Meet Scott Ferguson of Swords of Chivalry

Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Ferguson.

Scott, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
No one ever found me when I was little and put a sword in my hand, and when I found a sword, no one taught me how to use it safely as a child.

As an adult, those two things are my mission. I have spent my whole adult life learning how to use swords safely, and five years ago I opened Swords of Chivalry to teach children how to do so as well.

I was at a role-playing game just after college and we were wrapping up, when one of my friends said, “Alright, it’s time for me to go to swords class.” I was immediately interested, and asked if I could come. “If you’re serious, then yes,” he said.

I was serious. Shortly thereafter, I helped found the Kunstbruder Fechtschule, in Medford MA, and was the assistant director until 2010 when I passed that title on to someone else, and became the Chief Youth Director. Eventually, in 2012, I left Kunstbruder to found Swords of Chivalry as an exclusively youth program in Acton, MA.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Swords of Chivalry is a very small program. I love children, and I love swords, but I have no skill with marketing.

One interesting detail: when the children themselves find me, I get slightly more girls than boys. When parents find me, I get only boys. It is a difficult balance, marketing something that parents think is just for boys in such a way that I can get an even mix of genders.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Swords of Chivalry – what should we know?
Swords of Chivalry is a martial arts program, focusing on the Lichtenauer tradition of medieval German swordsmanship.

The children I work with frequently don’t have other sources of exercise that they enjoy, and so this is their physical outlet. I try to live up to that: we start every class with running, and we punctuate our sparring with body weight strength training, such as push-ups and crunches.

One of the things that I try to teach along with the swordsmanship is the Chivalry which accompanied it throughout the ages. I have held etiquette dinners and poetry days, I have brought my students horseback riding and dancing, and I model humility in my leadership during class.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Love. I love swords, and I love children, and my students know how much I love them… especially when they’re whacking me up the side of my fencing mask with a foam sword.

Pricing:

• First class is free
• Mention this article, and your first month is only $49.

Contact Info:

• Address: 380 Massachusetts Avenue,
  Acton, MA 01720
• Website: www.swordsofchivalry.com
• Phone: 978-393-1134
• Email: scott@swordsofchivalry.com
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/swords-of-chivalry-acton

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