Attending Chivalry Today’s Swords Of Chivalry weekly HEMA sessions is a great way to learn the art of historical fencing, but these formal group sessions are only one aspect of training. Independent practice, either solo or with a partner, is an important part of the learning process, and we do our best to provide students with the materials and information they need to continue their longsword training in between our weekly training sessions.

The Forms we work with in class are a great way to familiarize yourself with the fighting techniques of the German masters, from the basics of the Meisterhau in the Starke forms, to the more challenging transitional techniques in the Mut and Draken forms. You can practice these forms on your own, outside of class time, with the online Forms guide provided to all of our longsword students.

Good footwork is critical to good swordwork, so practicing footwork and movement, (with or without a sword in hand) is one of the best ways to improve your fighting technique. To help with solo movement drills, use the footwork guide provided as part of Chivalry Today’s longsword student packet as a reminder of the steps you should be practicing to prepare for the next longsword class session.

Don’t have a sword trainer of your own? Don’t forget, something as simple as a yardstick or a length of wooden dowel can serve as a longsword “simulator” for your independent, solo training such as Forms, footwork exercises, or just simple cutting technique. Just a few minutes a day in between class sessions will help you sharpen (ha!) your sword fighting techniques, and get the most out of your training time with Swords Of Chivalry.