Alan Knowles who will be teaching medieval sword fighting techniques Picture Ref: 78692-23LORD of the Rings fans can learn to do battle like their hero Aragorn.

The course at New College, Swindon, is the first in the country to teach medieval sword fighting techniques based on ancient texts by medieval warriors although the organisers cannot guarantee an army of orcs to slay.

Course tutor Alan Knowles, who coaches the Swindon Fencing Club, will use the writings of the 14th century Italian fencing master Fiore Dei Librei and the 15th century German fencing masters Hans Talhoffer and Sigmund Ringetk.

Their fighting techniques have appeared on the big screen in films such as Lord Of The Rings, King Arthur and even Star Wars.

And Alan says the popularity of the films has created a surge of interest in medieval sword fighting, such as that practised by Aragorn, who was played by Viggo Morten-sen in Peter Jackson's Lord Of The Rings trilogy.

"People have become really interested in those fighting techniques after seeing those types of films," said Alan.

"I can tell by watching those films whose sword fighting technique they are using.

"In Lord Of The Rings Aragorn uses the technique based on the German system of Hans Talhoffer and Sigmund Ringetk.

"Whereas Orlando Bloom's character Legolas's fighting is more similar to the Italian system by Fiore Dei Librei.

"This flowing technique is also used in Star Wars where the characters have fights using lightsabres."

The sword fighting masters that inspired the course taught brutal killing techniques.

But Alan is keen to point out that this won't be the aim of the course.

Students will be decked out in full protective gear and will often use foam swords to practise their technique.

And he says there is a lot more to sword fighting than just combat techniques.

"For me, it's about learning how your body works.

"Sword fighting is also a great cardiovascular workout and can be quite demanding on the legs, hips and shoulders.

"The best thing though is that this is an opportunity to do something really different.

"You will be learning techniques that were taught hundreds of years ago, and that is very exciting."

The course will be taught in three two-hour slots every Saturday for four weeks from October 1.

There will be space for 12 people in each two-hour slot and Alan has already had a good response.

For more information ring New College on 0808 172 1721.

Diana Milne