Balkan Beats 32
Living the history
Historical sword fighting
by Mario Urminsky
Raise a tent, dress up as a knight or a servant, why not? There are still people that can travel
back to medieval times and enjoy their atmosphere. The main mission of the medieval group is to promote the knowledge of history and to introduce its members and the general public to the medieval way of life, with its struggles, crafts, dance, and culture in both theoretical and practical form. of those who get into historical fencing used to practice fencing sports. The weapons are made as close as possible to the authentic ones. In sports fencing the blades have wires attached to automate hit detection. There isn’t as wide a range of techniques as historical fencing does, which is intended to perform for an audience. They try to show a much more varied range of weapons, as well as techniques, to have a better picture of what the fight might have looked like in its original setting.
Passion, not bussiness
The historical sword fighting community is unit-
ed by an interest in history and a desire to have fun, to get together sharing hobbies, rather than looking for monetary gain. Of course, they also perform martial arts in public, at castles and chateaux during various festivals and other events. They don’t take the money that they earn to make
Sport or Theater?
Historical sword fighting
is closer to theatrical fencing than to sports. Like stage fencing, it is not a real competition, and fencers perform a pre-rehearsed choreography. However, injuries can occur, in any sport. If someone is hit, they will pretend to be injured or to have died. Many
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