There are seemingly endless extracurricular activities available to college students. At UCF, these activities include a sword fighting club. The Orlando Sentinel’s Gabrielle Russon details this in a recent article titled “UCF sword club fights in heart of campus.”

Russon writes, “The group is known as Knight's Blade HEMA, which stands for Historical European Martial Arts. About 20 or so students regularly participate and find themselves drawn by the sport, the martial-arts aspect and the history behind it… The different swords are made of nylon, steel and wood, causing an occasional bruise or nick, although the students say they train to prevent anything more serious. They are staples at the same spot, every weekday from 3 to 5 p.m. The grass has worn away in some areas as they stomp the ground or throw their weapons down. Reaction from their peers is mixed. Most seem impressed when one of the HEMA members excuses himself to go to sword-fighting practice. "You do what?" is the standard reply. A sorority girl once told Ross sword fighting was on her bucket list, but he assumed she was joking. Occasionally, some students walk by, their phones out and shoot video of HEMA in action.”

Brooke Kneer of the Central Florida Future adds more info about the group in a recent article titled “Knight's Blade practices art of sword fighting at UCF.” Kneer writes, “Vice President Matthew Harvey explained that members use several different techniques, many of which are found in the guidebook Gründtliche Beschreibung der Kunst des Fechtens, written by Joachim Meyer, or in English, A Foundational Description of the Art of Fencing. HEMA members encourage all UCF students to take part in the organization. ‘Win or lose you always take away a lot from it,’ Thomas said. To participate, you must be a full-time student with at least a 3.0 GPA. There's also a $30 monthly charge. Students can locate them at their scheduled practice hours, or join them on their Facebook page, ‘Knight's Blade HEMA Assc.’”

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