Classes at WMAW

We will update with more class descriptions as they become available. As you review the class roster and schedule, remember that most classes must be pre-registered and have attendance limits. Classes that are not Lectures & Presentations have a maximum attendance of 40 students, unless otherwise noted.

MEDIEVAL WEAPON ARTS

A Practical Approach to Fighting with the Spear

Loreen Mattis

Length:

90 min

Required Equipment:

6 – 8’ spear or staff, Protective equipment required for sparring with moderate/speed and intensity – mask, gorget, gloves, groin protection, and light body protection.

This course addresses the basics of fencing with the spear, in and out of armor, as described in the German fighting manuals. Learn to use the fülen to appropriately apply foundational winding and binding techniques.

This course is appropriate for the practitioner who is new to the German approach or the spear as a weapon in general, as well as the seasoned combatant looking for refinement in their technique.

Crossing in Punta di Spada and The Exchange of Thrusts – The True Art of Fiore.

Federico Malagutti

Length:

3 hours

Required Equipment:

Longsword, Padded Jacket, Mask, Protective gloves (e.g. sparring gloves

In this Seminar we are going to explore two Fiore plays, The Crossing in Punta di Spada and the Exchange of Thrusts, looking at them at first in a pure “By the Book” way, and then using them to expand our view of the two actions as archetypes of two specific concepts, adding options, variations of the same play, while learning in the meantime how to use the single play as a tool to read through the chaos of fighting.

Find Your Inner Animals: The Symbology of the Swordsman

Mark Lancaster, assisted by Luke Ireland

Length:

2 hours

Required Equipment:

Longsword, Mask, Gloves Jacket recommended

Lynx, Lion, Elephant and Tiger, the four animals that form the martial principles underpinning the Art of Fiore dei Liberi. In this class we will explore the nature of these principles and how they are brought together to Master the fight.

The Foundation of Swordplay is In Wrestling: Basic and Advanced Body Mechanics for Swordsmanship.

Petr Turya

Length:

3 hours

Required Equipment:

Longsword, Mask, Gloves

Part One: Ringen as the fundamentals for European sword fighting. Basic and advanced biomechanics, which reflects into longsword.

Here you will learn:

How to structure body position thanks to Ringen methodology.
How to find own perfect body position with and without weapon.
How to break the opponent’ss body structure.
Building own skill to control “die Wage“- center of gravity.
How to: Break arms, legs, throw.

We will apply these ideas through reconstructed moves from F. v. Auerswald (Arms locks and throws)

Part Two Renaissance longsword tradition by J. Meyer, P. H. Mair

The 16^th c longsword is a continuation of what came before, but provides us very detailed and crips instructions that both clarifies what came before and shows how the art was still evolving. In this class we will focus on how to master and develop cuts and their use in combat

How to flow though positions.
How to distinguish cut and slice.
Basic and advanced assault combinations. 1 to 3 strikes, 3 to 5 strikes.
Combination of Ablauffen (Running around) and various strikes.

From Messer to Dussack

Petr Turya

Length:

2 hours

Required Equipment:

Longsword, Mask, Gloves

Not sure what a messer is? Or a dussack? How one, popular in the late 15^th century, gives way to the other. This short intro into the tradition according to J. Leckuchner and J. Meyer begins with the six master cuts and shows the strikes and their defenses can create endless basic and advanced moves.

Halberd and Murder Axe: Polearm Combat of Master Peter Falkner

Christian Tobler

Length:

90 mins

Required Equipment:

Mask, gloves, armor if you have it! Some poleaxes should be available, but bring your own if possible.

Peter Falkner, writing in the 1490s, stresses the universality of polearm technique – his six techniques apply to halberd, battle axe, or “murder axe”. Falkner’s plays include three different covers, a couple of counter-techniques, and one very amusingly sneaky attack! They form a basic introduction to this powerful armoured form.

It’s Just a Sword

Mark Lancaster, assisted by Luke Ireland

Length:

2 hours

Required Equipment:

Longsword, Mask, Gloves, Jacket recommended

With Fiore we talk about una mane, due mano, stretto and largo but it is just a sword.

In this class we will look at using the Sword itself in different situations and if that should be one handed, two handed, half-swording or thrown!

