What is this and how did you get involved?

I got involved about 8 years ago. My best man asked me, “Do you want to go hit people with swords and axes?” I said, “Yeah I do.” We are out of The sword school in Omaha. We are fighting the team as the devil dogs. A lot of these guys are under 2 years. Half of my team joined during Covid. They wanted to get fit.  They wanted to get medieval armor and beat each other up.

There was a medical team present during the competition. It looked like to me people were getting hurt. How sharp are the swords? Ummn don’t hit me.

They are completely blunt. They are legal to go into all countries in Europe which is surprising because Sweden doesn’t allow knives or swords. It is sporting equipment. It just looks like a sharp shaped object or an ax. They can hurt, but most of the time it stings. Then, you will be fine. You get a couple of bruises.

It looks like the equipment might be a little heavy. Tell me about it.

The ax sits about 1.6 kilos (3.53 pounds). My armor, one of the lightest ones, is about 60 pounds. Others wear armor that weighs about 90 pounds it’s usually from about 50 pounds to 90 pounds. Then, you have some crazy guys who have a light titanium kit that is probably 45 pounds and feels like you are not wearing anything.

What are the rules?

In our melee (group fights) are last man standing. If you have three points of contact on the ground, and our feet always count. If you can touch someone’s head to the ground and fold them in half, they are down and they have to sit. You can kick their legs out and make them sit down. They have to stay put until the end of the match and the ref calls it (saying Fighter’s Up). Then, you go for your next match.

When I walked up, there was a one-on-one fight. Is that something different?

No. It is a different style of fighting. The duals are similar to fencing. I call it fencing heavy. It is a points-based fight instead of last man standing. You aren’t trying to take the person down. You are trying to hit them more.

Is there anything that I didn’t ask you that you think I should have asked you? If so, go ahead and answer that question.

If someone has any questions, google “Armored Contact Sports”. You can find teams ion 40 different countries and all around the United States.