As a second-year bachelor student at Sweet Briar College in the United States, I was awarded a grant to fund a project aimed at researching efforts to re-create medieval sword fighting techniques of western Europe. I purchased two training swords, two live-steel swords, a small shield, and the best books I could find on the subject. I practiced the techniques scholars have re-created based on studies of the few training manuals that were written at the time and of injuries apparent on bones found in battlefield graves. For example, many individuals suffered severe leg injuries, indicating that combinations which included low cuts were common.