Khevsur training methods and developing active Shield/Buckler use

Mike Cherba

Length:

2 hours

Required Equipment:

Buckler or Shield (round or otherwise, center grip of strapped), and a sword.

One key aspect of the Khevsur form of sword and shield/buckler is a highly active role for the pari (shield or buckler). In this workshop we will explore ways to train and develop active buckler and shield use via both modern methods and the traditional Khevsur “training puzzle” type drills. As might be expected, the same methods can be applied to other weapons combinations to good effect. We will walk through several drills we use in our training, as well as talk about how the Khevsur traditionally created and assigned these drills to fighters.

Lashkroba: Introduction to Georgian Sword and Buckler

Mike Cherba

Length:

2 hours

Required Equipment:

A straight or slightly curved single handed sword, messer, or sabre with a short guard or no guard, a round buckler.

We will be going over the basic principles of Lashkroba, (guards, cuts, footwork, etc) and then diving into some of the drills used by the Khevsur to develop their skills with this weapon combination. The style itself is known for linked sword and buckler actions and heavy cut focus. As well as level shifting and aggressive buckler use. Be prepared to USE your buckler very actively!

Long Shield and Sword Combat from ‘Gladiatoria’

Christian Tobler

Length:

3 hours

Required Equipment:

Mask, gloves, a steel arming sword. Long shield simulators will be provided.

The 1440’s fight book “Gladiatoria”, while primarily aimed at armoured combat, is also one of the finest sources for combat with the exotic ‘long shields’ that appear in numerous 15th century manuscripts. We will train the five techniques for the long shield and sword, each of which is supplied with a counter-technique. This is a truly elegant mini-system, so come prepared for a unique and fun experience!

Messerfechten of the Baumann’s Fechtbuch

Christian Tobler

Length:

2 hours

Required Equipment:

Mask, gloves, steel messer or arming sword.

The eight techniques for the Messer appearing in the Baumann’s compendium form a miniature treatise. Each begins with a cover before concluding with a relatively counterattack or grapple. Much like another short treatise on the Messer found in the Glasgow Fechtbuch, this suite of plays seems aimed at the fencer who “needs to learn some basic messer…quick!”

Poste di Spada, Tagli e Punte

Federico Malagutti

Length:

2 hours

Required Equipment:

Longsword, Padded Jacket, Mask, Protective gloves (e.g. sparring gloves)

In this class I’ll explain my view of what I call “the medieval system” by using the Poste and the various Blows as a tool to build up new actions, while not limiting ourselves to the plays described in the manual. We’ll start by going through some pre-made actions, to then move toward exploring new possibilities while helping the student to build up their own ideas. Equipment needed: Longsword, Padded Jacket, Mask, Protective gloves (e.g. sparring gloves)

The Sword is an Axe; But the Axe is a Sword

Greg Mele

Length:

3 hours

Required Equipment:

Poleaxe/Halberd (shorter is better, try not to go over six feet; we’ll have a few loaners), Longsword, Head, throat and heavy hand protection. Armoured helmets and gauntlets are preferred; if you have harness, wear it!

Armizare students often quote Fiore’s comment that the axe is ‘cruel, ponderous and mortal’, and the eight plays he illustrates – all based on the low crossing, two done without a weapon – to assume he little likes or emphasized the weapon in his art.

In this workshop, we’ll look at the actual text of the Getty Ms, both wherein Fiore addresses the use of the sword as an axe (showing he is familiar with swinging it by the blade in armoured combat), and his comparisons of the axe guards to those of the sword to show that he saw the weapon as a fully-integrated part of his system, and just how many fundamental/core actions there actually are before we ever get to that low-crossing and its plays.

Three Turns of the Sword

Greg Mele

Length:

2 hours

Required Equipment:

Mask, gloves, longsword

Fiore describes three turns of the body (stable, half and whole), and tells us the sword also makes three turns, yet he doesn’t describe them. The half and full turns are also alluded to in 16^th century fencing, with the half-turn a recurring term (and clearly detailed) right into the 17^th century. Can we elucidate what Fiore meant?

Using the idea that the turns of the body differentiate from steps by being tactical in nature, we will demonstrate a likely use of the three turns of the sword, and the plays – directly depicted by Fiore himself, that reinforce this idea, creating a tactical framework of how to work in the bind that will be familiar – and just a bit alien – to students of the German tradition as well.

