Working on this Fighter of the Month series for over two years now, I definitely felt I needed to give a shout out to Shoshana Shellans. I have had only a few opportunities seeing her fight in person at national events, but can say from those few encounters she is a wonderful fighter and I love watching her duels – her mobility is top notch. And I must also give compliments to her sword work as well. Much like Julee whom I shared back in March, Shoshana shares her passion for steel fighting in the documentary Steel Song which follows women fighters in the steel fighting community.
CREDIT: MICAH NELSON
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TRAINING FOR ARMORED COMBAT?
Almost 5 years.
DO YOU HAVE ANY BACKGROUND EXPERIENCE IN MARTIAL ARTS OR OTHER SPORTS?
I was a competitive swimmer starting at a very young age through to the end of high school. I also dappled in cross country, track, and lacrosse. My martial arts experience is very limited, but I also have done a little karate, judo and jiu jitsu.
HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT ARMORED COMBAT AND WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO JOIN?
I was first exposed to armored combat in 2016, when a friend from my boffer-fighting group competed on Team USA in Portugal for the IMCF World Championships! We all gathered in someone’s living room and watched Cohle Fowler stride the list on the live stream. I then saw an armored combat demo in Heavener, OK, the following year; I admired the activity but had no interest in joining due to a strong sense of self-preservation. Very soon after this, my friend Anna from boffer practice asked if I’d attend a longsword class with her locally; a gym called Ironside Medieval Combat recently opened. I went with her to the free class they offered in May of 2017 and met Nick Sumpter and Janeal Ironside, who both had also competed in Portugal and earned world champion titles in their events. By July, I competed in my first tournament wearing loaner gear. After that day I knew I was in the right place.
DO YOU REMEMBER HOW YOU FELT IN YOUR FIRST FIGHT? CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE EXPERIENCE?
I do! My first tournament was Duels Day, SoCal, July of 2017. I met Mark Sanders that day, who patiently squired me into the kit that was lovingly pieced together by my coaches (we managed to use Nick’s arms as my legs, and other creative solutions). I felt a little claustrophobic in the klappvisor I was borrowing, and I moved like a poorly-articulated action figure. My first match was sword and shield against Brad Blackmon, and it was also his first competition. I was pumped with adrenaline, and had to focus my entire being on just swinging the sword, but the realization that I was safe in armor was extremely important. Also, I smelled ozone from a spark Brad made off my helmet and that caused a specific kind of excitement I’d never felt before. I can’t really explain it. After the match ended, I couldn’t stop smiling for the rest of the weekend. I had a potent drive to be good at this sport, and immediately started ordering custom armor from Kyle Harris, who made the armor on other fighters at the event that I liked best.
WHAT IS YOUR PREFERRED WEAPON? DO YOU HAVE A PARTICULAR FAVORITE?
My preferred weapon, and the weapon I’ve emphasized since the beginning of my armored combat journey, is the arming sword. This sword is specific to the one-handed dueling categories and is used by duelists who wear European armor (as opposed to Mongol/Rus etc.) My current favorite arming sword is “Lit”, a 1.34 kg Tylko arming sword with a wide fuller. My favorite overall was “Gift”, by a maker unknown to me, who broke in 2020. Re-Gift was forged by a friend from the pieces but immediately broke again during its first practice.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE SOME POSITIVE ASPECTS THAT COME FROM THE SPORT?
In armored combat many people find community, purpose, and motivation to improve in ways that extend beyond just performance in the sport. People who have never left the country before often do so thanks to opportunities in armored combat. This sport provides a way to marry sheer physicality with something more romantic; I find great satisfaction in having the right to call myself a real swordfighter.
WHAT IS YOUR FIGHTING STYLE – IF YOU HAVE ONE?
I’ll speak for the duels first: most other fighters have described me as both a “technical” and “mobile” fighter. I conserve energy by executing movements as efficiently and precisely as I’m capable, and I emphasize mobility in order to maintain advantageous angles for these techniques during the duel. In team fights, I jokingly call my style “sheepdogging” which is kind of self-explanatory.
DO YOU THINK FIGHTING CHANGES WHO YOU ARE AS A PERSON? HOW HAS IT AFFECTED YOU PERSONALLY?
I’ve gained very good friends in the community. The sport, like a good significant other, makes me want to be a better person. I’m more fit, more disciplined, and happier since I found armored combat and I’m inspired to introduce it to those out there who can benefit from it like I have.
WHAT WOULD YOUR ADVICE BE FOR NEW PEOPLE INTERESTED IN THE SPORT?
My advice would be to keep it simple: find your local team by asking around on armored combat pages, show up to practice, and meet everyone! The rest will sort itself out.
WHAT DO YOU LOOK FORWARD TO FOR THE FUTURE OF ARMORED COMBAT SPORTS?
I look forward to the sport gaining popularity and funding so that we all can continue improving and doing what we love.
ANY FINAL WORDS YOU WANTED TO MENTION?
You can get as much or as little as you want from this amazing sport, don’t be shy about getting involved. You don’t even have to be a fighter to be a part of this community, we value our support and staff just as highly (if not more).
Follow Shoshana on her Instagram and view the documentary Steel Song which she is featured in.
