Eventually, fencing became sport and pastime, a refined, athletic game of set rules and etiquette. Finally, over time myths arose that fencing reached its zenith only after it stopped using real weapons in real fighting. In contrast, the study of historical methods of European fencing is now becoming increasingly popular. A variety of earlier combative systems are being reconstructed and interpreted along historical lines from historical sources. The answer depends a lot on the approach, the attitude, and the intention of your study.
Real weapons handle one way and special training weapons another.
The more realistic your weapon, the more realistic your technique and your understanding of fundamental principles and concepts. Each digression from this causes a degree of misinterpretation of the methods developed by and for real weapons in real combat. The dynamic of one fighting against many is very different than one against another one. Historically, combat could occur at any time at any place, not just when two parties formally agreed to it. Historically, combat could occur under any conditions and on any type of flooring or ground.