Sparring Saviolo
…or at least that was the intention. Some of it looks like the treatise, some of it… not.
Note to self, when blocking with the off hand, be sure the thrust you’re blocking is actually a thrust and not a cut…
HEMA
Let the Saviolo flow
This week’s session finished with our first attempt at a Saviolo flow drill that didn’t always,er, flow.
Intended to bed in the techniques from Saviolo’s rapier/sidesword treatise, the continuous flow of counters proved tricky to keep up. In this case, instead of keeping moving at a counter-attacking measure, everyone kept closing in to grappling range (after Fiore), which isn’t necessarily wrong, just not the exercise we aimed for. …
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Newcomers hands on with sidesword
Our current Saviolo sidesword block continues as we get to grips with close measure cut and thrust with off hand parries.
And as we try to get everyone on the same page, we have two new members this session taking a remarkably mature approach to class and a first sparring experience.
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Saviolo side sword for All Hallows
We resume Thurs October 31st with a further block of Saviolo side sword/rapier for the 8-week run up to Christmas. If you’ve never tried historical swordplay before, this is an excellent opportunity for beginners and practitioners alike. …
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Blocks, locks and a few smoking disarms
We’re winding up the current half term session of Fiore dagger. Last night we played a game we’ve named Dagger Defender, based on something we borrowed from the Italians: one defender, three assailants, two daggers and a Fiore response to a surprise attack. …
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Hands on – Hanwei Federschwert
The cheapest (practical) entry-level feder I know of in the UK, we picked up a pair of these about three years ago when we finally made the move from nylon wasters to steel.
There’s no question, the feel of steel over polypropylene makes a world of difference to your technique – steel doesn’t bounce or slide, it binds. Admittedly blunt feders behave far differently to a sharp, but that is still a world better than a poorly balanced nylon plank. …
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Hands On – Kingston Arms Club Sport Federschwert
The Kingston Arms Club Sport Feder is pitched as an affordable (i.e. ‘entry-level’) weapon for clubs, beginners and “even seasoned practitioners”. It fits the bill for a reasonably light, quick, safe sparring sword for HEMA longsword sparring at an entry-level price. …
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New term, new home
Our first session completed last night in our new venue at Okehampton College where there’s enough room to swing not one longsword but several. …
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A new venue for September 2019
At long last we are moving into our new venue from Thursday September 5th – Okehampton College Gymnasium. Directions can be found below.
We revert to our usual time of 8-9.30pm. …
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