Thinking of taking up longsword? Here are some tips to make sure you make life easier for both your instructors and yourself.

If you don’t get it, ask.

Sword nerds love talking about it. There are no stupid questions. If you are sitting there not knowing the aim of a drill you will find it hard to correct any errors you make. It will also make it harder for your partner. If something takes more than a couple of minutes to explain, your instructor will make time for it later.



Seek out second opinions.

Don’t question everything you’re told or challenge your instructor during a class demo etc, but it can help to get second opinions on stuff. There is a lot of disagreement in the community about how to do this-or-that and the more people you talk to about something you’re unsure about, the more you options you have. There are crackpot theories too - even a facebook group specifically for inventing wild unprovable theories, lots of fun for those who think too much about fencing. Go with what you feel is convincing rather than what you think is “cool” or whatever.

Avoid antisocial behaviour.

It’s better to have friends than enemies in this hobby, cause there aren’t that many people doing it in the scheme of things. Consider whether your actions are more likely to befriend or alienate people. Consider whether your advice is appreciated. Consider what kind of group environment you’d like to involve yourself in. Be gregarious.



Be good about giving advice.

Establish good intentions and friendly attitude before giving someone unsolicited advice, and consider the way in which you do it. Ask them what kind of advice they want, or what they’re working on, then help them with that. If you are criticising someone’s form, point out what is good about it at the same time. Try to focus on giving them feedback which only you can give, for example, how a parry or action “feels” from your end. Remember your role in partner training is always to help your partner improve. Phrases like “if you do X, It will be more difficult for me to counter it.” Stick to one piece of advice at a time - pick one single thing to work on. Read your partner’s response. If it isn’t obviously thankful, assume it’s not appreciated at this point.



Don’t assume the highest placing fencers give the best advice.

While there are cases where fencers both score well in competition and instruct well, there isn’t necessarily a crossover. If someone is good at fencing, they are for sure a good learner. Whether they are a good teacher is an unknown.

Read a little.

You don’t have to go crazy on the text but if you read even some modern writing on what you are studying, it will help your instructors and your progress. Knowing what the words mean is a start. There’s no pressure to know how to do everything, but it helps if your teacher can use less words to put an idea in your head. It’s also a good way to do something for your training while you are out of the salle. Ask your instructor for recommendations on what to read.

Respect other people’s stuff.

If you are given loaner gear, treat it better than if it was your own. It’s not cheap, and a lot of instructors and sometimes students are the only reason you get to use good equipment to train. Gear does break, even tough longswords, so it’s a risk any time someone lets you use something. Try to appreciate it.



Spar a little.

Even if you are new, even if you are very non-confrontational. Almost every technique is impossible to really understand until you use it against an unwilling opponent. If you are doing your drills and feel lost, it may be because you don’t have the required stimulus to use the technique. Ask your instructor to find you someone to play around with who won’t punish your mistakes too badly. Generally, most people are respectful and will match your level of intensity.

If some part of the club culture sucks, talk to organisers about it.

If they have convincing explanations for why things are the way they are, stick it out a little while to be sure. If they brush your comment off completely, they don’t give a fuck: find a different group if possible. If attitudes towards safety are reckless or concerning, find a different group.