An old school way to sharpen your skills

Taking over the Unitarian Fellowship Church for a weekend afternoon, this group sharpens their skills with tools that, traditionally, were very sharp indeed.

Here in Kelowna, the Okanagan Combat Guild teaches participants Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA). Training with plastic counterparts, they learn to wield various types of swords, daggers, spears, and other medieval weaponry.

“There’s lots of things that would attract somebody to do this sport. Things like Game of Thrones, like all the different medieval movies,” head instructor and guild master, Adam Ritz told Kelowna10.

“Most people think, especially after watching historical films, it’s just swinging a sword as hard as you can at your opponent, and someone messes up and dies. Really, it’s a very intricate skillset you have to develop.”

Ritz has been training in the sport for over nine years, almost as long as the Okanagan Guild has been around.

“Growing up I really loved the medieval renaissance era … and when I first tried to swing a sword around, I knew it was meant to be. I just never looked back. It’s something I can’t live without at this point,” Ritz said.

On top of learning how to properly wield the weapons, students also learn the history of the time period when these melee tools would have been used in war.

Guild members were seen partnering up for drills where both would initiate contact with their swords, then one would practice the technique taught by Ritz.

An example is when one participant would pivot their blade, after parrying, in order to strike their opponent’s face with the handle.

The training swords they use are made of synthetic nylon plastic. The benefit is they are durable, flexible, weighted like a metal one, and more affordable (typically $125 USD).

While plastic swords are part of the training, steel ones are on hand. They’re used less frequently because they are costlier and tend to break more. Ritz owns a custom longsword costing over $900.

The steel swords are not sharpened, and the tips are covered with rubber or are bent into a loop. Club members explained how even an unsharpened tip has a risk of piercing a person with minimal force.

Some safety equipment is used like thick gloves and in some instances, helmets. When athletes are sparring, they are required to wear a full set of armored pads.

Newcomers are not required to supply their own weapons or equipment besides comfortable gym clothes.