Welcome to sword school: Meet the man who teaches medieval fencing in St. John's
'Fencing is chess at 100 kilometres per hour,' says fencing instructor Phil Swift
From cutting lenses as an optometric assistant to sparring with swords as headmaster of the Terra Nova School of Swords, Phil Swift is at the cutting edge of an evolving form of martial arts in St. John's: historical fencing and medieval swordsmanship.
Known as the historical European martial arts, or HEMA for short, Swift gave up a conventional nine-to-five job of eight years to pursue a passion that has its roots in his childhood.
"I was always intrigued in martial arts growing up and I was always into those kung fu movies, swords, and I'm a bit of a fantasy nerd as well," said Swift at an open house at his school in late January. "I've always wanted to to have a career in martial arts, but I just didn't know how to start it and where."
Swift first became acquainted with the world of HEMA in Michigan and was trained by a master in Chicago. After receiving training credentials, he moved to St. John's in 2018.
But it was a scene at Memorial University that led him to opening his own school — people sparring with real swords.
"I thought that was really interesting because it didn't look like modern fencing until I found out that they were actually fighting with real swords and trying to interpret manuals from history, and that's when the nerd in me kind of just blew up because that's exactly what I've always wanted," said Swift. "I've always loved history and this is fitness and history all in one."
What followed next were fencing classes that took place in a church basement. Once the number of students surpassed 20, Swift decided it was time to establish a school.
And with the help of three other entrepreneurs, who each teach circus, ballroom dancing and yoga, a venue near the Avalon Mall was secured and thus began — as Swift calls it — the "School of Weird Arts."
WATCH | Come for the history, stay for the lightsabers:
Legend of the sword
The techniques taught at Swift's school stem from martial arts manuals that date back as early as the late medieval period or as recently as the early modern period. Using blunted, bendable swords to ensure safety, Swift and other instructors use high-quality swords that are almost on par with museum pieces.
A wide variety of swords adorn a rack on one side of the school's classroom.
"We have the Italian long sword.… A lot of brutal techniques come from that. Then we have the German long sword, which is a little bit more finesse," said Swift. "Then you have the rapier, which is sort of like kung fu in a sense — the Asiatic martial arts."
Swift says no two rapiers are the same as combat styles differ from one region to another.
"The Italians like to put their body more backwards when they're fighting in rapier, just because they want to keep their body and their head safe," he said. "The Spanish, they like to dance a little bit so they like to stand nice up straight and like to dance around as they fight. So the footwork was very big for the Spaniards."
WATCH | Come for the history, stay for the lightsabers:
With handcrafted swords coming from the U.K., Spain and the U.S., curating a collection comes at a steep price.
"This is my life savings. It went all into this school and these swords. Each sword is quite expensive, about $500 to start off, because there's only a few people making them, and to make them safe is very hard," he said.
Fencing as community building
The school provides an avenue for students, young and old, to carve out their own sense of community, says Swift.
For children, fencing can be a confidence boosting activity especially for those who have shy or reserved personalities or non-athletic inclinations, he said. Enacting fantasy worlds like Star Wars or hanging out with other like-minded youngsters can encourage team building and expressive communication.
For the adults, it's the sense of camaraderie that blossoms from constantly battling not a foe but a friend.
"The moment you clash, deal with somebody multiple times, you just developed this sort of kinship for them, even though you're fighting them or sparring them," said Swift. "But ultimately at the end of the day, we become like sword siblings in a sense."
For students Ed Smith and his 10-year-old daughter, Julia, fencing class is a time for fun and family connection.
"We have a competition every week to see who gets bragging rights for the week, and she beats me as often or more often than I beat her," said Ed Smith. "We don't get as much time outside this anymore. [It's] just busy lives and other kids and activities. So this is kind of nice to take a step and give us some time together."
For Swift, the way that the classes have been designed comes from a place of longing.
"I wanted to start a school that I dreamt of coming to. And when I was younger, I've always dreamed of being able to practise martial arts with my pops or with my mom," he said.
With hopes to encourage the history buff, or simply the curious, to learn more about the world of fencing, Swift remains committed to staying in business — and refining his signature style.
"My specialty is the rapier," said Swift. "I personally like the Spanish rapier because it looks pretty. I want to look beautiful as I fence, and to me it's just something that you don't really see at all."
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