It is usual to fight using more restricted target areas than in a real fight and with less speed and force, although some systems try to get as close to real combat as possible. Many societies try to reenact actual battles.
Some groups treating historical combat as a martial art do not fit the traditional definition of a reenactment group and are more similar to fencing clubs. An example is the SCA using rattan swords to avoid injury.
The principal aim of this sort of reenactment is to re-create historical battles or methods of combat. The variations range from the training of historical dueling practices (usually with an appropriate period sword.