Pennsic 38 - Full Grappling -TuChux Tournament - Mixed Weapons

The Tu Chux host a tournament at Pennsic under their rules which include full Grappling. Participants fight to the first good blow from a weapon. It is also possible to win by a submission hold which forces a warrior to "tap out". Another option is to knock off your opponents helmet leaving him unable to continue. In a real fight losing a helmet means death since punching with gauntlets is allowed. Punches and kicks do not kill but can gain a tactical advantage.

In cases were the opponents grappled to what seemed to be a stalemate, they were stood up after about 10 seconds of inactivity and fought again starting with their weapons.

Most of the kills in the tournament we made with the weapons and did not use grappling. In this video I focus mostly on bouts that included grappling. What you see here is about 9 minutes out of a two hour tournament.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• SCA
• grappling
• tu
• chux
• fighting
• tournament
• pennsic
• 38
• xxxviii
• sword
• polearm
• poleaxe
• mace
• spear
• spar
• wma
• armor
• wrestling
• gladiator
• warrior
• tuchux
• no
• rules

[silvermoonwolf19]

So let's say I want to challenge a Tu Chux. Let's say I want to get into fighting, but I look at the rules and restrictions in SCA combat and I feel turned off (this is coming from someone who -loves- the SCA and is devoted to really knowing my chosen period).

Let's also say I've never fought and I want to test myself. In addition to that, let's say I have a deep, deep well of fighting spirit (which I've been informed the Tu Chux are all about.)

What would happen?

[tsafa1]

@silvermoonwolf19 You go to a Tu Chux practice or to their camp at Pennsic and you tell them everything you just said here. I am pretty sure the Tu Chux will be happy to help you test yourself out. The Tu Chux rules are very hard to break... since they have none. Only rule is don't actually kill the other guy.

[silvermoonwolf19]

@tsafa1 Are you one of them?

In general, I've been told it's best to simply leave them alone. I must confess curiosity about them. Any information I find online (mostly at tribe.net) seems as if they want people to leave them alone if they don't "get it".

I just feel like I want to fight. I want combat. I want to test myself both naturally and with training. I'll fully admit that I feel like I've got something to prove.

I want to show people that a blue feather can fight.

[tsafa1]

@silvermoonwolf19 No I am not a Tu Chux. I have participated in a number of their T ornaments at Pennsic. They are composed of a number of separate tribes with slightly different personalities. They have their own philosophy on a variety of topics. If you like their ideas and want to play with them, that is fine. Just remember, when in Rome, do as a Roman.

[tsafa1]

@silvermoonwolf19 If you have not been trained in this sort of fighting, do not expect to do very well. Even if you are a fighter. For example, I have a friend who is a champion Muhi Tahi fighter, but can not touch me with sword and shield... even though I am not a great SCA fighter. It is simple a different from what he is trained to do. He could learn to fight with swords if he trained, but no one can just pick up a sword of the first time and do well with it.

[tsafa1]

@silvermoonwolf19 A sword is a weapon of the nobility. The nobility was the fighting class of medieval Europe. The Nobility trained from an early age in swordmanship and this gave them an advantage over the peasants they controlled. A sword in the hands of someone not trained in its use is completely useless as a weapon. A person can very well have a fighting spirit, but the hands and feet need to be trained to do certain things automatically without thinking.

[tsafa1]

@silvermoonwolf19 Overall, I recommend you go to the closest practice to your house and learn how to fight. You will get plenty of chance to test yourself in practice alone. On average, it takes two years of training once a week just to get semi-competent with a sword. It takes about 10 years to get good... just like any other martial art.

[buboetherat]

@noloferratus I see that point about the WMA events being more sportive than martial. I don't make the argument that WMA is a martial art, in part because there is no living tradition of the practice. Systema makes the claim that it has 11th c. roots, but that is tenuous at best.

[tsafa1]

@noloferratus That is strange. I wonder if what he really meant is that they were assuming blossfechen (unarmed), regardless of the level of armor actually worn. There is one melee tournament at Pennsic call Combat of the 30 were the rules are, Armor as Worn. Its a 30 on 30 fought mostly by high level fighters where they mostly armpit shots, back of the leg and faceplate are the only shots that count.

[noloferratus]

@buboetherat If the period infanty helm weighed only about two pounds as Tsafa1 says then for sure I could easily knock out an opponent with even a single handed blow with a typical medieval broad sword. I once knocked out a man even with his eight pound helm on with a single handed rattan stick but I admit I used an Aikido "shomen-uchi" strike and not an SCA learned blow. One should realize however that cavalry armor was often much thicker.