Posted 04 December 2007 - 12:38 PM
I do medieval fencing (mostly with the bastard sword, but about once in every month we train with the rapier as well, and on even rarer occasions I get to practice with the 1h-sword & buckler too); used to go to Iaido lessons a while ago (samurai sword plus tonfa, sai, nunchaku and barehanded stuff); also used to fence for a few years (the Olympic type of fencing many of you've mentioned already) swim around and ride horses many years ago. Nowadays I only run and work out with the machinery I've got in my room (apart from fencing, that is). There are rumours of trainings that'd condition us how to wear platemail armour efficiently. If that doesn't buff us out, nothing will. It's incredible to watch what some of those guys are capable of, they can perform some amazing feats of acrobatics.
Bit off-topic, but anyway, if I get some more time on my hands, I'm seriously going to start mail armour- and jewelcrafting. I've already tried turning pieces of copper and steel wires into gloves, belts and stuff, and it can be really fun. Also, it can put some muscles on your forearms and gives you a more firm grip. Of course, one mustn't overdo it, because it can really screw up your vision in the long run. Same thing as staring at an old 60Hz monitor for hours, basically.