It is amazing to see how our community has grown since its creation, and the amount of new fighters who join and share their enthusiasm for knight fighting is always exciting. For this month, a fighter who has been in the community for less than a year was nominated for his passion and dedication to training and has always lived the fighting life. His name is Michael De Bruyn.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TRAINING FOR ARMORED COMBAT?
I have been training for armored combat for about seven months. However, I had been doing quite a bit of training with soft kit and training weapons before that.
DO YOU HAVE ANY BACKGROUND EXPERIENCE IN MARTIAL ARTS OR OTHER SPORTS?
I have been a fighter ever since I can remember, it’s just what I do. I grew up doing TaeKwonDo and MMA in Blue Island, IL. I was decently successful at this, having won many first and second place medals at the national and international levels within the AAU. Additionall, I participated in the junior olympics multiple times when I was young, bringing home many wins in TaeKwonDo.
HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT ARMORED COMBAT AND WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO JOIN?
Once I saw the Knight Fight TV show, I went down a rabbit hole on YouTube. Seeing so many amazing fighters on video really made me want to get involved. I have a strong passion for history and fighting and I figured with this I can do both and have a great time doing it. For years I was looking for a way to get back into some fights and once I found out there was a team nearby, that sealed the deal for me.
DO YOU REMEMBER HOW YOU FELT IN YOUR FIRST FIGHT? CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE EXPERIENCE?
Adrenaline. I really did not feel much except being excited and listening to my heart beat out of my chest. The first time I fought in kit was an experience I will never forget. It is an amazing experience that every fighter should try. There is just something extra special about mixing yourself up in steel and sweat. As someone who loves medieval history, it was just cool to be a knight. The best way to describe it is just plain cool.
WHAT IS YOUR PREFERED WEAPON? DO YOU HAVE A PARTICULAR FAVORITE?
I’m still pretty new and figuring out what I like best. While axes go bonk, there is something fun about wielding the humble buckler. Lately, I have been training a lot to get better at duels and have really fallen in love with sword and buckler. I’ve noticed that sword and buckler feels very nimble and I prefer to be light on my feet.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE SOME POSITIVE ASPECTS THAT COME FROM THE SPORT?
There is an incredible amount of incredible people that I have met in very little time from all over the nation. As someone who comes from a striking-heavy fighting background, it is really interesting to train with excellent grapplers and learn different styles. Fighting with a sword is much different than fighting with your hands. It has been a joy to travel the country with my girlfriend and see new places. I look forward to traveling to The Knights Hall this summer for Rookie Rumble V and make even more friends on the way.
WHAT IS YOUR FIGHTING STYLE – IF YOU HAVE ONE?
As someone who comes from a strong Taekwondo background, I feel most comfortable being on my toes and throwing hard kicks. It seems like a lot of people forget about their legs because a weapon is in their hands. I’ll always be here to remind them to watch out for those hard kicks coming from below.
DO YOU THINK FIGHTING CHANGES WHO YOU ARE AS A PERSON? HOW HAS IT AFFECTED YOU PERSONALLY?
Fighting is who I am. To be honest, I have never known a life without fighting and I would not change it for the world. Fighting has taught me so many life lessons—most importantly discipline. My dad is someone who has always been in my corner for every fight, so fighting has always been a great way for me to bond with him and build a great father-son relationship.
WHAT WOULD YOUR ADVICE BE FOR NEW PEOPLE INTERESTED IN THE SPORT?
I would say the most important thing is dedication. I have heard of so many people not committing to the sport because they weren’t willing to drive an hour, and frankly, they are missing out. Find a team close to you and reach out like I did. Always communicate and be willing to put in the time. If you treat the sport with respect and patience the reward is ten times greater.
WHAT DO YOU LOOK FORWARD TO FOR THE FUTURE OF ARMORED COMBAT SPORTS?
In the immediate future I am looking forward to just fighting in more tournaments and gaining experience. I know I am dedicated and will always work harder than the next guy. Who knows? Maybe one year I will be at a big event like Battle of the Nations representing the USA. In the long term, I would love to see this sport grow and maybe be mainstream one day.
ANY FINAL WORDS YOU WANTED TO MENTION?
I would just want to thank everyone who has gotten me this far. If you asked me a couple years ago if I would be traveling the country to bonk people with axes I would have called you nuts. I hope to keep working with the Chicagoland Hydras, grow to become the best fighter I can be, and continue to meet new people.
