Looking for the experience.

[RackThor]

Dear Knights,

I am in the search of looking for a mentor. I live in Arkansas and I am looking to gain some sword fighting experience and I am having a hard time finding a place or event to go and enjoy some dancing on the practice field.

Any advice?

Thank you.

[Thorsteinn]

A whole state's a bit big really.

SCA wise you're either in Gleann Abhann ( http://gleannabhann.net/ ) or Calontir ( http://www.calontir.org/ ). Some friends of mine were King & Queen of Calontir 10 years back.

Could you give us a more specific location?

[RackThor]

My apologies, I live in North East Arkansas close to Jonesboro.

[Thorsteinn]

Find your local SCA group here:  http://gleannabhann.net/category/local-groups/

Or a HEMA group here: http://www.communitywalk.com/map/index/1033322

Team USA (ACL/BOTN): http://usaknights.org/

[Ian]

Dear Knights,

I am in the search of looking for a mentor. I live in Arkansas and I am looking to gain some sword fighting experience and I am having a hard time finding a place or event to go and enjoy some dancing on the practice field.

Any advice?

Thank you.

When you say sword fighting experience are you referring to historically based technique?  If so, just understand the SCA may not be what you're looking for.  What they do is a very specific sport to their organization that really is it's own unique thing, and while some techniques may resemble historical martial arts, it is not intended to be something other than its own sport.  It's also done using rattan sticks, not something that behaves like a sword.  It's a ton of fun I'm sure, but it's not real swordfighting in the historical sense of the world. 

What it sounds like you're interested in is HEMA, or WMA, which is Historical European Martial Arts or Western Martial Arts.  Those entities base all technique on actual medieval treatises and documents on real historical swordsmanship and will be much more authentic.  For instance, the Liechtenauer tradition of German Longsword is one of the most researched and popular styles of medieval swordsmanship that is reproduced as faithfully as possible today.  Search for local HEMA organizations in your area if that's what your after.

We have students of both HEMA and SCA guys here, so take advantage of that knowledge.

[Sir Brian]

If you are interested in HEMA/WMA and in particular longsword you could essentially start your own study group. You could do so with very little by way of equipment and startup costs. All you truly need is some good reference material and a training partner(s) who will be as safety conscious as you should be.

In fact you do not even need steel training blades but can do well with wooden wasters to learn and refine the basics. Of course as you and your study group progresses in skill and knowledge you will graduate to actual training blades and the appropriate safety equipment and ultimately advance to freestyle duels.

[Lord Dane]

And pretty soon, you'll be splitting thumbs with the best of us.... 

[Sir Brian]

And pretty soon, you'll be splitting thumbs with the best of us.... 

hush! - Those are the kind of things best learned first hand, err thumb!

[Lord Chagatai]

SCA fighting is a lot of fun and with the right technique the rattan asks like a sword....my knight trains me with a sabre technique...it can be educating and now with cut and thrust there is some great training..


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[RackThor]

I will employ all these suggestions!!

[Sir Brian]

SCA fighting is a lot of fun and with the right technique the rattan asks like a sword....my knight trains me with a sabre technique...it can be educating and now with cut and thrust there is some great training..


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Any particular style with the sabre? At last Sunday's training session with my group, I introduced one of the intermediate longsword students to the sabre, he enjoyed it immensely and quickly came to appreciate how the greater athletic motions sometimes required in a sabre duel can help with your fluidity with the longsword. - That and it is a blast!