The room was large and rather empty. Eight people stood into a circle, each with a wooden European-style sword nailing into the ground. Their eyes were fixed at two men in the middle, who were pointing blunt swords at each other. They stabbed and slashed, but at the speed of people who practice Tai-chi.
It is just a regular scene that happens every Wednesday night at Algonquin’s room P121.
The college’s chivalrous sword handling course opened its first class of the year on Sept. 28 which saw a modest number of eight attendees. To those who think chivalry is dead, it is the chance for them to revive the tradition by becoming a sword master.
Safety was emphasized for these trainees as they will receive much more combative instruction from primary instructor Jeff Greenwood and his assistant Dave Atkinson in the coming weeks.
The course arose out of interest in medieval culture in medieval culture.
“People’s interest in HEMA [Historical European Martial Arts] started to rise when the movie The Lords of the Rings debut,” said Greenwood.
Also according to him, the hit HBO show Game of Thrones didn’t stir any wave in enrollment for the course, despite its worldwide success for depicting a fantasy medieval world full of knights and dragons.
“Like with most fantasy, the moves (the fight choreography) have large motions, acting as if the weapon is heavy when it is actually quite light,” commented Greenwood. “This is common for the majority of movies attempting to depict European based fantasy.”
Although it is labeled as a general interest course, sword handling follows a strict discipline. Instructors can take slightly unpleasant measures to ensure safety in practice and goodwill in manner.
“Do not stand leaning on your sword like Charles Chaplin with his baton,” Greenwood told the students.
Added Atkinson: “You never know when somebody would come across and kick it, and suddenly you are disarmed and displaced.”
“So from the second class on, if I see anybody standing like that I’d just kick the sword,” Greenwood said.
Like other martial arts courses, practice fighting is the main activity, but it is also essential for learners to know how to qualify in edged weapons and how to maintain them. Lessons are packed into a two-and-a-half-hour time frame, which Greenwood tries his best to exploit.
Only at the Level 2 course in the winter term can students get into real combat under protection of armor. Unfortunately, not a lot of students say they will continue on to the second term.
“In the next level, students would engage in more combative training,” said Greenwood. “They are also required to self-equip a set of armor.”