The Thrust – The jewel of the art

Federico Malagutti

Length:

2 hours

Required Equipment:

FLEXIBLE AND SAFE Longsword, Padded Jacket, Mask, Protective gloves (e.g. sparring gloves)

In this seminar I’ll go through various methods to land the thrust, by focusing the attention on footwork, balance, proper execution, correct oppositions and ideal timings/distances to land this apparently simple action.

Training Games

Loreen Mattis

Length:

2 hours

Required Equipment:

Longsword, Protective equipment required for sparring with moderate/speed and intensity – mask, gorget, gloves, groin protection, and light body protection.

Learn enjoyable skill building games and activities which can be customized to fit a variety of needs in the HEMA student. This class specifically addresses broadening the techniques and building the confidence of students fitting into three categories: those prone to charging in, those who consistently back away from the fight rather than maintaining engagement, and those who feel they rely too heavily on a single “go to” technique. This course is geared toward working with the longsword, however, many of the activities can be adapted to the use of a variety of weapons.

RENAISSANCE/EARLY MODERN WEAPON ARTS

An Approximation to Polearms in Verdadera Destreza

Ton Puey

Length:

2 hours

Required Equipment:

Partisan, spear or staff, mask, gloves

Some of the Verdadera Destreza Authors were of the opinion that the system could be applied to “all weapons”. While this is an exaggeration on a practical level, it does make sense in the case of polearms, as we can considerer the intersecting lines that underly the theory of the system directly applicable to even these massive weapons. In this workshop we will look at the similarities and some of the differences between using the staff-weapon with the principles of the True Science to those of the sword.

A Century of Montante: UNA ESCUELA A LO LARGO DEL TIEMPO: BARBARÁN –FIGUEREDO

Ton Puey

Length:

2 hours

Required Equipment:

Montante or spadone; if you don’t have one, a 5 – 5.5’ staff is a better choice than a longsword. We will share and trade weapos as necessary.

The first text in which we find a description of the use of a true two-handed sword is that of Luís Barbarán, between 1526 and 1528. We can find the same techniques more than 100 years later in the most famous and complete text on the use of the Montante (probably a larger version of the weapon used by Barbarán) which is Diogo Gomes de Figueiredo’s Memorial Da Prattica do Montante. Same rules? Adaptations on them? In this workshop we will compare the descriptions and possible interpretations of them.

Figueiredo in Chains – The Rules of the Montante with an Iberian Flail

Puck Curtis and Eric Meyers

Length:

90 mins

Required Equipment:

Mask, 2-handed flail

The Iberian flail is a danger to everyone within 10 feet, including the wielder. (It is the fireball of two-handed weapons.) As a sibling to the montante it is a weapon of destruction that can control space but is different from the montante in some critical ways. Together the class will practice the rules of the montante with the flail, learn how to practice safely, and get a window into how dangerous, terrible, and effective this weapon can truly be in the hands of someone with skill.

Highland Broadsword and Targe

Jay Maas

Length:

2 hours

Required Equipment:

Scottish targe (preferred), large buckler or rotella, one-handed sword (broadsword, side-sword or arming sword), mask, jacket and gloves.

The broadsword and targe are the iconic weapons of the Highlanders. In this class we will explore their use as recorded by Thomas Page, McBane as well as in period artwork such as the Penicuik Sketches, demonstrating that there is a coherent, and consistent method of its use that can still be learned today.

Italian Dueling sword – Practical Italian Epee as a martial art

Eric Meyers and Puck Curtis

Length:

2 hours

Required Equipment:

Mask, jacket, smallsword or epee

The epee is derived from the dueling sword of the 19th century, and the last recorded duel with this weapon was in 1967! While these weapons could be very dangerous, the duels they were used in were typically fought to first blood, resulting in quick and light touches, especially to the arm. Nevertheless, fencers will recognize many techniques dating back several centuries earlier. In this class we will look at the Italian take on the dueling sword, and how it fits in the larger picture of Italian fencing theory.

Longsword vs Rapier

Devon Boorman

Length:

90 mins

Required Equipment:

longsword or rapier, mask, gloves

What an unlikely pair and what a challenging meet up. In this workshop you’ll learn how to maximize the strengths of both the longsword and rapier, and exploit the weaknesses, when these two come together in duelling. This workshop is useful not only for facing these disparate weapons but also explores how a thrust oriented fencer faces a cutting one and vice versa regardless of weapon.

