My REAL introduction to swordfighting was in the SCA.
*snort*
I was mildly interested in the Panhandle division of the SCA once.
Then I went to one of their meetings.
LawDog: "Why is that fighter kneeling?"
SCA Doode: "Oh, he got a leg chopped off."
LD: "But he's still fighting."
SCAD: "Yeah, he's scrappy."
LD: *twitch, twitch*
SCAD: "Let's see how you do. Go ahead and attack."
LD feints a back-stroke towards strong-side thigh. Opponent dips blade to counter, LD hooks shield-to-shield, opens and and flicks an outside overhand strike to shoulderSCAD: "Now, you can't hit people with your shield."
LD: "You can't?"
SCAD: "No, it's cheating."
LD: "There are entire
fectbuchs devoted to the offensive use of the shield in Medieval and Renaissance swordplay."
SCAD: "It's still cheating."
LD: *twitch, twitch*
So much for LawDog's presence amongst the SCA types.
LawDog