While attending the Maryland Renaissance Festival in Crownsville, many of us have looked on from the stands as knights battle each other in staged sword-fighting matches.
For those who want to learn how to swing a real sword and battle an opponent in a safe learning environment, a local Frederick group offers an opportunity to gear up and fight (for real).
Round Table Historical Fencing provides a weekly Sunday class with sparring opportunities in the historical European-style of martial arts training with a focus on the German long sword as a weapon. Founded in 2018, the group was initially called Cymbrogi after the Celtic word for “companions of the heart.” Last year, they moved toward a more community-led model and rebranded as Round Table.
72 Hours reached out to group founder Jacob McDonald to learn more about sword fighting and get some straight tips from a pro.
You don’t need to know about sword fighting to participate.
While martial arts or sports background is helpful, a participant in the group does not need any background knowledge to start sword fighting. “Anybody can do this,” he said. “When you come in here, we go pretty much at the level that you are wanting to.” Group members are going to be at different levels of sparring and they do not expect new members to reach those levels during their first classes.
“We really meet people where they are at and where their comfort is as we go through and explain the basics,” McDonald said. “They get to know how to hold a sword and we don’t even have them start sparring or interacting or fighting with other people until they feel comfortable.”
This is not Live Action Role Playing.
Some people enjoy Live Action Role Playing, or LARPing, as it’s sometimes called, where participants portray fictional characters and perform fight scenes with foam weapons. This group does not do that.
“This is a legit martial art with thrills and techniques and real practice weapons,” McDonald said.
There are three phases of techniques: before, after and simultaneous.
At the beginning of a participant’s training and learning, the focus is on the before- and after-attack hits. Fighters are taught to look at what moves they can do first, such as throwing a cut or learning to thrust the sword. After a strike, they need to focus on ways to stay safe, including recognizing various attack moves and learning ways to block that set them up to make a counter move.
“When you get further into studying the martial art, you start to learn there are techniques that can be done simultaneously where you are attacking and defending at the same time and there are a lot more principles involved as far as the timing, the measure between your opponent and the different positioning of the blade,” he said.
Focus is on defense as much as offense.
McDonald’s notes participants need to be mindful and protect themselves. “You don’t want to have the focus of ‘how can I hit the other person?’ Yes. That is important, but we really want to focus on how can you survive,” he said. “If you are surviving, then you have more opportunities to be able to hit them.”
Go slow, take your time, and have fun!
Participants are often frustrated at the beginning of training because the techniques are unfamiliar to them.
“These are going to be new ways of moving your body that you are not really used to so it will be frustrating to see,” he said. “You will see other people further along within their understanding of the art, but it is just going to take time, and it is fun. The more consistency that you have with it, you will be able to get there, too.”
Sparring is a great form of exercise.
Group members are usually drenched in sweat after a session, and many lose weight as a result.
“You definitely get stronger,” McDonald said. “All of the long swords are somewhere between 3 to 4 pounds, so moving that in a way where you are constantly attacking and defending, it really gets your cardio going.”
A better understanding of self-defense tactics is a takeaway.
As participants gain a martial mindset, they can better understand self-defense situations.
“What you are doing is constantly working with ‘how am I able to survive the situation when somebody has a weapon that is trying to hurt me?’” he said. “You are able to get comfortable in that situation and know how to protect yourself.”
You don’t need any gear to begin.
The group offers loaner gear, including padded jackets, helmets and long swords, as a way to be a more inclusive environment. “All you need to do is show up and put in the effort and give respect to everybody you are training with, and you are going to have a good time,” McDonald said.
You’ll walk away from each session with a sense of pride.
One of the main things that McDonald hopes all group members take away from sessions is an understanding that they are capable of doing very difficult things.
“Sometimes people have never been in those high-pressure situations and might not have the confidence to do it,” McDonald said, but he’s seen people’s efforts pay off. “You are going to learn that over time if you put your efforts into something consistently, no matter where you start in the beginning, you are able to conquer very difficult things.”
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