A Swashbuckling Society

Traverse City welcomes the Historical Weapons Guild

By Ross Boissoneau | Nov. 11, 2023

Who doesn’t love a good sword fight? Whether it’s Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride, Brad Pitt’s Achilles in Troy, or Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings, such conflagrations provide plenty of thrills and chills.

But sword fighting in real life? Yes, please, says Anna Beard. She and her husband, Anthony Buonomo, are the owners of Historical Weapons Guild in Traverse City, and they teach others the fine points of fighting with longswords, daggers, and other pointed period pieces.

“I know it’s an odd pursuit and won’t resonate with everyone, but for the community we are building here, it already means a lot,” Beard says.

A Double-Edged Business

The guild was originally started by Buonomo in Austin, Texas, in 2016. There are several schools there that teach historical fighting methods with longswords, short swords, rapiers, and daggers, often alongside other martial arts.

Buonomo opened his school after being turned on to historical weapons himself. He had a background in Eastern Martial Arts before he began studying Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) in 2014. “He started doing competitive heavy armor,” says Beard.

Beard came to the guild from another demanding discipline, though one considerably less lethal: dance. But once she took a weapons class, “I was completely hooked. I’m all in. Swords are super addictive.”

She took that first class in 2018 and soon found her weapon of choice. “I really enjoy dusack,” she says, referring to the single-edged saber originally used as a side arm in Germany during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Beard says the family moved from Austin to this area as she is a native and was longing to return. “I grew up in Leland. As a teen I couldn’t wait to get away. Then I was married, had kids, and was divorced in Texas. I couldn’t wait to get back.” Buonomo is originally from upstate New York, and when they saw their Austin school was able to sustain itself without their direct oversight, they moved north.

While they would love to make swordplay their full-time gig, they haven’t yet built the guild to that point. So Beard says they both have “muggle” jobs, in a nod to Harry Potter. Buonomo is an architect and project manager, while Beard teaches dance and is a stylist for Stitchfix, the online personal styling service.

What does her family think of her affection for historical weaponry? “They’re teens and are used to me being a nerd,” Beard says. “It doesn’t faze them. Their mother has purple hair. It’s just another thing Mom’s doing.”

Swords and Safety

While Beard and Beard work to teach new swordplay enthusiasts in Traverse City, their school in Texas continues to thrive. Two veterans of that scene are Lenore and Sam Keiser.

“In this group you have a lot of different walks of life,” says Lenore. She appreciates the fact the guild is approachable for everyone, without any sense of machismo. “Everybody is really cool and chill, very welcoming.”

Though they come from different backgrounds themselves, they’ve embraced HEMA. “I have a strong athletic background. Football and wrestling in high school, karate for 10 years, so the workout is nice,” says Sam.

“I’ve never done competitive sports,” says Lenore. “I have a dance background. With no athletic competition, it’s harder for me.”

One thing they do have in common: “We’re both big fantasy nerds,” Lenore says.

That’s a sentiment with which Beard concurs, but it’s about more than Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Dungeons and Dragons, and the Society for Creative Anachronism—though those all help fuel their fire.

For example, Beard and Buonomo regularly delve into the actual history of the weaponry. “We read books from the 1500s on,” Beard says. The surviving manuscripts and sources provide insight into how the weapons were actually used. Among the historical weapons masters whose work they emulate are German fencing masters Johannes Liechtenauer and Joachim Meyer and Gérard Thibault d’Anvers of Southern Netherlands (today’s Belgium).

The guild works with several different weapons, including the longsword, focused on the German Kunst des Fechtens (German school of fencing) tradition. You can try out the lightweight rapier, which can be used alone, with a dagger, or even with a cloak. There’s the classic sword and buckler, a small, round shield held by a handle or worn on the forearm, and the messer, a single-edged sword of the 15th and 16th century.

And don’t forget about the small but fearsome dagger, which Beard likens to swing dancing, albeit with knives. Last but not least, you can learn the ins and outs of ringen, or wrestling, which is the basis of all fighting. Brown says it teaches structure as well as opens up grappling techniques most often found in dagger, single-sword work, and longsword.

Wait, no maces, quarterstaffs or crossbows? While it’s called the Historical Weapons Guild, Beard and Buonomo don’t delve into every historical weapon. With good reason—some are just too dangerous.

“It has a long reach,” Beard says of the staff. Used properly, swinging it with your hips and body can generate a considerable amount of force, far more than can be done safely. “Quarterstaff is just about crushing stuff, [like] ‘I want to break your head.’ Safety is at the forefront of what we do.”

(Speaking of which, sparring is generally done with blunted weapons, just in case you were worried about ending up on the wrong side of a pointy sword!)

Stab Your Friends

How exactly do daggers, bucklers, and the rest fit into the modern world? The guild offers regular classes, though as the Traverse City location is just getting off the ground, it has only a couple students to start. In Austin, the story is different. There the guild has to cap class sizes at 14, with open sparring attracting up to 20 people. Different events in Austin involving other schools find as many as 40 or 50 people competing.

The Historical Weapons Guild also advertises Dagger Dates for “lovers, friends, or even frenemies” to meet at a Grand Traverse area park and get a one- or two-hour lesson in dagger fighting. (Sounds like a unique way to spend Valentine’s Day in 2024!)

And while Dale Carnegie probably didn’t have this exact scenario in mind, the Historical Weapons Guild is offering people an opportunity to make friends and influence people through mini-lessons in dagger, messer, and longsword at Right Brain Brewery. “Fight for Your Right to Party” will take place at the Traverse City brewery Nov. 17 from 5-9pm. Weapons will be provided and no partner is necessary, though couples and small groups are welcome; cost is $20.

“People can sign up for 15-minute mini lessons and get to know a weapon while safely stabbing their friends!” says Beard.

Learn more at historicalweaponsguild.com.