Our instructor explained that we’d focus on the basic principles of footwork and winding with an emphasis on proper body mechanics and cutting alignment. While I had imagined donning a face mask and padded suit, I was instructed to simply take off my shoes and enter the studio in my gym shorts and a tank top. I signed up for a beginner's class called HEMA: Longsword at Sword Class NYC, which according to their website, focuses on the knightly martial art of the German longsword, developed by Johannes Liechtenauer, a 14th-century fencing master.

Not only did it seem like something that would exercise my body and my uncoordinated feet, but my mind, too. I've seen people in Central Park practicing with their swords and I always wondered what it would be like to give it a try. One quick Google search led me to a new option: sword fighting.