Provocation and Tactical Control

Devon Boorman

Length:

3 hours

Required Equipment:

weapon of choice, mask, gloves

In this weapon-agnostic workshop you’ll learn how to see and provoke the ideal moments to both control and strike your opponent. We’ll explore the fundamentals of the seven provocations including:

Entering measure
Changing guards
Constraint
Earnest attack
Attacking the weapon hand
Feint
Attack to Miss

Bring light sparring gear and a longsword, sidesword, rapier, or whatever tool you’d like to work with.

Punta to Punto

Rob Rutherfoord

Length:

2 hours

Required Equipment:

Sidesword or rapier, mask, gloves.

In this class we will explore the idea of ‘il punto’ as described by the early 16th century, Italian author, Marco Docciolini. What is the balance between constrainment, freeing our weapon, and threatening the opponent? Docciolini will answer that question for us with one simple concept.

The Rapier: Guards in Motion

John O’Meara

Length:

2 hours

Required Equipment:

rapier kit

The art of the rapier is a linear one — mostly. Getting the point of the sword where you want it, when you want it, while maintaining a good, defensive guard, requires controlled, deliberate movement — the very essence of what Fabris calls “union of forces”. This class will be a new look at footwork and moving through the guards of Italian rapier. A good preparatory class for “Using the Measures”.

Space, Body Position and Movement in Francisco Lorenç De Rada ´S Destreza

Ton Puey

Length:

3 hours

Required Equipment:

Rapier, jacket, mask, gloves

In the pinnacle of the VD system in the famous treat rise of Francisco Lorenç de Rada “Nobleza de la Espada” we can see how body positions that where not mentioned before are described in great detail, as well as the movements necessary to perform the techniques that are performed with the sword, the sword and dagger and sword and buckler. In this workshop we are going to study these positions and space management.

Taking the Low Road (or ‘When They Go High You Go Low’) – An Exploration in Bolognese Leg Cutting

Davis Vader

Length:

90 mins

Required Equipment:

Sidesword (free of burs!), mask, knee protection recommended, fully-clothed legs required. Buckler, rotella, or parrying dagger.

This class will explore the mechanical and tactical considerations when choosing a cut to the leg over a more conventional head or arm cut, as well as the remedies against such blows as found in the Bolognese manuscripts. The majority of the class will be spent on the sword alone, but near the end will look at how adding a buckler, dagger, or rotella makes these moves more appealing.

Teaching Figgy’s Sword and Dagger

Eric Meyers and Puck Curtis

Length:

2 hours

Required Equipment:

Mask, jacket, one-handed sword, fencing dagger

Figueiredo provides 4 methods for the usage of sword and dagger. They’re contextual, they can feel somewhat limited, and one could be forgiven for not being sure where to take them next or how to apply these rules. How can we take these 4 methods and derive a full system? How can we teach this with martial context and develop these skills? In this class we will be working through Kaden Wang’s Provost at Arms examination lesson for sword and dagger and using that as a focus for finding the truth of Figueiredo’s sword and dagger style.

The True Principles of Combat

Rob Rutherfoord

Length:

2 hours

Required Equipment:

cut and thrust, single handed sword, mask, gloves.

In this class we will explore the single-sword of Heinrich von Gunterrodt (one of the owners of the oldest fencing treatise, I.33). We will see how he draws parallels between the sword and buckler system of his 14th century monks and the contemporary German rapier/sidesword of the late 16th c.

Two-Sword – From Forms to Combat

Devon Boorman

Length:

3 hours

Required Equipment:

two single-handed swords, mask, glove

Working from the core dual-wielding patterns of the Bolognese texts (with a little Godinho for good measure) you’ll learn how to defend, attack, control, enter, and exit while using two sideswords.

Using the Measures (All of Them)

John O’Meara

Length:

3 hours

Required Equipment:

rapier kit, or any weapon really

The most important aspect of fighting, with any weapon, is control of distance — and not just striking distance. We will be using the rapier to explore the use of all three measures (yes, three) in controlling the fight; but the principles are weapon-agnostic.

