Godalming Group
Godalming students started new teaching blocks this week with Luke beginning his lessons on sidesword, looking at the work of Henry de Sainct Didier. Meanwhile Apollon started his block on single rapier by looking at some Capo Ferro. Lynette and April took beginners through their first steps in the foundation of swordplay.
At the end of each training block we have a night of freeplay. Tonight, it was Godalming’s turn. We also held gradings where three beginners graduated to full membership. Congratulations to Jonathan, Jeremy and Michael who rise from the rank of candidati to Studenti
In tonight’s smallsword group we again practiced Angelo’s salute, then revised the Volte and Demi-Volte which we covered last week. We then held a King of the Hill tournament where each fencer started with 5 ’lives’. If you were hit you lost a life, if you hit your opponent you stayed on, if both fencers were hit in the same tempo both lost a life and a new pair took to the piste. When you lost all your lives you were out of the game.
Feedback from the fencers indicated that this idea of loosing lives made them more defensive in their approach. We also learned that judging smallsword is very difficult! Apollon came out the winner with one life remaining, beating Phil in the final head to head. Leigh came an honourable third. We ended the session with a period of Freeplay.
Another busy night at our Godalming chapter with multiple streams for students to choose from. In our Sword and Buckler group tonight we looked at the 15th and 11th falso on falso plays from Chapter 3 of Manciolino. Whilst in tonight’s smallsword group,we revised Angelo’s salute, practiced thrusting in carte and tierce at a fixed target and worked on Angelo’s feints, ending with a session of Freeplay.
Enrolment is now open for our next beginners’ intake in Godalming, Surrey starting 10 May. These spaces usually go fast so don’t delay
The beginners course includes:
Students from our Godalming chapter met up in a local park this weekend to engage in a little freeplay. These sparring sessions are an ideal way to get some weekend exercise as well as practise techniques learnt in class.
In tonight’s smallsword group at our Godalming Chapter we revised Angelo’s salute and worked on Angelo’s ‘Method of Thrusting and ParryingTierce and Carte, Called Thrusting at the Wall’. Meanwhile the sword and buckler class today was starting to look at some strette plays (when sword are crossed at halfsword etc) – and using it as a way of identifying correct distance in fights.
Tonight at our Godalming Chapter,the smallsword group revised week 1 – drawing the sword, stance, footwork, and the guard and thrust to the inside line in carte. They then moved on to Angelo’s salute, which proved popular, and the thrust in tierce to the outside line and the parade (parry) and riposte to this attack. They also worked on the feather parade, which is a means of pushing your opponent’s point off line or even possibly disarming them by pressing and sliding your sword against and down their blade.
Two School of the Sword instructors headed to Wales this weekend to teach at Gathering of Wolves. Fran ran a workshop is entitled “The Right Place at the Right Time”, while Emilia had a great time teaching tomahawk and bowie knife with around 40 participants!
