The AAF fighting style is a safe, effective, historically-influenced style which looks good and is fun to do. But where does it fall in the spectrum? Is it a martial art? Is it a contact sport? Or is it merely a theatrical exercise?

There are some groups in the world who study medieval and renaissance swordsmanship as a martial art, much like one might study taekwondo or kungfu. They practice hard to replicate the actual fighting styles that have come down to us through the period manuals, and do intense research to find out what those styles actually were. One such group is the Association for Renaissance Martial Arts (ARMA). We are not like that.

There are other groups who engage in mainly competitive combat. They conduct tournaments and wars, and practice as though combat were like football. It is all to the purpose of determining who is the best fighter. Fighting is treated very much like an individual or team sport. The Society for Creative Anachronism takes this approach. We are not like that.¹

A third style is the production of choreographed fights for movie and theatre work. They develop extremely good-looking fight scenes suitable to enthrall an audience and progress a storyline. Visual spectacle is everything. Movie fights from Star Wars to Zorro feature choreographed stage combat. One group that specialises in this sort of combat is the Sydney Stage Combat School. We are not like that either.

So what are we like? We are similar to a wide range of other medieval combat reenactment groups, but where do we really fit in?

We actually combine aspects of all three styles mentioned above. Some may say that this kind of mix-and-match is not as "good" as focusing on one particular aspect of combat, and I suppose that is a matter of opinion. Personally I believe that we incorporate the best of all three philosphies.

We are not a martial art. However, we do incorporate some martial arts aspects in our training. We have a system of grading according to proficiency, akin to the "belts" system of many Japanese martial arts, and we do study George Silver and Ms I.33, which definitely fit the description. However, martial arts is not the ultimate goal of our style of fighting. Grading is as much about having period costume, armour and weapons as it is about fighting skill.

We are not a sport. However, we do organise and get involved in some competetive combat tournaments. When we train, we use techniques that allow us to "win" the fight. The most skilled fighters, and the ones with the higher ranks, are the fighters who can use a wide range of weapons safely and effectively. However, "winning" fights is not our ultimate goal either. While everyone likes to win a fight, we do not have awards specifically to acknowledge the "best" fighter in a competition.²

We are also not a stage combat group. Although we do organise and present public fighting displays, we do not do so by choreographing our fights. While an actor can participate in a movie fight after only a week of intense training, our fighters do not train as intensely, and it usually takes them longer to become proficient in display combat. At display we do modify our fighting style somewhat in order to present an exciting fight, but in the end public spectacle is not our ultimate goal, and we never choreograph any of our fights.

Instead, we incorporate elements of all three styles. Our ultimate goal is actually to be able to fight in a fun and safe manner. And, in public display, to put on a good show for the audience. Any of our skilled fighters can tell you how enjoyable it is to participate in combat. In order to do so we study the martial arts, train to win, and present historical fighting displays in a rounded and well-balanced manner.

We are a Dark Ages reenactment group, with our focus on the Vikings, Saxons and Normans prior to 1066. There are no training manuals from this period of history. However, we adapt later styles to suit our purposes. We study George Silver, who was an Elizabethan master writing about cut-and-thrust swords which were actually somewhat similar to the pattern-welded blades used by Viking and Norman. So we can adapt his techniques for use in our period. Similarly, Royal Armouries Ms I.33 depicts a style of sword-and-buckler fencing that provides a very deep foundation for using shields of all types, including large round and kite shields.

In the end, when we fight, we do not fight Silver-style, and we do not fight I.33-style. We fight AAF-style. Everything we do is based on fundamental principles of fun and safety for all participants. We would not fight against an ARMA master, who studies historical techniques with purpose and intent. We would not fight against an SCA knight, who focuses on improving his skills and winning tournaments. And we certainly wouldn't fight against a Stage Combat teacher.

However, we do have a style all of our own. It's not better than other styles, and it's not worse. It's different.

It is safe, and it is fun. And they are the two most important things about what we do.

Note 1. Yes, I know that some people in the SCA do not define competition as the purpose of SCA fighting. But even in the large SCA wars, there is an emphasis on winning, and on finding the "best", most skillful fighters. That's why I put them in the "sporting" category.^return

Note 2. Recently we have started holding tournaments at our annual event Beorg-wic, which is an exception to the general rule.^return