Just like in the movies, Islanders learn medieval sword play
'It's good to have something to keep the art going'
A group that teaches Prince Edward Islanders historic European martial arts, or HEMA, is going strong in Charlottetown.
The Maritime Sword School meets Sunday nights at St. Jean Elementary School from 6 to 9 p.m. and attracts from eight to 14 participants.
"It's definitely a good way to socialize and it's a great workout," said Evan Hill, one of the instructors of the school. "And it's a great excuse to get out and play with swords!"
The school started out two years ago as the P.E.I. Sword School. But when its founders moved away and moved on, the decision to keep the school going fell to participants.
Hill and fellow student Rafael Aguirre took up the challenge.
"We decided that we wanted to keep this going," Aguirre said. "A lot of people were interested and it's good to have something to keep the art going."
"Previously, it was more structured lessons — learning more of one style of long sword fencing," Hill said. Now, it's "more of a casual format," with Hill teaching German-style swordsmanship and Aguirre teaching Spanish-style.
'Keeps you very sharp'
HEMA is a growing sport — there are other schools in the Maritimes and across Canada, and tournaments around the world.
"When I was a kid I always wanted to learn how to swordfight," Aguirre said. When a friend offered to teach him HEMA a few years ago, he was "all up for it!" he said.
Instructors often learn from manuals written hundreds of years ago that have been shared on the internet, the men say. They enjoy the scholarly aspect of HEMA, seeking out information and researching techniques for footwork, drills and combat.
It builds confidence in daily life too, like any other martial art.— Rafael Aguirre
Many of the participants, like Hill, are fans of fantasy novels, movies or games and enjoy translating what they see on the screen into real life.
It's also a great workout, they say. Sunday gatherings start with a 10-minute warmup, followed by some work with wooden daggers, then practice with wooden long swords. "Keeps you very sharp," adds Aguirre.
The wooden training swords the school uses have been carved by one of the school's students. None of the blades are sharp — the edges and tips are blunt, to prevent injury.
At a recent swordplay demonstration during halftime at a P.E.I. Storm basketball game Hill, Aguirre and a few others used borrowed steel weapons and protective gear.
'Good way to relax'
There's no charge to attend the Maritime Sword School and new participants are always welcome, Hill said. People can try it out or just come and watch. They prefer people be 16 or older for safety reasons.
"It's a good way to relax," said Aguirre, a self-employed software developer. "It builds confidence in daily life too, like any other martial art."
The school recently welcomed a group of Kendo fighters from Halifax. Kendo is a Japanese martial art that also uses swords and shares many HEMA techniques.
Hill and Aguirre hope to have exchanges with other nearby groups and would like to someday host a tournament.
Hill's young children are very interested in learning HEMA, he said, so he anticipates they'll join the group in the coming years.
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