I have been swordfighting since I was a little kid. First it was sticks (green Chinese privet hedge, a butter dish guard with a hole in it) , later it was PVC, at one point we used cheap Indian Sabers, decided they were too dangerous (we were not smart enough to grind the points off, and a little tape wrapped around the tip didn’t prevent a few scars), and then we found the SCA. And OH MY helmets! That’s right, previous to this we never wore a mask, and I only wore glasses to see.
I started in the SCA and modern fencing about the same time. stayed with the SCA and a few years later started SCA fencing as well as the stick combat. I practiced it like a martial art and became very successful early on. I read historical manuals, that were available in english or english translations. I looked closely at the pictures of those I could read. About the year 2000 I began to seriously study the extant manuals and learn about historical swordsmanship. I began to teach what I had discovered, and had a class of some type on and off since then.
I primarily use Fiore de liberi’s arte d’armizare as the source for the style of swordsmanship I teach and practice. It covers wrestling, dagger, sword in one hand, sword in two hands, armored sword fighting, the poleaxe, the spear, and even the same things ( wrestling, sword, spear in armor and without) on horseback. The principles derived from the text even serve to train for modern self defense and military saber.
Check out my School of swordsmanship in Laurel, MS
Southern Academy of Swordsmanship