I took a sword fighting class in NYC—here’s why it’s actually a good workout

As someone who has done LARP (Live Action Role Play) and played my fair amount of Dungeons and Dragons, knowing how to actually wield a sword has been on my bucket list, but I never thought I’d actually do it.

And then seeing our queen Chappell Roan dressed as a knight at the VMAs? I was ready to gear up and take a jab at it for our “Back to Class” series on fun and off-the-beaten-path classes in NYC.

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On a Saturday morning, I arrived at the Gotham Swords or Gotham European Martial Arts Collective (GEMAC for short) class at Ripley-Grier Studios near Times Square feeling confident in my ability to swing around a sword. I’d seen it done in countless movies and TV shows—how hard could it be, really?

Turns out, actually pretty hard.

The instructor Katie Mead handed out wooden longswords to about a dozen novices who definitely looked like they’d watched a lot of sword fighting in their lives (read: me) and quickly got into the very basics: how to hold your body, then how to hold the sword, and the first movement—a demi-lunge.

I didn’t expect to have to watch myself in the studio’s mirror, which was eye-opening and distracting because I look less like Joan of Arc and more like I have the power of God and anime on my side.

My attention was thankfully focused on Katie, though, who over the course of an hour showed us how to thrust the sword at a target, aiming it right at their throat and then how to guard flug and guard plow (blocking moves) and how to wind between them.

Meanwhile, my arms were feeling like Jell-O because they’re as weak as chicken wings and not used to holding a longsword, especially for so long! I sweat more than I do in my HIIT classes at Orange Theory, which really surprised me. Is it possible that learning how to sword fight is also a really great work out? I am happy to report that it is.

At the end of the class, we went one-by-one putting together all the skills we learned to thrust our swords through a ring Katie held up for us. It might sound silly, but I was proud of my last attempt and thought that maybe, just maybe, my future could involve a sword.

GEMAC teaches Longsword: Fundamentals, Greatsword (outdoors), Sidesword and Cape (this sounds incredible), Sword Fitness, German Historical Fencing: Skills and Applications and more. You can book a class at Gotham Swords here. Beginner and All Level classes do not require special gear to participate, just wear comfortable athletic clothing and gym shoes.