Fencing like the knights once did
Created: 12/26/2022 11:56 am
By: Michael Grözinger
On Tuesdays, up to 20 students from sword fighting teacher Alexander Hollinger (front left) come to the gymnasium of Starnberg High School with their long swords.
© Dagmar Rutt
Fencing with the sword like the knights of the Middle Ages?
You can learn it - in Alexander Hollinger's sword fighting school in Starnberg.
Starnberg
– Alexander Hollinger has a very calm and pleasant voice.
Very few who are talking to the 42-year-old father for the first time would probably guess what sporting passion he has, which he now even pursues full-time: Hollinger is a swordsman teacher.
Men and women, children and seniors who compete against each other with swords - what sounds like a program item at historical knight games is a separate sport that is practiced in Starnberg, among other places: It is officially called European sword fighting.
Alexander Hollinger brought fencing with the sword to the county seat.
Starnberg is one of seven locations of his school "European Swordsmanship".
Training takes place once a week, always on Tuesdays from 6.30 p.m., in the gymnasium of the high school.
Hollinger currently has around 20 students in Starnberg, with a total of around 120 athletes attending his schools.
"We are one of the largest schools in Germany," he says proudly.
His youngest student is eleven years old and trains in Starnberg, his oldest around 70 (in Augsburg).
In Starnberg, Hollinger even hired his own trainer because the demand is so high.
The joy of the success was great when Hollinger's student Philipp Lechner (2nd from right) became German champion.
© Alexander Hollinger
Sword fighting goes back to the age of chivalry in the Middle Ages (see box).
Of course, there are no more life-or-death struggles today.
“We train with sports equipment.
That means the tip is bent, the sword bends when it stabs, and the edges aren't sharp,” explains Hollinger.
The fighters also wear protective equipment.
"Nevertheless, we meet every now and then and do so-called cutting tests to get a feel for how a sharp sword behaves." In these tests, empty Tetrapaks are filled with water and placed on a block of wood.
"We then try to cut the tetrapak with a really sharp sword.
That sounds a lot easier than it is,” says the 42-year-old.
The swordsmen are primarily concerned with the sporting competition.
Hollinger's school has been taking part in official tournaments since this year.
"We go to the competitions as a team," reports the headmaster.
And in its debut year, the "European swordsmanship" really stirred up the sport with a few successes.
"The scene was surprising," says Hollinger.
With Philipp Lechner, one of his students then managed the really big coup: Lechner achieved first place in the official German ranking list with the long sword by a wide margin and was crowned German champion.
With protective gear, things get down to business.
The blades are not sharp, however, and the tips are bent.
© Dagmar Rutt
For Alexander Hollinger, who has been teaching sword fencing, part of the Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA), full-time for more than ten years, the success is a confirmation.
For more than 20 years he has been dealing with the use of the long sword.
Work and sport also have an impact on private life.
His three daughters, aged between three and nine, are not averse to sword fighting.
"It's quite normal for them when they say: 'Dad is going to fight'," says the family man with a laugh.
Even his daughters are active from time to time: "They always do something."
Interested beginners are "always welcome" to Alexander Hollinger's training, says the 42-year-old.
Information is available by telephone on 0176/ 24 32 48 97, by email to info@ europaeische-schwertkunst.de or on the Internet at www.europaeische-schwertkunst.de.