At the Broadsword Academy in Portland, ME we study the realistic use of the historic weapons of the Scottish Highlander, especially the basket-hilted broadsword. This weapon- a very broad, thin and flexible double-edged blade, optimized for the cut rather than the thrust, with a cage of bars to protect the hand- was in use from the 16th century through the 19th. It saw battle in the feuds of the Highland clans, the Jacobite rebellions against the British government, and on battlefields in every corner of the world, against a wider variety of weapons than almost any other sword in history, from the smallsword to the tomahawk to the tulwar.
The broadsword method of the Highland regiments was one of the most versatile systems ever created, proving triumphant both on the battlefield and in single combat, against both tribal warriors and classically-trained European fencers.
We base our study of the Highland broadsword on a series of fencing manuals that were published throughout the 18th century and into the beginning of the 19th. Training in the Broadsword Academy is conducted according to a simple system originally designed to turn raw regimental recruits into competent swordsmen. New students begin with footwork exercises, learning how to advance, retreat, traverse, lunge and shift. After this, they are taught the guard positions, a set of eight stances that include every parry and attacking position they will need in combat. The next stage is to learn the seven cuts and the three thrusts, and to practice these in conjunction with the footwork. In the manual exercise, students are taught all of the basic attacks and parries as a solo form. After this, they move on to the Ten Lessons, two-person combat forms designed to imprint the simple yet effective principles of Highland swordplay in the student’s mind through repetition. The next stage is “loose play,” or free fencing with wooden broadswords and other weapons.
After the student has achieved a degree of competence with the Regimental broadsword, he or she can move on to study the older methods used by the Highland clansman before 1745, as well as the “targe” or small round shield. We also offer classes in the use of the Cutlass, a short sword once used by sailors and pirates in their battles on the high seas, as well as in the MacGregor Method, a system for instantly assessing any weapon and using it effectively, in the context of sport fighting, historical fencing, backyard sparring, or serious self-defense.
Advanced students of the Broadsword Academy can fight effectively with any weapon that comes to hand, from swords to walking sticks and everything in between.
