I wander onto a grassy field in central Illinois on a warm October morning. A thick leather roman-style armor protects my torso, while baggy grey Hakama pants hide my legs . I hold a 7 foot spear in my hands as I line up with my fellow warriors.
"Lay On!!" booms a voice over a loudspeaker. We rush into battle with a savage cry. Shields and swords crash together, an arrow flies by my head, narrowly missing my face. Defended by a shieldman, I stab quickly for an opponent's leg. He crashes to the ground, wounded. I turn and ram the weapon into another warrior's torso, before an opposing shieldman rams into me and slashes my chest with his sword. I fall to the ground, dead.
Minutes pass, as both sides take heavy casualties. Eventually the field falls silent.
"Reset!!" calls the voice. I stand back up, return to my team, and prepare for round two.
Welcome to Belegarth.
Belegarth Medieval Combat is a free-to-play sport that is enjoyed throughout North America by thousands of participants. Often confused with a LARP (Live-Action Roleplay), Belegarth is a full-contact combat sport that does not involve any roleplaying, magic, dungeons, or dragons.
This is all about getting outside, being active and fighting one another in a competitive sport.
The sport uses foam-padded weapons for safety, and allows for full-force strikes and stabs to any area of the body except for the head and neck. It also allows for shield bashing, shield kicking, grappling, and other aggressive tactics.
Belegarth groups typically run 1-2 practices per week at various indoor and outdoor locations across North America. These practices can attract anywhere from 5 to 50+ participants depending on the realm.
Larger multi-day camping events are run through the summer months and may attract thousands of participants, and include massive field fights, as well as a great party atmosphere and night life.
Want to learn more? Click here for the Belegarth website or ask me anything in the comments below!
I'm in my 9th year of participating in this amazing sport and have loved every minute of it.
Thanks for reading,
-Matt