Results and comments from the Aug/Sep 2003 survey.

	Ýves’ big SCA rapier survey #1 ~ Skill rank
	Updated: May 24, 2005

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Policy blurb

By default, authors of comments sent in response to this survey are named only by their permission. Usually, other people mentioned in a comment are named only with their permission as well. Each comment represents only what the author typed in for the survey at the time.

» This survey was conducted during August-September 2003. Things change over time. «

Some comments were edited for content. Certain harsh words have been changed for your amusement. Opinions expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect those of the surveyor.

To get YOUR name listed with YOUR comments, just give me permission. See the e-mail button and information at the bottom of the page. Let me know your SCA name and kingdom (as of Aug/Sep 2003), and I'll add the attribution to your entries.

# of Responses
by Kingdom
 
AEth.  = 34/235
Anst.  = 36/240
An Tir = 56/347
Art.   = 12/124
Aten.  = 27/460
Atl.   = 60/425
Caid   = 49/400
Drach. = 21/76
Eald.  = 12/77
East   = 46/480
Loch.  = 22/120
Mer.   = 27/140
Mid.   = 52/640
Nor.   = 25/164
Out.   = 26/214
Tri.   = 46/237
West   = 14/70
Unk.   = 2

The gist

A little over 55% of the respondents ranked themselves in the upper half.

Question 28. Rank

Modesty aside, based on how well you do against other fencers, how good are you at fencing? Using your favorite form, on a pretty good day, select the rank that describes you best.

Total number of responses: 567. Due to rounding, percentages aren't exact.
Percentages do not include the "no answer" responses.

KEY

Yes: Number of responses.
Per: Yes ÷ (Total - No Answer).

Note: I changed the wording a bit during the survey due to feedback that there wasn't enough about melee-related skill and too much emphasis on speed over skill.

If you have a better set of criteria to rank overall ability in SCA fencing, I'm open to ideas.

NOTE: Leadership in melee is valuable and admirable, but it isn't fencing.

The comments

Note: Any remarks in the comments below from Yves look like this.

More comments on this topic are on separate pages.
See the links at the bottom of this page.

Choice picks

Φ Mid. ~ Many people think I am much better than my record speaks. Comportment goes a long way.

Φ Caid ~ Some old fencers have trouble remembering. ;) I allow challengers to fight my students. If they last 10 seconds, I will fight them. So far, I haven't had to fight a challenger. Perhaps I should make it 5 seconds...  ``Vladimir

Φ Atl. ~ For my own training I tend to need 3 - 4, or more, hours of serious combat 3 or more times a week to really stay in condition and form. Frankly I consider myself Superb ~ WHEN I'm in training and condition. Which has been awhile now . . . The reality is that I am probably somewhere between Good and excellent. I have FUN, I try to foster that sense of fun and honourable combat in my friends and students. Isn't that what this is really all about.  ``Duncan

Æthelmearc

Φ "On a good day" varies widely. Sometimes I've burned through a round robin, winning 8 out of 10, and other times I go 0-2 in the double-elim.  ``Jean

Φ I am pretty good when I decide to be, but I have nothing to prove anymore. I don't need to go the extra mile. But I won't let anyone who isn't willing to go the extra mile get past me. In melee I am a primary target or I become one pretty quick. People do cheer when they beat me, (thats fine), but anyone is capable of beating me on any particular day.  ``Ivan

An Tir

Φ Sometimes I am between Excellent and Superp with very rare spectacular Velocity Challenged.  ``Samuale

Φ I do have some flashes of brilliance...and given the work I am putting into footwork of late, hopefully next year I can bump my response up a notch or two.

Φ I fought a great deal mundanely in epee, and find I fare quite well in certain situations, but quite poorly in others. With a large fighting eric I do well, If I'm allowed to fence in a straight line, I do well, but close quarters are usually the death of me, melee or otherwise.  ``Argan

Φ The best example as to my ability is my experience at Estrella War this year. The only fencers that gave me a challenge there were all, except for one, Dons, notably the Dons from the Tattershaw School. On a good day when I am in the "zone" I am ALMOST unbeatable.  ``Caiaphas

Φ This is a tricky question. Stats being what they are, you can win more than half your fights, and still end up where I am: absolute middle of the field 50th percentile rank. I am not a contender for most tourneys, but I can usually count on making it to the fourth round or so. On the other hand, I'm hell-on-wheels in a melee, and my middle-rank tourney rep means the folks with RBGs usually aim at someone else (another gunner, or perhaps a don who's lethal in tourney, but lost in melee). It's sweet! ;>  ``Ruaidhri

Ansteorra

Φ I have won 7 titled championships and several non-titled fights.

