pratice fighting

i have been watching videos of battles and it looks like nearly everyone fights sword and board we need to practice against if going to large battles

If you want to be able to fight against sword and board, the best thing is to practice with a sword and shield. That way you can learn it's strengths and weaknesses. Aodhfin can teach you a bit about it, but he doesn't have the same benefit of experience some others might have. I guess the only thing to really do would be to go to events and spar with a bunch of people, ask them for tips and work with them a bit. It creates good ties to other realms as well as increases your own skill.