how to start fighting

This may seem like going backwards a bit, but I guess that you can't be killed for it, so why not?
I've noticed that what most people ask me when they find out that I am a sword fighter is, "How do I start?" So here is what I did.
Since I'm not rich, I wasn't particularly fit or skilled in using power tools, it seems like my story is about as close to basic beginner that you'll get, and might offer some helpful hints on how to start fighting with swords.
Firstly, I joined a club.
You can find a club in your general area, unless you live in, like, Witenswartmodderwatersfontein, Doerengone, Free State. Just use Google and type in "sword fighting clubs" or "medieval combat training" and your area.

It's important to belong to a club, even if they don't train in the specific discipline that you imagine yourself doing because, well, you really don't know until you've tried. A club will usually have instructors who will train you to fight, and much of what we do in our full-contact sport is derived from the same sources as HEMA and other styles. SO, if you really want to fight with steel and there is only a HEMA club in your area (they use synthetics, mainly), then go and train there anyway and get the basics. You can only improve yourself by learning, especially if you are a newbie fighter.

Once you have a good idea of what you really want to do, then you can look around for another group, or perhaps even start your own. It is important to remember that whatever you do, do it safely first and foremost. FCMC (full contact medieval combat) is considered an extreme sport and you should respect that people can get hurt.
SO, you will need at the very least a fencing mask, a gambeson (heavy, padded jacket), some heavy leather welding gloves or other similar hand protection and plastic or synthetic protection for the elbows and knees. This is for starters. If you can't afford to buy this stuff, go on eBay or Gumtree or trawl second hand shops for used sports equipment that will suit your purposes.

This is just to get you fighting. Our club starts all of our new recruits off with rapier and staff. Depending on the club you join, there should be members who are willing to lend their weapons for practice, and/or there should be some club weapons to use for practice. Our club bought a couple of synthetic longswords to practice with as well, and it is very easy to make your own staff. In fact, that was the first weapon that I owned. I cut a wattle sapling and skinned it, then left it for a few weeks to dry out, then oiled it every day for so long it became a routine. It is a little skinny and short for me today, but I can still fight with it, since it hasn't broken, which is a good innings.
Anyway, basic head, hand and joint protection is a must. Also remember that when you borrow someone else's weapon, if it breaks while you are using it, you will be expeccted to replace it. That is fairly standard etiquette.

Once you are at the point where you have decided that this thing is for you (not everyone sticks, and that's the same with every sport), then you should consider whether you want to compete and if so, do you want to compete only locally or also in tournaments elsewhere in the world?
If you want to stay local, then you should find out where your local tournaments take place and check what kind of armour requirements they have. I say this now because you don't want to get gear together that is good for, let's say SCA, and then arrive at a FCMC tournament and discover that it doesn't meet spec. Your club marshall should tell you what your options are, but this is the kind of thing that you should be thinking about, if no-one mentions it.

There are many big international tournaments, and they use different rulesets, but to be able to compete in most of them, you want to use the following authenticity armour spec:

• armour and weapons should be based on historical analogues dating from the 1300s to the 1600s;
• armour elements should all fall into the same period of roughly 30 years;
• armour elements should also originate from roughly the same region;
• weapons used should come from the same period and region as the armour used.

So, if you enjoy using a particular weapon, then make sure that your armour matches the period and region in which that weapon was used. Find an effigy that you can base your choices on, to be safe. You can look at historical sources and manuscript miniatures and effigies and brasses.
Also check for thickness and type of material. You should stay away from aluminium and titanium. Both of these are not acceptable for armour or weapons.

Check the tournament organisers' websites for armour specifications relating to thickness of helmets and armour, weight and dimensions of weapons and shields, etc.

This is an example of what you are aiming for. Thank you, @swedish_armory

If you want to try and make your own armour, then there are patterns on armour archive  and that is what we started with. Some good information on there, including stuff for sale, essays and other resources. Don't be afraid of power tools, just be very, very careful when using them.
Remember that when making medieval anything, the best way to do it is the historical way. Some research is always necessary when you are doing things that need to be historically accurate, for example, were cuisses hinged with steel or leather strips? And is it better to sew or rivet plates on a scale aventail?

