”And you do WHAT?”

I remember the first conversation I had with my parents when I told them I was driving down to Nashua every other day to take classes on Knigh Fit training.

“You are doing WHAT?”

I still get asked this question by friends and family who are new to the idea of sword and axe fighting being a legit sport. Honest to God they believed it was an RPG term of saying “Oh, you are playing Dungeons and Dragons, but with foam swords and gizmos. Right?” Having to explain this sport is like teaching a dog new tricks, because it isn’t a widely popular sport like NFL football or boxing (but we are looking into the future of it being as big as those;) which in this case they are televised for global viewing and have huge fan bases.

Armored Combat though, while still a new concept, is slowly gaining a following by nerds and medieval enthusiasts alike. And as I said, we are hoping in the future the sport can be shnown for televised viewing. Wouldn’t it be neat to have “game nights” in the living room, and cheering for favorite knights? The excitement over cross checks to heads (or the rare occasion of blood spills) is like that to the excitement of a car crash in NASCAR. I’m telling you, people do get thrilled about this stuff.

I’ve attended three shows so far since August and the best way to describe this sport is that it is full contact. You have teams which are called chapters, and chapters face one another in either melee or single fights. The typical number of points to win a match is 11. In terms of rounds...they can honestly go on forever. As long as a team wins 11 points, the fighting never stops. (I’ll more than likely get into a more detailed post about the game in the future.)

Fighters are dressed precisely and/or as close to the authentic medieval armor you may see in books or in movies. There are crap loads of weapons a fighter can use, but favorite choice ices are along the lines of long swords and axes. (While still new, I have been enjoying the battle axe training.) If you were to view a Knight up close, I think your jaw would drop - the beauty and craft of weapons and armor is astounding and beautiful. I still can’t believe there are artists out there that continue this craft of medal smithing armormplates and helmets.

It wouldn’t surprise you, but I’m excited to get my first armor. I’ve even started a change jar and throw any spare change I find in my purse, or checks from freelance work. I’m currently at $170 as of today - that’s another thousand to go...

And yes, the equipment does cost a few penny more.

“I just need a few pennies more - a few pennies more.” (The Devils Carnival)

I wasn’t surprised at all to learn the truth to fighting, but the anticipation gets me excited to know I’ll be fighting with my team mates one day. I would love too within the new six months to have most of my armor and weapons in hand and ready for battle, so I’m dedicated to saving those pennies up.