I have been into medieval sword fighting ever since I was a kid. I recently of gotten the urge to go out and learn something about sword fighting. I have been looking on the internet for videos, forums, etc. If anyone has good advice please feel free to pitch in.
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Getting interested in Sword Fighting. Need insight.
- Thread starter Nahtan45
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Take up kendo? I'm sure there are other weapon-based martial arts out there, but there's no substitute for firsthand experience, so I'd learn through local instruction as opposed to any YouTube videos or anything else on the net.
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In order to get into this type of sword fighting, you need to get into archaeology. Keep in mind, medieval European sword fighting is long dead and forgotten, it is coming from a period centuries before photographs where most of the population was illiterate or barely literate. What's left is found in modern fencing and a few people who try to piece together how it was done using what little recorded evidence there is on the subject. It's kind of like speaking Roman Latin or Ancient Egyptian, we can mostly translate what writings say, and can try to speak it, but barring time travel, we'll never be able to get the accent right.
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Visit a Ren Fair! (j/k) 
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As the other members have pointed out, kendo or other martial arts are a great source of experience. Even better if there's a HEMA-group, as they specifically deal in european swordfighting. "Modern" sport-fencing usually isn't a very good substitute, since it's a much faster and points-only oriented type of battle. The blades are very light, and if it where actual combat, it would kill BOTH participants 9 times out of 10. It only comes down to who hit that 1/100th of a second earlier. Good for reflex-training though.
If you don't have any clubs conveniently nearby, make some mock-up swords out of bound wood and go bashing your friends! It's great fun, but also very educational if you have a well-made replica and try to actually form strategies to learn from it. A good cross-guard is central to many longsword techniques, so definitely put in the effort of making that. Otherwise, just keep the weight and balance reasonably close and you'll have a great training-tool.
If you don't have any clubs conveniently nearby, make some mock-up swords out of bound wood and go bashing your friends! It's great fun, but also very educational if you have a well-made replica and try to actually form strategies to learn from it. A good cross-guard is central to many longsword techniques, so definitely put in the effort of making that. Otherwise, just keep the weight and balance reasonably close and you'll have a great training-tool.
Armadew
Reisloafer
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Here is a great place to start: http://hemaalliance.com/
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For anyone reading this in the future let me say: DO NOT Go with Kendo if you are interested in mideival sword fighting. They are not even close to the same styles. What works for European swords is not good practice for Japanese swords and vis versa. Look for a Western Martial Arts group like Cateran society or something like that if you want to use a European sword properly. I can not emphasise enough having spent years studying Kendo and having also done some broadsword training. They do NOT work the same way. 2 totally different skills.