fighting..

I roleplay but fighting is to hard to understand can some one tell me how to fight with a sword?

There are many combat systems in SL. It depends on what role play you get involved in to determine what system-enabled sword you choose to use.
The well-known systems are DCS, CCS and Spellfire. Each have their own websites that usually list the current locations and role plays that are using their systems.

You can check out some battle-enabled swords on this website(a $50L Sword)
DCS: https://uncensored.xstreetsl.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=1607277

SPELL FIRE: (a $1L sword)
https://uncensored.xstreetsl.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=1617504
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Toxian City uses DCS http://slurl.com/secondlife/Toxia/250/106/19

Land of Aryador uses Spell Fire http://slurl.com/secondlife/Taure%20Ru/143/169/1311

Well, fighting is a great way do unterstand avatar movements in a way, no "normal" resident will be able to move in SL.

Howver, fighting depends on the combat meter you use. That is a scripted device, that counts the hits you did .. and took.

General hints: learn to move in mouselook, try to move not only with the arrow keys but also with WASD, find out, if your sword swings on pressed mousbutton or other movements ...

Generally: you will have to loose 100 fights to win one and you will have to lose 1000 fights before you can fight for a champion title. Fight and watch fights to learn about swinging you sword and to move and also try to learn about strategy and tactics.
This learning process might last, but i can be great fun and teach you a lot about SL.

I suggest, you find a sim where they teach you.
Some sims will enjoy to catch you, kill you and keep you as a slave or so and you have to learn the hard way.
Other sims will accept you as a new fighters and offer times to learn everything. Don't give up quickly, cause the more they see that you are motivated, there will be better teachers that also tell the secrets of fighting.

There are some great fighting teachers all over SL, unfortunately they often change their sims so go and get to know some of them and find friends that show you the use of your sword.

Or just say screw it, pull your trusty revolver and shoot the @#@$$#%$@#.

The OP is asking about second life, not real life!

Your sword can't be a decorative sword, it has to be one that is scripted for combat.

Assuming you have a sword, you have to wear it.

It ought to come with some instructions, even if they are minimal, to tell you how to draw the sword and whether there are special movements scripted into it.

Usually you say "/1 draw" or "/1 draw sword" or "draw sword" and the sword is in your hand.

Drawing the sword may put you into Mouselook. If it doesn't, you need to do it yourself by choosing from the menu bar View > Mouselook (I think that's right - I can't get inworld right now).

You have to get used to being in mouselook if you want to be a good sword fighter.

You move using the mouse and you strike by clicking on your opponent.

You can probably find a practice arena or practice dummy on the sim where you roleplay (if they use swords) or you can find a sparring partner.

If you are in a place where meters are used, your meter will register when you are hit. Your opponent's meter will register your hits against him or her. This is because the meter and the weapon are scripted to talk to each other.

Combat doesn't make much sense without a meter anyway.

Oh, and BEFORE you buy a weapon, make sure that it is allowed in your roleplay community. Some places only allow certain types of sword; some roles can only carry certain types of weapon. I once bought an expensive pair of guns that I never got to use for that reason.

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Many SL swords use a system where you hold the mouse button down and the sword swings whenever you press the arrow keys to move your av

I have to say I hate that system, and much prefer the sword swing to occur when you press the mouse as I like to be able to controll my movement independantly from the sword strike.

That's right. in SL you pull your chain gun.

That's what Help Island Public is for

In SL I drop anvils on people.

awaits for the picture of a squashed ferret under an anvil

best way to learn is to go to a combat sim and obtain help from an experienced player, I have recently joined sparta and had a little tuition from an experienced fighter, and got some very useful tips, easier to learn when you are actually there. each sim will have its own rules for combat too. If you get into rp it can be great fun.

I love the anvil dropper too

What do you make of this caution about DCS third party sellers:

http://www.dcs2.org/support/index.php?act=article&code=view&id=6

I was going to buy some very nice looking weapons, and I don't really have an intention to try out combat - but I might change my mind someday...
- and if I do, I don't want my past choices to have ripped me off.

So far the only Sim I've been to that uses combat seems to use Combat Evolution:
http://www.combatevolution.com/
- And its not even one of the ones listed on their site.
(The Sim is Catfight City... and yes, it is adult content at times. When I've seen the combat matches though, I've found it rather boring. But I still don't want to jump in with the wrong choices on something I -might- later partake in.)

I visited the main DCS Sim, where DCS itself is sold, and even got the 75L starter kit (75L was cheap enough to throw at something just to see what the menus looked like), but found none of the weapons sold there viable for any look I've dressed for.