Sword Fighting Makes a Come Back at Steel City Historical Fencing

Pittsburgh, PA: These days, fans of shows like Game of Thrones have the opportunity to learn how to use swords just like in the medieval period. Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) clubs teach students how to fight with swords based on historical manuals from 14th – 16th century Europe that have been translated into English, primarily from archaic German and Italian languages. The translations and original illustrations are then studied to make sense of how the fighting systems worked over 400 years ago. Nearly 600 HEMA clubs exist worldwide, and tournaments and workshops are held throughout the year in every region of the United States.

Steel City Historical Fencing (SCHF) is Pittsburgh’s own non-profit HEMA school, offering classes in Longsword, Dussack, and Sword & Buckler at the Shaler Villa Volunteer Fire Company Fire Hall located off of Butler Blvd in Shaler Township. Classes run 7pm to 11pm on Monday / Tuesday / Thursday with a current roster of 25 students. One third of those students are women, including a 3-time Silver medalist in Women’s Longsword tournaments. The club began in June 2017 with free lessons in Highland Park taught by Chris Hobbs and Jim Brooks, who have both been studying fencing manuals since 2010. Hobbs has won over a dozen medals in HEMA tournaments since 2015, and is ranked in the Top 30 for Longsword fencing on HEMARatings.com.

New students start in Beginner’s Longsword, a 6-week course that covers the fundamentals of how to use a sword and properly engage an opponent. The curriculum approaches the material as a martial art seeking to recreate the techniques in the manuals. The initial course is $60, and after completion students pay $60 per month or a $15 Drop-In rate to attend Advanced Longsword up to twice a week. These classes are two hours long, and broken up into a warm up, lesson, and sparring. “I know I’ve done my job if students leave sweaty, smiling, and having learned something,” says Hobbs.

In January SCHF added Tuesdays to their schedule in order to provide more weapon options for students. Sword & Buckler is a one-handed sword with a small shield that is about half the size of the one Gal Gadot wields in the 2017 Wonder Woman movie. Dussack refers to a 16/17th century short, single-edged sword similar to a saber that was often used to train for one-handed swords. Each class runs one and half hours, and both are included for $40 per month, or students can pay $80 total to attend the Longsword classes and Tuesday classes.

For more information, visit http://www.steelcityhistoricalfencing.com or email steelcityhistoricalfencing@gmail.com.