The clang of iron swords rings out from Will Hair Park Monday morning where two members of the Association of Renaissance Martial Arts are caught in a duel. This match, which doesn’t feature the typical theatrical spinning and running around as seen in movies, is a demonstration of ages-old martial arts moves.
The Association of Renaissance Martial Arts (ARMA) is a global network of scholars and athletes that are dedicated to debunking the sword fighting myths that Hollywood shows in dramatic movie fight scenes.
Austin Fontaine, senior criminal justice major from Houston, organized an ARMA group at ACU that has been active for XX years.
“A lot of people have watched Star Wars and think that they can just spin around in circles,” Fontaine said. “But really, that’s a good way to get stabbed.”
There are countless other inaccurate movie scenes that stir up the well-researched ARMA community, Fontaine said.
“ARMA is not just an athletic kind of practicing community, we are also very scholarly,” Fontaine said. “Our primary purpose is actually to educate the public on the misnomers of swordplay that they show in Hollywood.”
Fontaine said many members are scholars that focus on translating manuscripts and have other academic focuses pertaining to renaissance martial arts.
“We take manuscripts written between the 13th and 15th centuries in Europe,” Fontaine said. “And then we learn how to beat the crud out of each other the good old fashioned way.”
Fontaine said the group learns how to duel using long swords, bucklers, shields, daggers, and poles. They also practice Greco Roman wrestling and armored wrestling among other things.
“Normally, you’re not going to be walking around with a sword,” Fontaine said. “However, one really nice thing about learning to sword fight is that it gives you self-confidence like any martial art would.”
Fontaine also said that learning grappling and knife fighting is directly applicable in self-defense. It also brings the idea of a defense against a longer weapon which helps people know how to handle being attacked with objects such as pipes or baseball bats.
“A lot of people would be intimidated by that, but when you’re used to having what is comparable to a baseball bat swung at you and once you learn the mechanics of it and how to stifle it, you’re a lot more comfortable in a situation like that,” Fontaine said.
ARMA was founded by John Clements who is an authority on Medieval and Renaissance fighting methods as well as historical fencing according to TheArma.org. It began in Texas where it continues to have a high concentration of ARMA groups.
Chris Fields, senior English major from Flower Mound, is a member of the ARMA group at ACU. Fields said they learn by the self-improvement method and that it is a good group dynamic.
“We take whatever we can from the books and practice it on the field,” Fields said. “We don’t keep score. We spar to improve.”
Fields said new members begin doing drills with a wooden sword and do not fight an opponent until they are ready.
“The most fun part is sparring, it’s great exercise,” Fields said. “After you recover, you feel good. A lot of sports don’t even touch the muscles you use to sword fight.”
Fontaine and Fields have both achieved “red-shirt” status in the art which marks them as proficient in sword fighting and qualifies them for teaching.
“We’d be happy to share our knowledge and get anyone involved who wants to,” Fontaine said.
ARMA is not permitted to practice on campus any longer, at least until they can find a staff or faculty sponsor, Fontaine said.
“We used to have class once a week but attendance has died down so we don’t have it as often,” Fontaine said.
For more information about joining, contact Chris Fields at cmf07a@acu.edu.
