There's nothing quite so exciting in the world of make-believe than watching a sword fight take place, with carefully choreographed moves that turn an otherwise average human into a balletic master of ancient deadly force.

However, the realities of how such competitions actually took place are vastly different from how they're often portrayed on stage and screen. According to some experts, the real thing was likely much more sedate – though decidedly more deadly and vicious—than a briskly executed event.

Rather than rushing toward – and then nimbly by – each other as blades flash and clash, Elizabethan combatants likely were much more careful about approaching each other. This only makes sense, as it doesn’t pay to get too close to someone carrying an object that could pierce your internal organs in a split second. Instead of prancing about like Errol Flynn, real-life swordfighters would have opted for a more defensive stance, all the while keeping a sharp eye out for any opening that could be exploited to their respective advantages.

Even so, several period sources that describe Renaissance-era fighting suggest that a more aggressive approach, where combatants were always in motion and never flat-footed, was a popular technique.

The use of both hands was also very important. Duels that took place in Elizabethan England did not always occur with gloves on hands or even any form of protective clothing. If done properly, a person could thrust or slice away with one hand while using the other hand to deflect the opponent’s blade – on, one presumes, a flat side, not a sharpened edge. Again, though, blocking was not to be done in some sort of clever parrying move, but as a means to tie up the attacker and develop body leverage.

One favored method of dueling was a form of double-weapon combat, in which both fighters had a sword in one hand and a dagger in the other. This combination allows for the sort of “hand defense” described above, but with the security of a sizeable and weighty dagger—which could also be used to attack.

Elizabethan-era weapons were typically much heavier than their Hollywood-style counterparts. Some of the weightier swords would be difficult if not impossible to wear hanging from a belt. And the idea of swashing them about like a Shakespearean hero defending his honor is, again, more the stuff of drama and fiction, not reality.