> Well, in the real world nobody took you seriously if you claimed to
be a swordmaster (a teacher that is) and were under thirty.
>
> It takes a minimum of 10 years intensive study to really learn
> swordplay, and the people who seriously train western swordsmanship
> these days* usually expect to be "deadlier" with their blade(s) at
the age of sixty than when thirty.
Not if you're talking about honest-to-gosh full speed full power fighting with a sword, as opposed to fencing, which is what I have to think you mean by "western" sword work.
And even in modern, western fencing if what you said was true, then the World and Olympic fencing championships would be dominated by old men and women, not folks in their college years and a bit beyond.
Now, there are exceptional cases out there that manage to hold their bodies together into their 50's, but humans get slower, weaker, less enduring and less resilient to injury as they age. As a 43 year old SCA heavy weapons fighter I can attest to that from personal experience.
The old dudes make great teachers and may well be able to confound the "journeyman" rank opponents, but in the real world it is almost impossible to maintain the highest levels of skill once you pass 45 or so.
And reality aside, it is the nature of the Hero to be young, brash and talented, able to upset the Ancient Master who in some cases was originally his teacher.
In essence, there is a war between these two things:
1 "Age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill."
2 "My knees hurt."
Mike, who smacked a lot of younger swordsmen in the head yesterday.
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