Φ I have a hard time saying that, [referring to the rating] but in my peak I'd say I am one of the best. I'm currently rusty, but could knock the rust off fairly easily.

Φ It's no secret that I am slow, and not strong but I am very smart and not afraid to be aggressive. I am fair to good but I loose endurance quickly. I do well early in the day no matter who I am against, not neccissarly win, but later I will not be abe to give anyone a good fight. This is entirely due to physical issues. I advance in the tourney about 50% of the time but the fartherst I have gone is round 5, 3 wins and 2 losses, in a double elim.  ``Claire

Atenveldt

Φ I'm Senan.

Φ I chose the rank of Excellent based on my status when regularly in practice.  ``Sebastiana

Φ I am in the top 10 percent of fencers in the known world. In melee fighting I am one of the best.

FWIW, if a given fencer is actually in the top 10%, I estimate that their numerical rank would be under about 330 or so at least at the time of the survey...

Atlantia

Φ Eh...I hope placing myself in that last cateogory doesn't make me out to be too much of a tool. I may just as easily fit into the excellent cateogory :(  ``Gunther

Φ I could improve my fencing. However, I have a small child and would rather devote my time to him. Fencing will be more fun when he can understand "HOLD!"  ``Iseulte

Φ I'm not bragging, but you did say modesty aside... and well this is what I've been told by others... Test my mettle at Pennsic ... when I play my prize and challenge everyone there.  ``Gypsy Boy

My thanks for the invitation, perhaps we'll cross blades in the future.

Φ Eh... I'd give myself maybe a 7 out of 10, if someone like Vyvyan or Aedan is a 10 and the average 50-50 fighter is a 5. I can do well consistently, but not enough to have a reputation or anything like that.  ``Dante P

Caid

Φ There is no way to answer this without coming off as arrogant, so if you really want to know then its best to ask the kingdoms. Most recently, Caid.  ``Tora

Φ Building up, up-and-coming, however you want to say it. I'm getting better by leaps and bounds. But I need more tourneys to measure myself. I get some good touches on good fighters and Dons/Donas. And they give me good compliments. They say that they expect good things of me.  ``Dalen

Drachenwald

Φ Modesty aside there has never been a fencer in the SCA like me. I have been in the top 7 of the US rankings dating back to 1995 and have represented the US at 5 World Championships and at the Pan- American Games. I have medalled at World Cups both individually and with the US Team. Whatever skill I have with the sword is due purely to the time that my teachers took with me.  ``Raphael

Φ I rate the above by what others have said, and wins in tourneys. I am a quick mover in heavy fighting as well, light sword and armor, making the most of movement and range. I translated much of this over to fencing, and have done vary well with it. I lack some of the typical fencing style or blocks/strikes but still hear often, "oh here comes gerhardt, watch out". This is there opinion, I like to think I am having fun with it.  ``Gerhardt

East

Φ I occasionally have a really good day. But it's too inconsistent to rank myself as other than fair.  ``Lilia

Φ I noted "Excellent", but I have the "slow motion on a good day" thing as well, and I'm more of a "Good" as far as melee goes. My reach and movement style lend themslves more to tourney than to melee.  ``Ian

Φ I used to win so much in my local area that I was getting bored and thinking about going back to sport fencing (did 7 years of that before my 14 SCA). Then I found the Martinez academy and spent the past 5 years there (which is when I more or less dropped off the face of SCA fencing except for practices).  ``Armand

Φ I don't take out multiple opponents in melees, but then I've never been in melees larger than seven to a side. But I was told by a marshal at my first auth that it was the easiest auth she'd ever done (and she's a Captain), and I was told by a cadet that I'd do very well at the novice tourney at Pennsic (and I did pretty well, except that the heat killed my enthusiasm).  ``Domenego

