcz]

great vid one more time! from what you accualy mede those rotellas ?

[Nikos3000]

They are police riot shields, made of plastic, I then spray painted them.

[kibaloboferoz]

Hi Nikos3000,question was the original rotella made out of hide much like the Scottish target? Also in the technical aspect part what is preventing one of the fencers from rushing in and doing a shield smash,although it would seem obvious that it would end in null since the weapon is too long to be employ in close distance,so basically i am just hypotesing over that idea...???

[Nikos3000]

Hi there, most surviving rotellas are made from thin metal, though exactly what Capo Ferro was using is unclear, clearly many wood/leather and laminate type shields just do not survive over time, certainly of what we have surviving metal is likely, but thin and light, around 1.5-2kg.

As for shield strikes, occasionally we use them, but as you say, the length of the weapons makes them more a last resort technique at the close rather than a deliberate move.

[malemonkley]

It sounds like Mozart's Requiem but not

[allshallbelosttoyou]

song?



[Nightmare7454]

the shield and sword fights tend to be more exciting due to fact that having a shield gives you feeling of potection, thus you also attack more.

[AlWoolridge]

@SethMan91 They're called "Rodelas" and not "Rotellas". It's a spanish word.

[demomanchaos]

A center grip shield is better than a strapped shield since you can hold it out away from your body, covering it better. A center grip with shield side forward would provide the best coverage.

[eddiedaskull]

2:05 Nick's legs and pose looks exactly like some old ink drawing out of some ancient sword fighting manual.

[acerb45666555]

@Nikos3000 .......have you seen an Irish buckler? i saw one in the museum. just inside the rim on the front, was a deep groove all round the solid metal buckler. this could trap the opponents blade! its only as big as a large plate,(and highly decorated), but it seems very effective.

[Nikos3000]

I get them from a police surplus retailer selling obsolete gear, as they are police riot shields, just spray painted - excellent for this job.

Mine came from a shop called the One Stop Cop Shop in Bristol, they cost £30 each, I am sure you can find a similar surplus dealer in the US, you can also often find them on ebay.