The Pen is Mightier than the Sword . . . or is it?
Hello folks, I’m independent fantasy writer
Jenna Elizabeth Johnson and I’m here to talk a little bit about what I do in my
downtime (that is, whatever time is leftover after finishing my day job and my
writing goal for the week). Most
people my age would spend their Sundays kicking back and relaxing; catching up
on their favorite shows, getting some yard work done, maybe heading on over to
the gym or to a friend’s house for a barbecue. Me? Well, I do
something a little different. Beach
volleyball? Nah. Tennis. Nope. I go to my Western Martial Arts class. Is that like Eastern Martial Arts you
might ask? Not quite, but
close. Eastern Martial Arts are
more well known, but Western Martial Arts is slowly making a comeback in the world
of sports. So what exactly is Western Martial Arts? What I do is more along the lines of
medieval longsword fighting.
Yes. Longsword fighting.
Now, before you go and get any crazy ideas
and start picturing me clad in armor and running down a hill with a sword in
hand, let me elaborate. On Sunday
morning, my two best friends and I go to class to learn the art of 15th century
sword fighting. If you are picturing
role-playing right now, you still wouldn’t be completely accurate (Okay, I
guess the armored-and-running-down-a-hill-screaming picture would be somewhat
appropriate).
Although we aren’t quite at the full battle
stage yet, the three of us have absorbed quite a lot since joining the
class. What we have been learning
are the techniques from two sword masters, Fiore (Italian) and Liechtenauer (German). The two styles are very similar, but
different enough that our instructor teaches us both. Actually, the more advanced we get, the more he points out
how similar the two styles really are.
After all, they did a lot of technique borrowing during their time.
Now you might be wondering how we go about
learning this stuff without incurring massive bodily harm. Fortunately, we don’t use actual steel
swords, but wasters. Wasters are
wooden swords designed to practice swordplay without causing (much)
injury. I say ‘much’ because they
do hurt if you get hit with them (the welt I received on my temple from my
friend is proof of that), BUT they are much safer than steel. The wasters we use are about four feet
long, the blade taking up three of those feet and the hilt about a foot. The convenient thing is that the
wasters weigh about as much as an actual steel sword of that size would weigh
(about three pounds, give or take – not the thirty pounds some people might
imagine). In case you are thinking
about running down to the next Renaissance Fair in order to purchase your own
waster, you might want to reconsider.
The ones we use are actually constructed for heavy use. The Ren Fair swords might die on you
pretty quickly if you were to use them the way we do.
I’ve been in the class for about a year
now, and so far I’ve learned many different guards and cuts. Some of the guards (or ways you protect
yourself from an attack) have some pretty colorful names. Iron Door, Crown, Boar’s Tooth, the
Window Guard and Dragon’s Tail to name a few. Our cuts (how we actually utilize the sword when attacking
an opponent) have some fun names as well.
Tondo, Fendente, the Squinter and the Strike of Wrath (no, really,
that’s what it’s called . . .). We
have learned that the sword is quite a useful tool and isn’t just made for
stabbing and cutting. The blade
can be used to trap your opponent’s weapon or to pin them. The hilt and cross guard can be used as
a pick axe (sorry about the images that might conjure up . . .) and the pommel
can be used as your own personal battering ram. Neat, huh?
So, now that I’ve explained all this, you
might be wondering, ‘Why on earth would you want to take up sword
fighting?!’ Good question. I can’t quite say why this sport
intrigues me so much. Perhaps it
has to do with the fact that I write fantasy (it can be helpful with research,
right?), or that I have an interest in medieval history (I have a longbow as
well, but that’s a story for another time . . .). Whatever the reason, I’m so happy I discovered this sport
(and someone who teaches it!).
Now, I just need to find someplace to utilize my new skills . . . ;).
Before I go, I want to thank Becky for
having me on her blog. It has been
a blast and hopefully an interesting post for those who are reading ;). All the best and happy reading (oh, and
sword fighting)!
-J.E. Johnson
If you’d like to know more about
Blackfriar’s School of Fence, visit them on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/blackfriarswordschool
If you’d like to know more about me (and my
crazy hobbies!) and my writing, visit my website: www.jennaelizabethjohnson.com
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