The Basics
Sword fighting breaks down into 3 different areas; Shield work, Sword work, and Foot work. Addressing these seperately will allow you to concentrate on the intricities within each. A foot step may be a foot step, but it is also a combination of muscles expanding and contracting and weight being transferred. Think of how you walk compared to a baby. As you grow you master walking, you do not need to think about it as you do it, it just happens. That is how you must treat each of the three aspect of swordsmanship. It takes time, practice, and thought to master each. You need to understand what your doing on many levels and practice on many levels to properly master your sword.
Foot work basics
Foot work is perhaps the most important aspect of swordsmanship. Without good foot work you might as well just start digging your own grave.
First, stance-
Find a comfortable stance to start with, do not be concerned with finding the perfect stance at first. When you start learning, bad foot work will help you more that good foot work because you will see why certain things don't work and will naturally develop and understanding of what your feet need to do. Beyond this I would suggest keeping your weight evenly distributed between your feet, it is much easier to shift half your weight than all of it.
Second, movement-
Move with purpose or do not move at all. What this means is conserve energy, don't tire your self out before you swing your sword. Do not hop around. If you aren't on the ground how do you expect to move along it. Your legs are what will bring you in and out of sword range and they are also a target. As you move them be concious of how they are defended.
Finally, disatance-
Be as close as you need to. As you will learn later, your sword is not only a weapon but also a measuring stick. Be concious of where you are in realation to your opponent, if you can stay just on the edge of range it will be easier to swing and move just out of reach of their rebuttle.
Shield work basics
Your shield prevents swords from hitting you therefore it needs to be infront of you. Your shield is made of wood, therefore you cannot see through it. Having said those two very important points I will explain them. There is a tendancy for young warriors to raise their shield up above their head as they swing. Though this may seem prudent, it will prevent you from seeing what is happening on the other side and open you up to a counter attack. Keep your shield covering as much of your body as you can at all times. The less you have exposed, the less there is to worry about. As for blocking with your shield: Less is more. By that I mean less movement is more efficient. Meet the blow, nothing more nothing less. This will ensure that you are not opening a new target on the other side of your body as you defend the original attack.
Sword work basics
This is the most complex area of swordsmanship. Swords preform 2 functions: Swinging and Blocking. Both are equally important as both work together to ensure that you to see your next fight.
Blocking-
As with shield blocking, less is more. Do not move your sword if you do not need to. Your sword is part of your defense and if missing, you will be hit.
Swinging-
There are two types of swings. Swings of opportunity and swings of purpose. A swing of opportunity is usually a rebuttle to someone else's swing as they expose themselves. A swing of purpose is an attempt to hit a target that is being defended. Keep in mind that as you swing you expose your arm and will have to be prepared to defend that arm and all of your body that your sword defends.
