Steel armor is built to manage impact, but it is not immune to damage. Repeated blows, falls, poor storage, incorrect shaping, and fatigue around rivets can…
In medieval combat, a fighter rarely has the luxury of standing at ideal range. A shield edge catches an opponent’s weapon, two bodies collide, and a narrow…
In medieval combat, a judge’s ruling can change the result of a duel, remove a fighter from a bout, or affect the standing of an entire national team. Because…
An IMCF duel is decided through a formal judging process rather than by appearance alone. A strike can look powerful yet fail to earn a point if it lands…
The first World Championship in historical medieval combat is difficult to understand from the outside. Videos show the impact of shields, the rhythm of…
Heavy armor changes the demands of medieval combat from the moment a fighter begins to move. A harness can protect the body, yet its weight also increases the…
A controlled longsword thrust is a precise athletic action rather than a simple forward extension of the arms. The fighter must align the weapon, manage…
The role of national teams in the IMCF extends far beyond assembling the strongest individual fighters in a country. A team represents a national association,…
Medieval combat practice has to develop timing, distance, balance, decision-making, and composure without turning every training session into a full-force…