Now that this group has been in the area for about a year, I have met a number of people here in Tennessee. I really love it here. As I share this art with others, I find that some people are able to recognize what this is and are shocked that way out here in the middle of nowhere we can have a community like this. I’m equally shocked to find people out here who appreciate such a specific historical martial art. I’m not just talking about people who think swords are cool. It takes a special person to spend hundreds of dollars on training equipment. Then to spend the time, effort, travel, and discipline needed to perfect an art that society as a whole no longer understands nor celebrates.
And no, I don’t consider LARP, modern movies, or HEMA tournament sports to be a celebration of what was taught by Ringeck (for example) or any other masters connected to the Liechtenauer tradition.
Therefore it is no wonder that this free knightly practice has not only come into decline, but also somewhat come into contempt, not without some prejudice to the commendable custom of the combat masters of old.
From Meyer’s 1570 work, the letter to Lord Johann Casimir
Meyer saw the start of this art’s decline but in defiance of the world around him, he worked and sacrificed much to preserve it. There are a lot of other things he could have been doing with his time, yet he obsessively worked to preserve this art.
Thank you to Meyer and thank you to those out here who, like Meyer, could spend their time doing something else. Thank you to those who take the time to come out here, pick up the sword, and preserve this art enthusiastically, diligently, and without end.
I’m here with you.