Due to illness and other commitments we were low on numbers tonight at Swindon. So our students got a special treat as we spend the lesson looking at the rapier as a weapon. We covered the guards, thrusts, finding the blade and the cavazzoni. Considering these were advanced concepts, the students did very well to pick up so much in such a small amount of time.
Another busy night at our Swindon chapter. Our newly graduated studente continued our work looking at active use of the buckler, as well as starting a look at proto-sports psychology with a look at the four humors.
It was a big night for our Swindon students tonight as they took and passed their safety tests.
After many weeks of hard work learning, Ross, Doug, Chris, Valentina, Jonathan & Darren have shown that they have understood the foundations of swordplay and are now ready to engage in a wider range of training as a Studente.
Congratulations to all of them.
Students had a busy night at our Swindon chapter tonight. We continued our work on active use of the buckler and did some final preparations before safety tests next week.
Swindon had a guest tonight when one of Oxford’s students came to join us in our exploration of all things buckler. Despite some very advanced work, there were good levels of concentration, with everyone showing marked improvement by the end of the session. A good session all round.
Tonight at our Swindon Chapter, our students looked at feints with footwork. A lot of good work, playing with measure and tricking our opponents. We also did some more prep work ahead of Safety Tests next month.
It was the second day of our Coming of Age event, celebrating the 21st anniversary of the School of the Sword. After a hearty breakfast, students jumped into a selection fo workshops taught by instructors from across School of the Sword’s four chapters.
Josh taught some Fabris Rapier & Dagger, Phil introduced students to dall’Agocchie sidesword, Fran ran a Sword& Dagger masterclass, Emilia tackled Longsword disarms, Adrian ran a workshop on introduction to single rapier, and Matt taught rapier and cloak. We then gave out a bunch of awards before leaving the afternoon for people to pack up their tents and engage in a little sparring.
Thank you to everyone who came. It seemed the event was a massive success and the perfect way to celebrate our 21st anniversary. Here’s to the next 21!
After a busy first day of workshops and sparring, what better way to unwind than a cruise down the Thames. Attendees from all four chapters at our Coming of Age event this weekend, boarded a boat and set sail for an evening of food, drink and conversation.
It was a jam-packed day of workshops on the first full day of our Coming of Age celebration event. Students from all four of our chapters gathered on the banks of the Thames to partake in a wide range of workshops put on by our instructors.
Lizzie gave an introduction to Spadone, Dan looked at Alfieri humors, Apollon gave a Rapier masterclass, Kirstian taught an introduction to Longsword, Adrian gave a masterclass on use of the buckler, Simon looked at Godhino’s Montante, Luis introduced us to grappling, and Mark gave a workshop on Agrippa. All were well attended with lots of happy students enjoying the perfect weather.
We ended the first day of workshops with Simon and Josh from our Reading Chapter completing the final piece of their Spadaccino grading. Spadaccino is the most senior rank in the school and as part of it, they have to engage in a number of fights including a weapon they’ve never used before which in their case were peasant flails. Congrats to both of them for a well deserved honour. which has required huge number of hours of dedicated training as well as written pieces.
This weekend sees our 21st Anniversary celebration with a range of workshops from instructors from all four of our chapters. However, before the weekend could begin, we needed to partake in a little light liquid refreshment as we made our way into the town of Marlow for some pub food and celebrate the first time that students from all four of our chapters have gathered together.
The food was excellent and the company was brilliant, setting us up for what promises to be an exemplary event weekend.
