Audio By Carbonatix
The best part in any sword-and-sorcery epic is always the big battle — the fierce cries of the combatants, the ring of steel on steel, and the sweet sight of the bad guys falling to the ground after they’ve been decapitated by the hero. Now you can get all of that — minus the decapitations — live and in person, thanks to the Armored Combat League.
“The armor standards are good enough that they won’t be losing their heads or anything,” says Bill Worth, owner of The Art of the Sword and Chivalry, a local historical-combat gym. “It’s a knock-down, drag-out [fight], though.”
See some of the best sword fighters from around the nation compete for a spot on the U.S. national team at today’s ACL Western Conference Qualifiers. Fighters will square off in a variety of events, from one-on-one combat to ten-man melees, wearing authentic armor and wielding real swords. And keep in mind that these aren’t reenactments: This is real, visceral combat. “That’s what’s different between this and the Society for Creative Anachronism,” Worth says. “It’s full contact, full speed and full painful.”
The battle starts at 10 a.m. today at The Art of the Sword and Chivalry, 12445 East 39th Avenue, Building A, Suite 509. For tickets, $15, and more info, visit tascgym.com.
Sat., Jan. 31, 2015
