The smell of the freshly cut grass as you walk onto the field never gets old. Your adrenaline is pumping as the other team huddles creating a game plan. Most girls don’t play so they’re out of bounds either cheering the teams on or snapping action shots to post all over Facebook. The teams line up, as the fear of losing an arm or a leg is just seconds away. 3…2…1…GO! The players run toward each other swinging their foam swords in violent fashions.

LARPING, live action role playing, is a sport that almost every person experiences as an 8-year-old; some of us, however, chose not to grow up and still play at 17. Although a little more violent, the same rules apply. If you get hit in the arm, you lose that arm for that round. One time I had to finish a round only playing with one arm and one leg. Finally, the last team standing wins the round.

Picking your weapon is as vital and complicated a decision process as that a high school girl might go through while deciding what to wear for a special event. The popular weapon of choice is by far the axe: a weapon that is capable of being thrown for a kill shot or being used as a close range combat weapon. The axe is surprisingly light and can hold its ground versus the heavier sword. There is also the long sword whose capabilities are stronger in close range due to the extra length advantage it has on the axe. William Wallace (of Braveheart fame) actually preferred the sword while in battle. The last weapon is one very rarely used while in battle. It is actually so rare that Colby Mann is the only player I have ever seen use it in battle. The weapon is the spring-loaded bow and arrow, capable of honing in on opponents from up to 25 feet away.

Once you’ve gone through this very excruciating and crucial process, you finally have your weapon. Next, be sure that you at least have 10 friends willing to be seen in public swinging a Nerf sword. Make sure you carefully pick who will be in this elite group because you don’t want those opponents who cheat or will win at any cost. Larping is a sport that requires some sense of decency. If you get an arm sliced off while in battle, you need to face the fact that you have no arm and follow the rules.

Finally, larping is supposed to be fun. Many times during our gaming, we take a break from big battles and challenge each other to duels. You should select a name to be announced by before a duel like in A Knight’s Tale, You’ll be announced, so choose your name wisely because you don’t want to be called something like Sir Muffin. Mine, for instance, is King of Chaos.

I recommend larping to any high school student. It’s really the only sport that literally makes you feel like a kid again. In this sport you can experience the thrill of cutting off someone’s arm without going to jail. So why not try it? It might just change your life.

Warning: This sport is not for the self-conscious or weasely.