Combat Styles include wooden training weapons for contact sport and metal weapons. Wooden and fibreglass weaponry is generally used for competition sports while metal weapons tend to be used for demonstration & performances.

If you are currently an authorised fighter in one of the mainstream medieval groups, your armour and equipment will usually be valid for use with ICMA, however, each is assessed individually.

An exciting area of combat that is also performed by ICMA is that of 'staff' combat. The quarterstaff is probably one of the simplest forms of polearm weapons used in Europe during the medieval period - it was simply a a long wooden pole. The name 'quarterstaff' comes from the grip used to hold the staff - the right hand grasping it one quarter of the distance from the lower end - hence quarterstaff.

ICMA's combatants start their training with staff fighting. Staff fighters learn the basics which apply to all ICMA Combat disciplines - control and safety, defence & counter attack. Like most medieval reenactment stick fighting, it offers combative participation without heavy contact. As the combatant learns and practices their skills, encouragement is given to move up the chain to the more involved forms of combat while at the same time the combatant learns about armour and its contruction. ICMA knights, squires and men-at-arms are expected to fabricate all their own garb, armour and weapons, and to successfully pass these skills on to others. ICMA's combatants then progress through to ranks from staff to pike, to fencing, to armoured fighter and metal weapons.

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This page last updated 15/06/03