Teamwork: Fighting beyond yourself

Fighters take pride in many things: their speed, their fitness, their weapons, their garb, and their kill count. Anything that measures how well they, individually, stack up against their opponents. However, this means one thing is missing in most battles: pride of team.

It is a notion that played out in places like hockey; the belief that the logo on the front (your team) is more important than the name on the back (yourself). Some SCAdians call it being a soldier rather than a warrior. On the field, you can see it in the fighter who is willing to sacrifice himself for the good of all. He retreats or advances with distinct purpose: to protect those around him. It is a romantic ideal of camaraderie and brotherhood that resonates with many of us, yet most never pursue it beyond their own unit. In your average battle, Belegrim fight alone despite many 'teammates' surrounding them.

In theory it is not difficult to change. The next time your team loses, simply think to yourself: what could I have done to prevent that?

But it is never so simple when numbers are large and instruction varies wildly as it does in Belegarth. In fact, there are many reasons this team-centric mentality isn't very prevalent in Belegarth’s culture, however I won’t explore that in this post. There is too much to be said, and I fear the main message will be drowned out. Instead, I’d like to offer you an opportunity to practice this ideal in a small, but concrete, way. Become an archer guard.

Defending your own can be the key to victory. Photo © Ellie Apland

It is one of the easiest roles to fulfill at its basest level. Simply protect your archer from enemy fire, gather ammunition for them, and keep your eyes where your archer cannot. Your personal kill count will drop dramatically, but the survival of your team should increase as long as your line is doing its job. Remember, archers are one of the most powerful weapons on the field while your line is intact, but they are also the most vulnerable. If you care about your team, it only makes sense to protect them.

But don’t stop there, grab someone who’s struggling on the line and teach them to be an archer guard, too. Give them a purpose on your team, a way they can contribute directly to your success beyond being an all-star fighter. After all, most fighters aren't elite. If you are particularly experienced, you may even act as commander from your position as archer guard, now given the freedom to see the full battlefield while you are not actively fighting. It's not just about playing your own role, but helping others find roles that fit them so your team can win.

If every fighter took it as a personal failure when an archer fell before the line broke, I think we would see far better team fighting at events. It could be the beginning of defense and strategy becoming more pronounced over ego, adding a level of interest and complexity to giant field battles. That mentality would encourage more fighters to step up who are skilled at tactics, but not combat. It is a whole new avenue for Belegarth to explore, and I hope it would be more exciting to both play and watch.

Now, there are more ways to teach teamwork than what I've outlined above, of course, and I expect I will cover this topic again in the future. If you would like some more ways to keep track of teamwork starting today, you can use something like the teamwork tournament Riverbend has outlined at their site. It's a little math-intensive, so you'll probably need a scorekeeper for battles that use this system. Still, it is a start in the right direction.

Do you have other ideas for promoting teamwork? Share in the comments below.