POINT TO NOTE: At this stage, you must be spinning with all of the terms. Believe me, when I started fighting, I spent a whole evening listening to the guys talking about different helmets and thought to myself, "I'm never going to be able to remember ANY of this!" But, I did. You get used to referring to the pieces of your armour by their right names, and then it becomes like body parts. You never wonder what that thing on your face is called that you use to smell. You just know it's a nose. So don't get overwhelmed with the terms. If you can't remember them all straight away, no-one will laugh at you. Just go with the flow and soon you'll be using armour-speak, too.

There is already a picture on this blog of the first piece of armour I made (the battle corset). I also made myself a leather gorget (neck protector), which did not work at all, and frankly just annoyed me and looked stupid. The guys gave me legs and arms to use, and also a helmet that had been knocking around. This is what I looked like at my first tournament (Dark Ages).

This is NOT historically authentic. The helmet was constructed using a headlight bucket from a '38 Chevy, though, which is admittedly very cool.

If you don't have much faith in your own crafting abilities, and you also don't have any gear, and there are no loan pieces floating around the club, then take a look here. You can find secondhand gear at reasonable prices.

Also, it's worth it to go onto these Facebook pages and join up or like, as necessary. If you're a girl in armour, like me, you'll find a whole new family of sisters you never knew you had. And if you're a guy in armour, you'll find a warm welcome, too. Just not on the women's pages.
HMB/IMCF Women's Division   International Medieval Combat Federation   Battle of the Nations   Bohurt Magazine   Battle of the Nations Women's League

There are plenty of armourers out there who can supply you with new gear, for a price, such as Metal Horse Armoury.  Just have a browse through the net and see what you can find. Don't buy the first thing you see, even if it is pretty.

This is what I wore to IMCF 2015. I'm on the left. And for the record, Andi won that fight. She is amazing!

Lastly, training is important. Getting into a good diet and fitness regime is essential if you want to compete at international level. But that's a story for another time.

Feel free to contact me for any help.

other girls in armour

I have been getting so enthusiastic about starting up our national women's buhurt team that I sometimes forget that fighting women doesn't feature in many people's world view. And let's face it, the media portrayal of warriors tends to leave out the girls.

Disney doesn't make movies about fearless female knights, riding up on their white steeds, armour glinting in the sunlight, to save the helpless and vulnerable young man from certain destruction. I've recently discovered a site that turned the Disney princesses into warrior women. Sort of. They still don't give them armour, just slinky outfits based on the original. I must admit it gave me a giggle, though.



Joan of Arc seems to be the only popular woman fighter, and she is largely dealt with by filmmakers as a prophet or crazy person, depending on how generous the filmmaker is feeling. This seems highly unfair, all things considered. I have recently read the trial transcripts, which give an insight into what kind of girl she was - and she was still a girl - which show her to be intelligent, confident and independent, even at her tender age. These were traits that the patriarchy of the time did not encourage in women. And certainly, the fact that she insisted on wearing men's clothing really galled her captors.

Going back into antiquity, we see famous Celtic leaders such as Boudicea, who allegedly fought bare-breasted, and Cartimandua, who led her tribes against the Romans.



But even as late as the 1890s, there were women who fought in their own units. The Dahomey Amazons were fearsome warrior women, the last of which died in 1979; not that long ago.

 

In almost every culture, there are heroines who led armies and fought battles. Here is a list and timeline. Their bones and weapons have been dug up by archaeologists next to the bones and weapons of their brothers-in-arms. So, why is it so unusual for women to be accepted as fighters in modern society?

I don't know. I know that somewhere out there are a thousand sociologists, anthropologists, psychologists and other '-ologists' who will give a really well-researched and well-formulated explanation. It still makes no sense to me. And so I've given up thinking about it.

Instead, I'm thinking about getting my women fighters armoured up and trained to fight at the next IMCF. That's a good place to start.