Have you been inspired by the fancy swordplay of Geralt of Rivia from the Witcher of Arya Stark from Game of Thrones?
If it’s a yes, then you’re in good company.
The proliferation of swashbuckling television dramas has sparked such an interest in sword fighting that schools can be found throughout Australia, from small halls in central Queensland to large studios in Perth.
This is no medieval re-enactment or live action role-playing game (LARP); it is learning the skill of broadswords, sabres and smallswords to name a few.
Throw in Viking wrestling, French kickboxing and bartitsu — a martial art that combines boxing, jujitsu and cane fighting — and you have Historical European Martial Arts, also known as HEMA.
“Vikings, Game of Thrones, the Witcher — the sword fighting sparks a bit of interest,” said Will Deasy, who runs his school from a church hall in Rockhampton.
“It’s exploding in Brisbane and a lot of capital cities, and now it’s here,” he said.
Mr Deasy concentrates on British swordsmanship, which includes the Highland broadsword, English backsword, military sabre, and smallsword.
A university lecturer by day and a lifelong martial artist, Mr Deasy said there were some similarities to fencing, but the rules were quite different.
“We’re aiming to hit our opponent without being hit in return, so there is a bit of a different mindset,” he said.
Mr Deasy moved to Rockhampton from Melbourne a year ago, where he left a booming HEMA scene.
“Last time I checked, there were 18 to 20 different HEMA classes in Melbourne covering things from pugilism to German longsword, Italian fencing, and that sort of thing.”
And those who took part came from a variety of backgrounds.
On the other side of the country, Jim Campbell is head instructor at a Perth HEMA academy, which follows the German longsword fencing tradition.
Like Mr Deasy, he comes from an eastern martial arts background and his foray into sword fighting began when he stumbled across a medieval fair.
“I saw a bunch of guys swinging swords around and I thought: ‘I love sword fighting’, so I threw my hat in the ring to see how I went there,” Mr Campbell said.
“Back then, we were using wooden swords or plastic swords — that was all that was available, and some pretty atrocious-looking armour for protection.
The relationship with medieval re-enactments was not a particularly close one, but there was a bit of cross-pollination between the two, he said.
“Often what we’ll see is someone who might first come across HEMA and decide it’s a little too energetic and they’ll go and check out something like LARP re-enactment,” Mr Campbell said.
“And then we’ll see vice versa where people come through LARP where that’s their first exposure and decide they want something that’s a bit more martially inclined.”
Mr Campbell said pop culture had driven a huge change over the past decade.
But programs like The Witcher, Vikings, and Game of Thrones with their “flashing techniques” changed that, he added.
If you fancy yourself the next Geralt, are you destined for disappointment?
“Unfortunately, those flashy, spinny techniques don’t work quite so well in the real world, but they are great to watch,” Mr Campbell said.
So much so there are now major competitions and tournaments in each state.
Mr Campbell is part of the Historical Fencing League of Australia, an informal organisation that helps sword fighters track their performance in competitions across the land.
HEMA is not hugely standardised — think different weapons — and tournaments can vary drastically.
“But that’s well received because it gives people from different backgrounds and different fencing styles an opportunity to flourish in one tournament or be challenged in another,” Mr Campbell said.
Bouts last around three minutes with the same weapon, and there is the usual lethal blow — like to the head.
It was hugely popular, with tournaments in every state, except Tasmania and the Northern Territory, Mr Campbell said.
Could the characters in the popular television programs hold their ground?
“I think Game of Thrones was really good at telling some stories, and how to use the sword was not one of those things they were good at,” Mr Campbell said.
The Witcher gets a thumbs up — but there is one fighting scene that leaves them all for dust.
“The most believable fight scene I have seen to date would be between Inigo Montoya and the Man in Black from The Princess Bride,” Mr Campbell said.
It was actually choreographed by Bob Anderson, Hollywood’s most famous sword fighting coach, who had classical training in fencing.
