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So hey... I guess it's time to come clean on my new hobby.

I think I've mentioned a few things this year, but I haven't really talked about it much yet because I wasn't really sure I'd stick with it in the long run. But what the heck... it's been a lot of fun. I suppose if anybody is going to “get it”, it's this group... :-)

A few months I joined a historical fencing club. Not classical fencing. Think medieval longsword, sword & buckler, quarterstaff... that sort of thing. Very different stuff. Another point of clarification: It's ~not~ ren-faire or reenactment or role-play. That stuff is fun for some, but it's just not for me. This is really about finding out how these weapons were actually used in real combat.

This is an international study group that is trying to recover the long lost history of European martial arts. It's as academic as it is about practical fighting. But it is very intense. I'd post the link to the site, but we all use our real names over there and I don't want to connect my profile here to there, beyond what I've given away by this description. If you're curious, I'll freepmail the address.

I've been reading a lot, and have been to several practices. I've learned many interesting things already. But this last Saturday was an full-on all-day class with instructors coming in from far away. Wow. What an experience. Very intense.

A couple of interesting things I've learned right off the bat:

— Everything you know about sword fighting from movies or stage or re-enactors is wrong. Dead wrong. Yes, sad to say, even LOTR and even sadder... Princess Bride. But that's OK. They're still good movies. :-)

— The European martial tradition is every bit as ancient, as spiritual and elegant and lethal as the more familiar Asian martial tradition. After the advent of firearms, the European techniques simply stopped being taught, and much of it has been lost to time. But we're finding that there is a wealth of information in old, old texts that provide a fine foundation for recreating and hopefully preserving this rich part of our cultural heritage.

— Cutting things with a real, sharp longsword leaves a lasting impression.

I got interested in this because of a sword I bought. I've always wanted one. As sort of a personal heritage thing I bought a Viking sword several months ago. The more I looked at it the more I wondered how it was properly used the way they did it. One thing lead to another and... presto... suddenly on Saturday I'm swinging a longsword around getting my @ss handed to me by somebody who really knows what he's doing. :-)

It's also a ~seriously~ good workout. Which don't hurt me none, either.

Of course, that one sword has turned into several. A couple more sharps (not for practices) and a few steel blunts and wooden “wasters” that are for practice.

So... there's that.