Subcultures and Social Trends: Medieval MMA and Historic Medieval Battles – Modern Day Knights of the 21st Century
The 2008 comedy Role Models starring Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott brought the world of LARPing to the masses via the silver screen. The world of Historic Medieval Battles and Medieval MMA is the antithesis of the Live Action Role Playing (LARP) subculture,
“…it’s a kind of adrenaline-laced conflict that would have the cast of Role Models running for the hills. Forget notions of history nerds running through battles of yesteryear and cast out images of gangly kids jabbing at each other with childish Souldrinker swords. These fighters fight for real….”
Period garb, rattling sheets of chain mail, ax handles snapping in half against a plate mail helmet, faces of blood, broken bones and a patchwork of Coats of Arms…
Welcome to the subculture of the Historical Medieval Battle…
A Brief History of Knights and Medieval MMA
The early history of knights starts back in ancient Rome, and the Ordo Equestris is the foundation from which the concept of European knighthood may have arisen. Aside from the defining characteristic of owning a horse, this group constituted the lower of the two Roman aristocracies and retained the hereditary title , and the rank passed from father to son.
It was during the Middle-Ages, around the 11th century, the concept of the knight we associate with history and lore began to take hold. It was not enough for a young male to be a well mannered noble. For a young man to become a knight, he would have to seek out a knight to serve and apprentice under, become a page and gradually assume the role of a knight. The formalized training regiment focused on equestrian skills, the two-handed sword, battle axe, mace, dagger, and Lance.
Modern day Knights and Medieval Mixed Martial Artists have their roots in the Historical Medieval Battles, which was a sport conceived in Russia in the late 1990s. These Historical Medieval Battles are competitive battle reenactments: traditional garb, historic weapons and full contact combat sport, complete with formalized rules and referees.
”HMB is a full contact, refereed melee of unbridled violence.”
This sport has grown massively since its inception, to encompass tournaments and teams worldwide. Earlier this year in April 2016, M1 Global, a Russian mixed martial arts organization, and promoter decided to feature an exhibition event of Medieval Mixed Martial Arts in Moscow. The level of interest received for future events was staggering.
“The fights are expected to gain popularity in Europe, especially in Germany, Spain, and England because knights feature extensive ly in the continent’s history. There were a lot of knightly orders, and it has a big cultural heritage ,…And now we see a lot of schools where people can experience these traditions, the way knights lived. They can study how to fight using swords and learn a lot about Medieval times. And that makes me think the M-1 Medieval idea will have a good future in Europe.”
What Exactly is a Medieval MMA?
Medieval Mixed Martial Arts and Historical Medieval Battle (its predecessor), is a full contact fight with offensive weapons and armor characteristic of and from the period of 1200 AD – 1699 AD. The armor and arms are not location specific, but both the armor and the weapon must originate from the same geographic area for that period. The purpose of this competition serves two primary purposes:
- provide a maximum competitive component for the athletes and
- provide an opportunity to test historical equipment and combat styles in conditions as close to real combat as possible.
Specifically, with Medieval MMA (sponsored by M1 Global),
“The bones of the sport are pretty much like regular MMA bouts, only with armor and blunt swords. The combatants wear chain mail or plate armor, along with full helmets and shields for protection (or to bash their opponent with). As in regular MMA fights, there are some moves the armored fighters can't use, like head butts, submission holds and blows to the spine, neck, feet and ankles. Once a knight hits the mat, his opponent has three strikes to finish him off.”
Additionally, no arm locks are permitted and stabbing with edged weapons is also prohibited.
“The main thing in M-1 Medieval fights is to remain on your feet,” says the knight fighter. “And you must either block or answer the attacks of an opponent.”
The media coverage of both the M1 Global event and the Historical Medieval Battle scene is quite active:
- The Telegraph, (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/knight-fights-inside-the-strange-and-savage-world-of-medieval-mm/
- USA Today, (http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/04/this-mma-fight-between-two-night-medieval-knights-is-crazy-insane)
- The Smithsonian, (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/friday-knight-fights-180955124/?no-ist)
- Huffington Post, (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/22/russia-knight-fighting_n_7121984.html)
Capitalism and the Medieval MMA
With traditional Mixed Martial Arts, a vibrant marketplace coalesced around a dominant brand within the sport (UFC), which subsequently grew associated brand partners (such as Tapout), competitors (Strikeforce, Bellator, etc.) and permitted the dominant brand to move into associated markets (UFC-branded gyms). In a similar manner, the Medieval MMA subculture appears to have created an ecosystem in its wake.