HAMA – HISTORICAL AFRICAN MARTIAL ARTS

Shotel: Abyssinian Sickle Sword

Da’mon Stith

Length:

2 hours

Required Equipment:

Shotel, shamshir and buckler, mask

The shotel is the iconic sickle sword of medieval Abyssinia. It features a double-edged often semicircular blade that could be used to slash like shamshir or hack and pierce like a sickle or hook. Its origins are shrouded in mystery but some trace its roots to the kingdom of Axum. While others refer to the elite troops of Emperor Amda Seyon the Bashar Shotel. This weapon was put to brutal use during the battle of Adwa against the invading Italian army. 19th-century explorers make reference to shotel being used to hook around shields. In this class, we will be exploring the use of the shotel in conjunction with gashaa (shield). We will be using a number of different sources in order to guide our reconstruction.

North African Stick and Sabre

Da’mon Stith

Length:

2 hours

Required Equipment:

Shotel, shamshir and buckler, mask

In 711 BCE a small group of Berbers crossed the Straits of Gibraltar and conquered the Iberian peninsula marking the start of Moorish cultural influence in Spain and Portugal. The Moors (a catch-all term used to refer to Muslims, especially from Africa that came to rule over Spain for seven centuries) brought with them their language, culture, love for literacy and mathematics as well as their unique way of fighting. In this course, we will explore fencing with stick and sword as practiced in the Maghreb (Northwest Africa). We will be drawing from historical sources such as the Mamluk Treatise Kitāb al-makhzūn jāmiʻ al-funūn (The treasure that combines all arts), and the living tradition of Al Matrag a form of stick fighting practiced in Algeria.

Machete Fencing in the African Diaspora

Da’mon Stith

Length:

2 hours

Required Equipment:

Shotel, shamshir and buckler, mask

In this course, we will focus on the basic principles of two styles of machete fencing found in the African Diaspora: Esgrima con machete a form of machete fencing that originates in Cauca a state located on the Pacific coast of Colombia in a region heavily populated by people of African descent whose ancestors fled into the region to escape slavery and built several free communities called palenques, and Tire Machet is a general term for machete fencing in Haiti. In this course we will explore the Avril family system, a unique style that places a greater emphasis on dynamic footwork, defensive movements as well blade binding.

CLOSE-QUARTERS COMBAT – WRESTLING, DAGGER, KNIFE

Italian Pugilato: From Ancient, Medieval and Renaissance Boxing to Contemporary Bare Knuckle Street Fighting Styles

Marco Quarta

Length:

3 hours

Required Equipment:

Mouth guard, towel, water-bottle

Boxing or striking is the companion to wrestling, a part of Mediterranean culture going back to the pancrase/pancration of Classical Greece and Rome. There is a notion that striking arts disappeared in the Middle Ages only to reemerge in the modern era, but this simply isn’t true! In this workshop you will learn how to follow the winding, two and a half millennium long path of pugilism in the Italian peninsula as well as the strikes, guards and tactics common throughout its evolution and many branches.

Italian Grappling – Capofitto, or the Art Flipping Heads to the Ground

Marco Quarta

Length:

90 mins

Required Equipment:

Mouth guard, towel, water-bottle

Throws and take-downs and the hallmark of standing-wrestling, or grappling, and have a long, or longer, a tradition in Italian martial arts than boxing. This energetic workshop will focus on a few of the core dynamic grapples of the Italian tradition. Do not attend if you are not comfortable with falling!

Motion, Local and Otherwise – Coordinating Physical Behavior Across the Dimension of Time

James Reilly

Length:

90 mins

Required Equipment:

Towel, water-bottle

Historically, Dancing has invariably been featured among several areas of medieval martial training. While wrestling, stone throwing, vaulting and leaping have direct and obvious applications in various combat environments, the application of medieval dance to martial contexts is a bit more subtle, but no less important. This class will look at ways of understanding dominant positioning and tactical decision making based on timing, proportion, cadence, dynamic emphasis, and swing. Specifically, how to capture instances of motion to work Indes and how to use medieval training methods to achieve this. The workshop will touch on wrestling and medieval dance to access timing and apply it back into our fencing so that we can apply core techniques when the timing is right.

