Rapier:Marshaling on the field - Marshaling single combat

Marshaling single combat

General

1. There should be at least one marshal for single combat. Two or three will be able to see more of the fight. Four or more will get in each other's way and block the view from the sidelines without providing noticeably better marshaling.

Witness

1. You are expected to be an impartial witness to exactly what happens during a fight. Ideally, you should be able to describe the last 3-4 blows on your side of the fight: where they started, their angle of approach, how they were blocked or where they landed. Do not be afraid to say, "I don't know" if you were looking at one part of the fight when something (allegedly) happened in another part.
2. Do not try to impose your view unless you see what appears to be major and repeated problems. Leave the blow counting to the participants unless you see clear reason to intervene; usually, they have a much clearer perspective than the marshals do.
3. If the fighters do ask you what happened (or you feel compelled to volunteer), try to do so tactfully. Prefacing your statements with "It looked to me like...", "It appeared...", or "to the crowd it looked like..." is preferable to a dogmatic assertion of what happened. Similarly, it is preferable to ask "Did that blade land on edge, or was it flat?" rather than saying, "You missed a good draw cut."

How to observe combat

1. In order to be a good witness and answer as accurately as possible, you need as clear a view as possible.
2. You need to strike a balance between getting closer to see better and staying back out of range of the blows.
   1. Just what the appropriate distance is for you will depend on your level of experience with fighting (e.g., how well you can judge what the range of the weapons is and whether you are in or near it).