The success of the very first Medieval Mixed Martial Arts exhibition match put on by M1 Global on April 10, 2016, has thrust M1 Global into a dominant brand position within a once niche marketplace.
”M-1 Global, Russia's largest mixed martial arts (MMA) organisation, launched their 'Medieval' division last year and, after introducing the fights as entertainment during the intervals of official fixtures, the president of M-1 Global Vadim Finkelchtein soon discovered that people wanted to see more from these Middle Age mercenaries.”
The Historical Medieval Battles group evolved beyond large scale Medieval battles in the Russian countryside and formed a World Championship event, similar to the World Cup of Soccer called The Battle of Nations. Historical Medieval Battle participants from countries around the world compete against one another at events around the world to determine a champion of Historic Medieval Battle.
Associated markets have formed as well, most notably in the Russian Crossfit and Mixed Martial Arts gyms.
”Apart from the entertainment aspect, knight fighting and other forms of swordsmanship are starting to seep into Russian society's fitness regimens. Alexander Nevsky School, one of the top MMA gyms in St. Petersburg, will begin to hold fencing seminars and sessions for their professional athletes. Much like the effect of ballet on a hulking football player, fencing imparts the refined aspects of athleticism for MMA fighters, such as grace, style, and finesse. Even CrossFit gyms around Moscow have begun to incorporate fencing into their routines. It is a way to ensure that those who attempt the full-contact sport have the necessary stamina and muscular frame to carry the heavy armor.”
It would appear with the clout, the financial backing and the desire of M1 Global to build out an entire fighter roster; the subculture is in early maturity in the marketplace.
- Armored Combat League, (http://www.aclknights.com/)
- Battle of the Nations, (http://botn.info/en/)
- M1 Global, (http://m1global.tv/)
- Icefalcon Armory, (http://www.icefalcon.com/)
”A modern-day Knight Club that demands stamina and might just do you harm, but promises cathartic release and glory.”
References
Wells, Jonathan. “Knight Fights: Inside the Strange and Savage World of Medieval MMA.” The Telegraph. January 22, 2016. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/knight-fights-inside-the-strange-and-savage-world-of-medieval-mm/
Kerr-Dineen, Luke. “This MMA Fight Between Two Medieval Knights is Crazy Insane.” USA Today. April 22, 2015. http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/04/this-mma-fight-between-two-night-medieval-knights-is-crazy-insane
Lewis, Danny. “Friday Knight Fights: Russian MMA Fighters Go Medieval.” Smithsonian. April 29, 2015. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/friday-knight-fights-180955124/?no-ist
Wikipedia. “Historic Medieval Battles.” N.p. May 26, 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_medieval_battles
Chester, Tim. “Inside the Violent, Geeky World of Hardcore International Medieval Combat.” Buzzfeed. February 28, 2014. https://www.buzzfeed.com/timchester/inside-the-violent-geeky-world-of-hardcore-international-med?utm_term=.ukgb2yWRg7#.ge2k5N6loJ
Wikipedia. “Equites.” N.p. August 30, 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equites
Kalif Publishing. “The History of Knights.” N.p. 2007-2014. http://www.knight-medieval.com/history-knight-medieval-templars.htm
This is gorgeously written and shapen, and informative to a LARPer from Europe! :)
Thanks so much for this!
There is HEMA in Japan. HEMA is Heavy European Martial Arts. Unlike LARP, HEMA uses unsharpened swords and the participants want to hit each other as hard as possible.!
Shared on twitter
Disclaimer: I am just a bot trying to be helpful.
@virtualgrowth thanks for the share on Twitter. I appreciate it.
Oh looky there, a new hobby for me to have fun with, thanks!
@erebus, you can join the Battle of the Nations. They have cpters and tournaments throughout most countries in the world. In recent history, the US and British factions separated from the Polish, Russian and Easter European factions to form their own league of sorts because they were concerned about the two handed pole arms these dudes were bringing to the competition. Check out some of the links under Capitalism and the Marketplace.
This is badass! I want to watch a bout.
@getonthetrain if you'd like to check out some boughts, I would suggest checking the Armored Combat League link, the Battle of Nations link and the M1 Global link (all under Capitalism and the Marketplace). Aside from 1 on 1 competitions, they have 4 on 4 and 5 on 5 matches. Be forewarned it can be pretty brutal. One clip I saw had a dude getting shield bashed in the head until unconsciousness. His helmet was dented in multiple places and he was dragged out of the ring to the medic.
Hah! I wouldn't expect any less brutality from Russian sports :)