Renaissance Wrestling – The Technical wrestling system of Fabian Von Auerswald

James Reilly

Length:

90 mins

Required Equipment:

Towel, water-bottle

This class will look at ways of understanding dominant positioning, tactical decision making, explore the dimension of time, how to capture instances of motion to work within, and how to coordinate instances of movement across space and time. Students are encouraged to wear wrestling jackets suitable for historical jacketed wrestling. These include HEMAWear and Spes brand wrestling jackets. No jacket is required for the class.

Per La Vita: Abrazare isn’t just Wrestling

Luke Ireland, assisted by Mark Lancaster

Length:

90 mins

Required Equipment:

All Optional: Abrazare/Ringen jacket, MMA/Grappling gloves, Headguard

Mouthpiece, Focus Pads

Fiore tells us in his introduction that there are two types of Abrazare, for fun and for your life, and that he wishes to address the latter. In this class we will explore what he may have meant by that term.

The Old Grab n Stab

Luke Ireland, assisted by Mark Lancaster

Length:

90 mins

Required Equipment:

Mask, Training Dagger (Wooden/Synthetic), Old unwanted T shirt, Jacket recommended

Fiore’s 5th Master is the outlier within his 9 Masters of Dagger. Not only because it deals with an attacker who has grabbed you, but also in that it requires you to apply plays from several of the other 8 Masters, and the dagger may or may not be in play.

During this class we will look at how you ended up in this position, which play you should use and why.

LECTURES

The Acute Application of Aristotle in La Verdadera Destreza

Lois Spangler

Length:

90 mins

Anyone with a passing familiarity with La Verdadera Destreza knows that it claims to rely on mathematics and science. But what does that actually mean? We’ll briefly examine the nature of higher education in the 16th century and its relationship to Aristotle, then survey how first principles were applied to fencing by Carranza and subsequent authors for the purpose of elevating and maintaining swordplay as a science. While this lecture focuses on Destreza, Aristotelian thinking present in western European higher education also surfaces in treatises outside of Iberia, so this lecture may also be of use to those who study those styles.

Curriculum Development

Devon Boorman

Length:

90 mins

How do you create a program that facilitates the development of proficient practitioners, transmits an authentic art, and keeps people engaged in their own development? In this lecture Devon Boorman, Master Instructor at Academie Duello, will bring participants through the process of curriculum design and give them a window into the system that has been developed at Academie Duello over the past 18 years.

Topics that will be explored include:

How to breakdown your system into a syllabus
Teaching approaches and models
Developing progressive curriculum, and how/when to use leveled approaches
Learning objectives, course outlines, and class plans – where and how to use them
How to work with a team of teachers
Models for refinement and improvement of curriculum over time

Academie Duello has a 5-level program that extends from initiate to master, a multi-year curriculum plan, a team of as many as 30 instructors, and over 250 active members in its mastery program. It began as two people teaching in a public square.

Georgia and Khevsurs

Mike Cherba

Length:

90 mins

Deep in the Caucasus mountains of the Republic of Georgia, there was a place where people still wore mail armour and fought with swords and bucklers well into the 20th Century. This wasn’t a theme park or living history experience, but the region of Khevsureti. This presentation will provide an overview of the history of Georgia, the Khevsur tribes, and the conditions that allowed them to become warriors feared throughout the region and maintain their sword and buckler tradition well into the modern era. We’ll also talk about the efforts that have taken place since the dissolution of the Soviet Union to preserve and reconstruct as much of the tradition as possible.

Maximilian I and the Kunst des Fechtens

Christian Tobler

Length:

90 mins

The Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I is well-known to historians for his enthusiasm for arms and armor…and his self-promotional literary creations. Much less known is how these memorial works reveal his interest in, and connections to, the fight book tradition. This presentation examines the emperor and his oeuvre, with a focus on his own training, as presented in his thinly veiled heroic biographical works.

No True Scotsman: The Truth About What’s Under the Kilt of Highland Broadsword

Jay Maas

Length:

1 hour

Highland broadsword is without doubt one of the most romanticized branches of historical fencing. Was there truly uniquely “British” fencing? If so, is there truly a uniquely Scots, let-alone, Highland style that was part of a larger, indigenous fighting tradition? Some of the answers may surprise you!

This will be a brief talk and discussion about the swordsmanship indigenous to the British Isles and its connection to continental fencing in the 18th and 19th centuries.