Research
With the advent of firearms the relevance of Western Martial Arts began to fade and eventually the knowledge was lost, leaving behind only sports such as fencing and boxing. Because of this, research is necessary to rediscover the many fighting styles of Medieval and Renaissance Europe. The sources we study are period manuals, of which, Sword Academy has an extensive library. Also important to our understanding of WMA is the ability to view and handle the weapons and armor of the period. We are fortunate to have access to one of the largest collections of swords in Canada at the Glenbow Museum in Calgary.
We are not primarily a research group - though some research is needed, and nowadays there are numerous sources, and quite a few have been published.
Demonstrations
Sword Academy puts on many demonstrations every year and we are always looking for opportunities to expose myths about and improve the general public's understanding of WMA. We have worked with movie theaters to present our message to the viewers of Lord of the Rings and other movies involving WMA. We were also involved with the Museum of the Regiments' Soldiers of Two Millennia and the Calgary Highland Games. We have given demonstrations to Boy Scouts, to students at school, in Prince's Island Park during the summer, at our own open houses and even at a medieval feast.
Fun
As a club of active people with shared interests we occasionally like to do something not directly related to WMA. Sword Academy arranges student activities such as laser tag, paintball, archery, seminars, behind the scenes visits to the Glenbow museum and meeting over drinks on St. Patrick's day. For a look at some of our past activities check out our Events page.
Equipment Maintenance
At Sword Academy we have a lot of equipment available for students to use. Unfortunately, due to the nature of WMA, this equipment gets damaged over time and needs to be repaired or replaced. All students are asked to donate a small amount of time for equipment maintenance.
We have wooden wasters and aluminum practice swords, including replicas of most Medieval European weapons. We also use padded versions of all these weapons for safe sparring. Our Renaissance training requires safe rapiers, daggers and various bucklers. To complement these approximate tools, we have steel replicas, both blunt and sharp. Pictures of some of this equipment can be seen above.
