The men and women who choose to practice the medieval martial arts as sport become versed in the ways of the medieval warrior, joining academies or guilds that teach fighting techniques based on texts and illustrations from the 12th through the 15th centuries. Modern swordfighters and jousters, like their medeival counterparts, use blunt-edged weapons in tournaments. Some castles have yearly wars to decide which group has the castle for yearly pageants. It's not just a sport for Europeans, either. Jousting and swordfighting groups exist all through Africa, Cross said.
Many groups overlap in their activities, doing both re-enactments and serious fighting.
One such group is Tournament Productions, a group founded by Cross and recently passed on to his younger brother, Joe Cadieux. Tournament Productions, based in San Diego, but with members all over the country, was in Toronto recently for the 2nd annual Western Martial Arts Workshop, sponsored by the Canada-based Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts. Cross is practically ground zero for the movement, helping build both the local and the national Renaissance Faire industry, as well as the guild system, for the last 30 years. He began in the late 60s as a fire-eater, working with a sword swallower. He quickly moved into the martial arts, fighting on the ground with longswords, then into the saddle for jousting.