Last summer in Ropecon (an annual Finnish RPG convention) I saw a sword fighting show held by the Greywolves, a history re-enactment and live action role playing (LARP) group. At the end of the show they answered questions from the audience and I found out that they organize weekly combat training close to where I live.
I joined the Greywolves a few weeks later. I wanted a hobby which would get me off my bottom and to get an idea what fighting with medieval weapons feels like. Right now my battle scenes are magical badassery plus claws and teeth. I was a bit nervous at first because I’m not exactly the fittest person and I have exercise-induced asthma. But so far I’ve only needed to take my medicine once, after a warm-up running.
We use an array of weapons from several periods, but the main focus is on Viking-era weapons. Of course, safety comes first: no stabs, no quick strikes unless the fighters know each other well, only strike the armoured parts, don’t hit the knees. And we only use blunted weapons.
So far I’ve wielded swords, spears, sabres and also a spear and dagger combo. Swords are still a bit too heavy for me and my arm tires before the three hours is up. For now I prefer sabres and spears. One ‘opponent’ said that I used a “where’d she go” style. I was supposed to push my opponents shield up, step out of the sword’s way and bring the sabre to his neck. Instead I pushed at his shield with mine, stepped quickly to his side and brought the sabre to his neck. My arm was already aching from holding up the large wooden shield, and I suspect I would’ve had trouble even at the beginning of the session, but my feet weren’t tired.
We’ve used spears only twice during my time, but I’ve had fun on both times. I especially like the move where the opponent grabs my spear, I step to the side and press a wooden dagger to his neck.
Yes, you get smacked with a sword every once in a while, but it’s still fun.
LINKS
- Viktor Berbekucz - A Hungarian swordsmith. I’m thinking of ordering a sabre from here.
- Steel Mastery - Medieval armour.
- Cold Steel: A Practical Treatise on the Sabre, an 1889 book about sabre techniques by Alfred Hutton. We’ve practiced some of the techniques from this book.
