Every year there is a medieval style combat tournament that takes place in a castle in Europe; that means swords, full body armor, and shields. This past year we followed the American team to the event to get a sense of how intense the competition is. We saw major injuries, the kind of patriotic pride you see in the Olympics, and sparks fly literally.

WATCH NEXT: Throwing Hammers with 3x Olympian Amber Campbell http://bit.ly/2e2lflQ

Subscribe to VICE Sports here: http://bit.ly/SubscribetoVICESports

Check out VICE Sports for more: http://www.vicesports.com

Follow VICE Sports here:
Facebook:   / vicesports  
Twitter:   / vicesports  
Instagram:   / vicesports  
More videos from the VICE network: https://www.fb.com/vicevideo