Φ I'm the current King's Champion for the East Kingdom. [Aug 2003] I'm a top ranked killer. There are very few people in this Kingdom that can defeat me when I'm being serious. At interkingdom competitions, there are very few people who can beat me as well. As always, there is inevitably someone better and faster out there than myself. I don't meet them too often though.  ``Brokk

Lochac

Φ Modesty, shomedesty. I still have problems touching Don Dylan. I don't get to Pennsic Often (I'm in Australia), but I do well when I am there.  ``Francois

Φ I believe that I would rank low Don level, Lochac has a small widely destributed pool. This helps keep the average up but the top 10% do not get the challenge needed to hit the peek. This has been my experience at two Pennsic's.  ``Dameon

Meridies

Φ If I'm in practice I probably edge into the Superb category (e.g., last year at Pennsic, with very little regular practice leading up to the event, I placed second in the largest rapier tourney at the war, defeating several Dons). I have been Queen's Champion or King's Champion in multiple kingdoms.

Midrealm

Φ I'm only just starting to push my way into the "excellent" category in the last couple of months. A lot of that has to do with stepping up my training, and a LOT of it has to do with tournament psychology.  ``Christian

Φ This depends. Often I only feel "fair", especially at melees, but I've heard others call me "good"; they thought me good enough to sign a petition for the Order of the Cavendish Knot (I caught on to that later) which isn't given that lightly. Almost all fighters I face have done this several years longer than I.  ``Kriemhilt

Outlands

Φ Plus I do it with style.  ``Christian

Φ Against those I'm familiar with facing, I feel more "median", but against others ... I'm more "fair".  ``Jalid

Trimaris

Φ I have not met anyone [in the SCA] that can get more then 50/50 against me. I am not that good at epee, but your question is very relative to SCA quality of fencers, not Epee as a whole.

Φ I would have said Superb but I have never been to KWAR so I could not in all honesty answer it that way.  ;-)  But here in Trimaris and during pickups at Gulf Wars I can say I can go 50-50 with the top fencers.  ``Seamus

Φ After six months of hard practice I was asked to become a cadet. Shortly after I won two important lists and a Lion d'Ore as well as a chivalry award. I still need a lot of work but I enjoy the game. I am working very hard on my self-confidence so just an FYI on how are it was to answer that last question without feeling like a total arrogant [donkey].

Rank: In between

Φ AEth. ~ I can usually best anyone one 3 out of 5. It sucks if people know me because YES I am the target.I think somewhere between excellent and superb would be more approiate. Also speed will never beat timing. perfect timing is a much better weapon then speed.  ``Lodovick

Φ Anst. ~ I'm somewhere in-between Excellent and Superb on a really good day.  ``Aeron

Φ Anst. ~ Excellent .5 [...]get targeted alot in melees won some biggies. but there are faster and better.

Φ Art. ~ I am between excellent and Superb, depends o how lazy I am feeling.  ``Sionainn

Φ Aten. ~ My wife says I should pick excellent.5, or superb-minus...  ``Rurik

Φ Atl. ~ Ok I fall somewhere between Good and Superb. I don't have a real 'tourney mode' so I don't tend to win big. On the other hand, there are very few people I know that I don't do around 30% or better on.  ``Cam

Φ Loch. ~ I would actually say that I come in above Good but not quite Excellent by your chart.  ``Hanbal

Used to be...

Φ AEth. ~ Time does not permit me to train, hence my standard is slowly dropping in some respects and improving in others. i am capable of ranking higher, but it does not bother me to loose a bout(s). sca fencing is fun to me and not as serious as the strip competition i did many years ago.  ``Parion

Φ Anst. ~ Another old, worn out fighter. Used to be excellent, with occasional stretches of superb. ( It's a bit a challenge dealing with those half my age. There is still a bit of glee in informing my opponents that I've been a WS longer then they have been alive <G> ).  ``David

Φ Caid ~ I was Excellent once. Now I'm just good. At least my bad days are above median...

Φ East ~ I'm still well within the top 10 in the Kingdom, but I used to be better.

Φ Out. ~ "Used to rank higher" - that's me. There was a time when I was #1 of over 50 fencers in Atenveldt. (I'm proud of my modesty.) Since then, I've gotten better, but others have come along who are better still.  ``Guillaume

Ah, but collectively they stand on the shoulders of giants, no?

Your feedback is most welcome!

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Original page posted: October 18, 2004. Last tweaked: July 1, 2006.

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