This is slightly OT as it has nothing specifically to do with TRoS, but with WMA instead.

I do not question the skill of our WMA practitioners, esp. considering that I've seen Jake's firsthand. But something I never hear about are melees, only duels between two people.

Are melees happening, and I'm just not hearing about them? Or does the focus of WMA just leave melee out in the cold?

The reason I ask this is that, from my SCA experience, I have learned that techniques used in tournament (duels or very small scale melees, usually) differ greatly from techniques used in melee.

So, what can you tell me?

Small group combats are practiced, and moreso training for one vs. 2 or more opponents, but anything more than 2 small groups gets more into the martial arts of military tactics than more insight into personal technique, which although interesting is even farther removed from usefulness and, naturally taking more people, is less practiced. There are far less martial artists than role players out there.
The tactics are different, but not as different as those in the sca as there are more options in a real combat, and the ruleset of the sca changes things significantly.

We do melees every summer. The more the better. We go nuts on each other and mix it up, longswords, sword and buckler, battle axes, spears, even dagger if it gets that desperate.

Yeah, I've done 'em. Lots of fun. Chaotic as hell, even with somone calling formations and manevuers.

Jake