Inside Western Pennsylvania's thriving sword-fighting community
A sword is the draw.
Each participant carries a 48- to 52-inch saber into the former Holy Family Roman Catholic Church in East Deer for Friday Night Fights where, two by two, they enter a ring wearing gear representative of medieval times.
They are prepared to attack their opponent — but not for real.
These fighters aren’t using sharp-edged swords. For training, sparring and tournament fighting, they have “weapons” with blunt edges and tips because nobody’s trying to hurt anyone.
“I used to fight Dungeons & Dragons in the backyard,” said Josh Parise of Oakmont, founder of Pittsburgh Sword Fighters LLC, now known as Broken Plow Western Martial Arts, which teaches historical European martial arts. “If you want to play with a sword, this is the place.”
Parise has been involved in martial arts since he was 6. He was enamored with “The Karate Kid” and “Cobra Kai.”
People hear about sword fighting in varying ways.
Todd Rooney of Shaler noticed people walking into a building carrying swords when the school was in Etna. Latrobe native Maddie Wilson-Smith, who lives in Penn Hills, and her friend were looking for a different type of physical activity and searched online. Abigail McGovern needed an outlet to help with the grief of losing her father and discovered sword fighting while attending a Viking festival.
Their differences don’t come into play at Broken Plow Western Martial Arts because, once they put their gear on — a jacket, hard gloves, padded pants, hard elbow and knee pads, and a helmet with a mask — everyone is an equal.
That is the beauty of this sport and why Parise, a Marine Corps veteran, founded the school. He also wanted to bring back this historic martial art.
“The sport is about more than fighting with swords,” said Suzanne DeCree of East Deer, known as the “Den Mom,” who handles the administrative side of the company. “We are about community and a safe space where everyone is welcome. This is the most fun group you will ever meet. I love what we do here. We do a lot of good here.”
As fighters approach the center of the ring, they are replicating days gone by, participating in the art of longsword — a European sword with a double-edged blade and a two-handed grip.
The school offers a variety of classes specializing in the training of unarmored weapons and unarmed combat, such as the aforementioned longsword, rapier, kendo and LED saber. Boxing and wrestling also are offered.
Most people purchase their own swords, though there are swords for people to try at the school. A quality longsword that one plans on using in sparring or tournament fighting costs a minimum of $200, and introductory longsword classes are $100 for eight weeks.
The competition takes place in the fencing hall inside the church. Before any fight begins, all participants are checked to make sure they are wearing the proper equipment and that it fits correctly.
A recent evening included a potluck and socializing. More than 100 people came to watch and cheered during the matches. Competition brackets are based on skill levels — advanced, intermediate and beginner. Athletes must be proficient before they are permitted to enter the ring. For the beginners, the more experienced people offer advice during breaks in a match.
Jacob Proto, who was director of a match, and his girlfriend, Lauren Greene of Swissvale, call the school a “hidden community in a former church under a highway.” He said the sport teaches wellness and mindfulness and that it’s “about the sports, not the scoreboard.” Proto created a fun environment as he announced fighters.
“I walked in here, and I was like, ‘How did I not know about this place before?’ ” Proto said. “They want you to be here, and it’s challenging. You compete against who you were yesterday. It changes you. These are some of the best people I have ever met.”
Sarah Holt of Shaler has been taking classes for the past year.
“This place is aggressively positive,” Holt said. “It’s a fabulous family and my home away from home. I enjoy being here, and I feel like if I wasn’t here they would miss me.”
Wilson-Smith, who is taking introduction to longsword, said she’s learned you don’t have to be strong or very fast to take part in the sport.
“My friend and I thought this was super cool, so we signed up,” Wilson-Smith said. “I came to see an actual fight in person.”
Wilson-Smith is learning longsword from Rooney, who has been part of the group for 10 years and now is an instructor. Rooney advanced to the final match of the advanced bracket at Friday Night Fights. Afterward, he reminisced about driving past the school and saw people going in carrying swords.
“I did not know this was a thing,” said Rooney, who calls himself a “Dungeons & Dragons” and “Lord of the Rings” guy. “I saw people going into the club with actual longswords, and I was intrigued enough to check out the website. The rest is history. Sword fighting is like a game of chess, especially if you know the other person. I’ve made some really good friends by stabbing people.”
Feb. 7 was the first Friday Night Fights for McGovern, a sophomore from Irwin who attends PA Cyber School.
“Being part of this community has really helped me,” said McGovern, who advanced to the final match in the beginner bracket. “It’s good exercise, and I’ve made a lot of new friends who are interested in what I am interested in. I definitely will be back. It was so much fun.”
Sword fighting brings people from all walks of life together in one welcoming space, Parise said.
“We are diverse here,” Parise said. “We work on building a community here. We hang out. This is the great American melting pot. This is so much more than the sword is giving you. It’s about looking beyond hatred and being around people you can associate with, and it doesn’t matter your political affiliation, your religion or who you love. People find commonality through sword fighting.”
Daniel Stool of New Kensington has been sword fighting for 53 years. A visit to a renaissance fair when he was young inspired him, he said. As a retired scientist, he said he was around a narrow slice of the population.
“I have met so many people who I’ve connected with here because I am a sword nerd,” said Stool, who also teaches at the school. “This is a safe space.”
Several clubs were represented at Friday Night Fights on Feb. 7. Josh Derby of Penn Hills belongs to Waterfront Historical Fencing in Homestead. As one of the top sword fighters in the area, Derby won the advanced bracket. He travels to various places to compete and works with a personal trainer, and does cardio and yoga to stay in shape.
“I change my style every exchange just to see what I can do,” Derby said. “The art of sword fighting is growing and becoming more mainstream. It teaches confidence.”
Broken Plow Western Martial Arts is the biggest and oldest club in the area.
The overall goal is to re-create a “lost” martial art from the manuals of European masters of the 14th century onward — masters such as Johannes Liechtenauer, of the German tradition, and Fiore de’i Liberi, of the Italian tradition, Rooney said.
“As opposed to armored combat — think knights in shining armor — we focus on the kind of training you would need to defend yourself in everyday life — that is, when you’re not wearing armor,” Rooney said. “I grew up on Tolkien novels, Highlander movies and Dungeons & Dragons games, so it’s a thrill to do some of those things in real life.”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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