Lincoln swordfighters are ramping up the action
- BAILEY SCHULZ Lincoln Journal Star
Modern mixes with medieval during weekly Nebraska Swordfighters Guild meetings.
Rondel daggers hang from a belt and sheath at the waists of members, who wear blue jeans and matching maroon T-shirts printed with the group’s logo. In each of their gloved hands, a longsword.
After warming up, members face each other in a circle and tip their swords to the ground in salute. Then, the meeting begins.
The Lincoln guild meets 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Mondays at the Willard Community Center, where members practice combat techniques used by European swordsmen between the 13th and 15th centuries.
While members wield swords and protect their face with a mesh mask often seen in fencing, the two forms of combat are not the same.
“They’re subtle differences,” said Bill Murphree, 54, president of the guild.
Murphree started fencing when he was 16 and has been involved in some form of sword work since. He said one of the biggest differences between the two is the practical uses behind the sword.
While fencing is considered a sport, Murphree said, swordfighting focuses more on historical context. All of the techniques used at their practices are based on historical European martial arts.
Murphree first discovered the historical form of martial arts about 20 years ago when he found a manual of medieval fighting techniques online.
“It was like, ‘Oh my gosh, they actually have books from this time on the subject matter,’” he said. “It was a completely dead art until it was resurrected from the books and the manuals, to give a second life …”
The guild bases most of its sword work on a manual created by 14th-century Italian Master at Arms Fiore dei Liberi. His combat style has detailed instructions on wrestling, baton, dagger, arming sword, longsword, lance, poleaxe and mounted combat, all of which are taught to guild members as if they were to be used in real combat.
“We try to put it in the very martial context,” Murphree said. “We don’t do it to play around like they do in the movies.”
Today, the guild has about 13 members, but assistant instructor Daniel Cadenbach expects those numbers to grow.
“In the past couple years, we’ve kind of ramped stuff up,” he said.
The guild will be offering its next 12-week beginner’s class at Southeast Community College as a continuing education course.
The group has also made changes to its structure in recent years, gaining nonprofit status and being named a chapter of the Chicago Swordplay Guild.
Cadenbach said working with the Chicago guild provides insurance for the Lincoln chapter. The guild promotes itself through tournaments and demonstrations at schools, club meetings and Renaissance fairs.
Cadenbach said the guild has attended the festival at James Arthur Vineyards for several years, giving a presentation that’s half educational and half unchoreographed free play between members — some of whom are dressed in full suits of armor.
“We teach about the historical martial arts system,” Cadenbach said. “It’s not just a bunch of guys whaling at each other with sticks.”
Murphree said many members aim to work up to sword combat in full armor. Cadenbach said a full suit of armor can cost anywhere from $500 to $10,000.
Cadenbach said as long as the armor is fitted properly — which often means ordering custom-made attire — it’s relatively easy to move around in.
His collection weighs about 100 pounds, but he said the weight is distributed evenly across the body and doesn’t feel burdensome.
Murphree owns about 30 weapons in addition to his suit of armor, spanning from rapiers and longswords to more unorthodox weapons like spears, poleaxes and maces.
“The number of swords in the group probably outnumbers the people,” he said.
Murphree said his favorite aspect of swordfighting is its use of both mental and physical strength.
“It’s a physical chess game,” he said. “It’s mind and body and total competition, and by the end … you and your partner both know who won.”
You can reach Bailey Schulz at 402-473-7223 or bschulz@journalstar.com. On Twitter @bailey_schulz.