Stage Combat Worthy

Stage Combat Worthy is a phrase that describes weapons that are:

Specifically made to be employed by performers in a variety of media.
Safely blunted and durable enough to withstand repeated "on stage" use with proper technique.*

This in no way implies that these weapons are indestructible. They can be broken if not well maintained (see Weapon Care for more details) or if used improperly . Careless use of these weapons can also cause serious injury or death. A three foot piece of steel, blunted or not, is still a three foot piece of steel!

What follows is an illustration of two things:

This was "battle ready" steel wielded by an inexperienced combatant. The blade was new and used for less than a month.
Notice that there are even cuts on the flat of the blade which is the part of the blade that you should never parry with.
The main "burr" shown and the 6 others like it make this blade as sharp as a saw. Skin and costumes beware!

Battle Ready!

While this sounds very impressive and may lead you to believe that these swords are tough and perfect for stage combat it really means two things:

So why use anything other than truly SCW weapons? Why would someone use weapons with softer steel that will get nicked and dinged easily? There are of course many reasons but two top the list. The first is a lack of knowledge. Either the weapons were provided by a prop person who thought they "looked fine" or a Fight Director was not hired to take care of such things, or any number of other reasons. Basically, no one knew any better.
The second reason is...expense.

Finding and acquiring SCW rapiers, broadswords and smallswords is not difficult because the demand for them is so high and therefore companies who build or rent swords always have a large supply in stock which, in turn, means that prices will be fairly low (supply and demand-Economics 101).

On the other hand, how many productions require a katana, scimitar, gladius or cavalry sabre? Not very many. Certainly there are plays set in ancient Rome or Feudal Japan or 19th century America but not enough to make it feasible to stock these less-common blade types. They can be found or custom made but the cost is often prohibitive for many smaller theatres or production companies. From most rental companys' perspectives, stocking custom built katanas, scimitars, etc. is generally a losing proposition since the weapons will likely only be rented once or possibly twice over a space of many years time.

Therefore many productions with "modest" budgets may end up purchasing relatively inexpensive weapons that were never designed for stage combat but were all that could be afforded. Unfortunately in these cases this also means that there wasn't enough budget to hire an experienced fight director to at least teach proper technique to minimize the damage done to these "battle ready" blades and to properly maintain them for the run of the show.

Light Duty

This is a term used to describe what these "battle ready" blades are good for. "Light Duty" use is when the blades do not come into contact with another weapon, shield, etc. and are used in contact free combat or as costume pieces.

Is it possible to use them them "blade to blade"? Well, if the combatants are well trained in theatrical combat and if the contact is very light and if a highly experienced Fight Director is available to choreograph and direct the fights and if, if, if... You get the idea. In very rare instances it is possible, but still not adviseable, so we suggest you stick to weapons that are Stage Combat Worthy!
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or would like further information regarding choosing weapons.

What Constitutes Excessive Wear and Tear?

The photos below show a shield that was, not only "beaten into submission," but improperly maintained. Generally, dents can be pounded out and this should be done as needed. If they are left from performance to performance the damage will become compounded and creasing (see photo #1) may occur which can greatly weaken the metal.Once this occurs it is virtually impossible to simply pound out the dents without further damaging the shield. Excessive force applied by an actor may also destroy both weapons and shields so the use of proper stage combat techniques is vital to the longevity of stage weaponry. If you have any questions at all about wear and tear please contact us!

1. Creasing caused by repeated heavy blows

2. Punctures and creasing

"We will rent no weapon that we would not personally use ourselves."

*As taught by such organizations as The Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD), Fight Directors Canada (FDC) and the British Academy of Stage and Screen Combat (BASSC).