Swords & Sword Fight

I've been practicing medieval style sword fight for a long time and it's something I've always loved. In the past it was rather difficult to receive constant proper training as I moved around much and it's not easy finding a teacher or another trainer in my specific field. But throughout the years I've had the chance to practice with a few true masters of the art, and as of my final move to Switzerland, I have the opportunity and the pleasure to practice with an amazing instructor on regular basis.

In what I practice, we utilize 2 two-handed long swords [very often Claymores], each in one hand. We also practice with single sticks and a variety of other instruments, both for fun and for improvement of different skill sets. As of recently we have gone to a different direction and have started with a bit of Archery. All of this requires quite a bit of physical proficiency, which means I exercise / practice rather heavily for a minimum of an hour per night, every single night. 

An important fact to keep in mind is that what I practice has really not much to do with the modern day fencing. Also, you might see some fireworks if you try to compare what I do, with anything related to historical reenactments or worse, LARPing. ;)

To learn more you can visit the Verse page for Sword Fight.

2 of my favourite eBooks [more in the direction of historical fencing]:

Great Representation Of The Art And Of The Use Of Fencing by Ridolfo Capo Ferro
[PDF on Verse]

 

The Art Of Fencing or The Use Of The Small Sword By Monsieur L'Abbat
[HTML, Read Online]

[HTML, .rar Archive on Verse]

 

Some useful links:

AHFI.org: Website of the Association For Historical Fencing.

CastleKeep.co.uk: Castle Keep, on the Isle of Skye, has some of the most amazing had crafted Celtic swords and sabres that I have ever seen.

Fencing.net: This website is such a helpful collection of everything fencing related. From fencing news to training tips. Also if you're planning on buying some fencing equipment, you better consult with the "Equipment Reviews" section first.

Fencingonline.com: If you're new to fencing, and you're basically looking for the beginner tips and basic overview, this is definitely the place to start.