Longswords to clash at Salem tournament

A lone fighter steps into the ring, turning to face nine opponents. They raise a steel longsword, preparing to battle each in quick succession. To win each duel, the fighter will either have to strike true with their sword, wrestle the opponent to the ground or force them out of the ring.

It’s not a scene from a medieval movie. It’s “the gauntlet,” part of Salem’s first longsword tournament, which will be held this Saturday, April 26. 

Over 30 competitors will come, hailing from all over the Pacific Northwest, fighting for prizes that include training swords, books and a custom knife from a Seattle-based designer. The tournament will be all day, from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. It’s free to attend as a spectator and will be at Iron Phoenix Athletics, 4240 25th Ave. N.E. STE A.

It’s organized by Moses Jones, who founded Seize The Vor in Salem in 2023 to teach medieval combat as a martial-arts style group class. It’s the only Historical European Martial Arts, or HEMA, club in Salem. There are groups in Portland, Corvallis and Eugene who will come for Saturday’s tournament.

The style is based on the teachings of Johannes Liechtenauer, a German fencing master who lived in the 14th or 15th century. The fighting is a blend of fencing and wrestling.

Saturday’s tournament will take a “boutique approach” with the quick gauntlets to accommodate for the smaller than typical venue, Jones said. 

“They have to fight all nine people, so one then the next, then the next, then the next,” Jones said. “Then they move to the back and the second person has to fight all nine people, and they just keep cycling until everybody has fought 18 fights.”

The competition swords weigh as much as a real sword, about 3 to 4 pounds, but aren’t sharp. They’re designed to flex and minimize damage. Competitors are also required to wear force-resistant gear, which look like thick pants and jackets, heavy gloves and fencing-like helmets.

“It can still be painful if you hit the right spot, but usually it’s minor bruises,” Jones said.

Strikes to the hands or legs are one point, and to the head or body are three points. Extra points can be earned for landing a hit while simultaneously pushing their opponent’s blade away, called a “control” hit.

“What we’re trying to do is really showcase the art as it’s written in the 1450s,” Jones said.

The top three competitors in each pool will move on to the next round, which will determine who moves onto the finals. 

Jones is especially excited about the “green pool,” the smallest group of just four fighters. They’re Jones’ students who are under age 17, who will compete in their own bracket. 

“I’m just super, super proud of my kids,” Jones said. “A lot of them worked to get their gear so that they could do this, and really put in a lot of time and effort.”

Jones also hopes to build community with the tournament. In addition to winning prizes, competitors will get to award a patch to their favorite opponent of the day. After the excitement, there will be a pub quiz at the nearby Xicha Brewing North Salem Taproom starting at 5 p.m. Anyone is welcome, but the quiz will have very niche questions about translations of 14th and 15th century fighting manuals.

Historical European Martial Arts is growing as a worldwide sport, and Jones’ son will be traveling to Poland this summer to train for several months.

He’s starting to see more of the sport’s techniques used in movies, too, but Jones’ favorite fight scene is still from 1987’s “The Princess Bride,” set about a century in the future from what Jones teaches.

“It’s still pretty niche, but it’s growing,” Jones said of the sport. “It’s really been cool to see.”

Jones hopes Saturday will be the first Salem tournament of many.

See Saturday’s tournament schedule below. The gray pool is non-competitive fights between judges and directors, the in-between pool is the main competition and the green rounds are the youth competitors.

CLARIFICATION: A previous version of this story said the event will be at Krav Maga Salem. It will be at Iron Phoenix Athletics, which also hosts Krav Maga Salem as the building’s owner.

Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251.

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