Running is not swimming.
Swimming is not Cycling.
Cycling is not running.
All three use the legs and body in similar motions to move from one place to another. They all require the body to be in good shape to do exceptionally well at them but a runners body is not a swimmers or a cyclists body. All None of the 3 are sword in any stretch of the imagination, though they use some of the similar muscle groups and exercises but they are not the same.
I have been practicing the Historical European Martial Arts for a while now. When I first started it was nothing like what it is for me now. In the not too distant past I had some major problems with anything that I did not believe was true to the art I practice. A technique with a foam sword is not always universal to a steel or synthetic sword. To me, if the technique is different, the weapons were unrealistic,its not something I love. For years this included armored combat, this included any type of role playing, this included SCA, and it also included Olympic fencing. To me anything that was not what I do was a game, gave my art a bad name and not something I wanted any part of.
In the past few years that has changed.
Call me wrong, call me indecisive, but at the end of the day what you love is great, for you and I am doing all I can to not be "that guy".
I used to be one of those guys who laughed at Olympic fencing because it was a game, a sport that only partial resembled the sword arts I loved. I used to laugh at people flailing foam weapons at the park because I knew that a steel weapon did not act the way that these do, but to me things have changed.
What changed is my realization of just how wrong about it I was. I love what I do. I love the community, the things I have learned, the purpose it gives me in many different aspects of my life. But what also came up is that I have met some great people who do something else, that love the things they do even if it is different than what I love.
The point is, that there is nothing wrong with any of it as long as you are clear about it, you know what it is, and it is what you love to do. Just because someone else does it different does not make him wrong and you right. It just means that you are not playing the same game..
Lets call spades spades.
If you love using boffer weapons, wearing costumes, and acting as a character then call it that. It really is ok.
Years ago I remember talking to people who were defensive about calling what they did role play. As if it took something away from what they did made it somehow less. The point as I see it is be honest about what you do. If you play a character, or a role, you are role playing. That is not limited to being in a game sometimes you play a roll in life, Maybe your idea of a father, or employee or something else. In some circles it is called what hat you are wearing. Where I am bothered is when people push back and say that they are not doing it. It also means this: if you practice with foam, or wood and feel that it acts just like steel so there is no need to risk being hurt with steel you are mistaken. The 2 things are not the same. AND THAT IS OK. The real key here is being honest about what you are doing and not calling Running, Swimming.
I have trained with wood, duct tape covered wood, several kinds of synthetic, and some steel when I have a good chance to. None of them act the same way. Just as an Olympic Saber though it can leave marks coming in would not do the same as a heavier weapon. There is the problem I have. The different things are not the same, but the second you believe that they act 100% the same you are lying to yourself.
Do some people do what they do better than others?
Of course, but let them prove it in how they practice their art. Think they are doing something wrong? Lend a hand, we can all use a hand up sometime. If they don't agree with it, let them be judged by the results they get, it not on you.
Are some techniques the same between different sword hobbies?
In a way yes. Body mechanics do not change. Swinging a sword from the right shoulder to your left side with a crossed step forward will have more power than the same motion without putting your body behind it. There are some things that no matter the weapon, do not change. What matter is that we are calling our tools just that. Just as long as we are clear that it is in the context of that game.
Ultimately what matters to me is this: people join the thing they do for a number of reasons and many of those are personal. In the last year I have taken up Olympic fencing, it is not he same as my HEMA Training but I know that. I also do not call it the same thing because there is nothing wrong with doing technique that could help me get in better shape just as there is nothing wrong with taking up swimming and running at the same time. There is a problem when I call them the same thing. There is an issue when you show up as a runner to the local swim meet and expect everything to be exactly the same and expecting to walk away with first place.
There is room in the world for all of it. Maybe what you do is not my game, but it does not make things any less valid. Do what you love, let the haters hate, what matters is that you have found something you love. I enjoy Olympic fencing, it is a great work out and translates a little to some of the sword work I do. It is different, but I enjoy it, just like you may love to swim, bike and run but not all of them are the same thing.
Not everyone sees it, but to me, there is a place for everyone at the table. It is time we began to treat each other with the same respect.
