Period rapier combat is often described by those who first see it as "Three Musketeers" style of fencing, or "fencing in the round", but it is really the study of a style of rapier combat that predates the Musketeers by several hundred years.  There are currently no SCA sponsored period rapier combat practices held in Malagentia, however the USM Blade Society offers instruction in forms of historical rapier combat that are very similar to those used in SCA combat (plus instruction in modern sport fencing).  The Blade Society provides access to a number of skilled and experienced instructors (including SCA-affiliated instructors Robert Tupper and Jean Fujikawa) who teach men and women historical rapier style as described by renaissance fencing masters such as Silver, DiGrassi, Agrippa, and others.  With a dual focus on accurate historical style and modern safety, the study of period rapier combat is a wonderful way to begin to understand the life of the renaissance mind.


USM Blade Society practice for period rapier combat is open to the community, and takes place every Tuesday night from 6-9 pm in the Sullivan Gym at the University of Southern Maine's Portland Campus.  Please check out the USM Blade Society Web Site for directions and more information about their organization.


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