The Ethics of Force

Featured Speaker:  John Crum, MKdF

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Panel members:  

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Tristan Zukowski, NYHFA

Kimberleigh Roseblade, Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts

Stuart Lacy, MKdF

Kiana Ritter, MKdF 

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This lecture and discussion focuses on the use of force in sport and self-defense contexts, as well as about power levels encountered in a sports setting.  ​The goals of this seminar are:

• A clear understanding of the power and injurious techniques in HEMA

• Greater knowledge of self-defense rights and skills for debriefing

• Greater communication between partners in sparring bouts

• Clearer study and understanding rulesets and safety guidelines

• A “back-off and study” approach to inflammatory events  

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The Book, The Sword, and The Wardrobe

Lecture:  Herbals 

Lecturer:  Angelita Singh

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You'll probably want a notebook and pen for this one. It's gonna be a little 'witch-doctor'-y, but I think anyone who takes it will get something out of it, even if you aren't into homeopathic remedies. I'll be talking about some herbs that you can grow for cooking, remedies, keeping pests away, etc. We'll also cover what you need to grow them, sunlight, and some issues that they they tend towards.

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Lecture:  Johannes Liechtenauer: Syllabus vs System​

Lecturer:  Michael Chidester

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Johannes Liechtenauer, grand master of the oldest known German fencing tradition, recorded his art in a 358-line poem called the Zettel. To unlock the secrets of this poem, we rely on the writings of his students and associates, as well as later masters in his tradition. This lecture consists of two parts.

The first will explore the different types of fencing manuals that have been preserved and what they contribute to our understanding of Liechtenauer’s tradition, and how they can be used together to construct a comprehensive explanation of Liechtenauer’s techniques. Much of the focus will be on sources that have only become available in the past few years and how they have changed or informed our current understanding.

The second part will take a step back from the raw instructions in those sources and consider what they tell us about the fencing system itself. It will argue that the Zettel and glosses are not intended to describe a system of fencing in a straightforward or comprehensive fashion, but rather contain a syllabus for teaching that system to students. At the same time, clues in the text can lead us toward and understanding of the shape and nature of the system that underlies that pedagogy and suggest ways in which we can escape the trap of "fencing according to the lessons.

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Awesome Absetzen & Ansetzen

Instructor: Tristan Zukowski, New York Historical Fencing Association

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Equipment necessary: Blunt [training] longsword

All levels welcome.

Optimizing the defensive and offensive elements of thrusting attacks and counter-attacks. This class will help the fencer fine-tune their operation of Ochs, Pflug, and Langort: the elements of strength and structure (mechanics), maximizing reach (geometry), and accuracy (propriocepton) will be addressed individually, after which drilling will progress to application of settings-aside and settings-on.

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Italian Rapier: Plays and Games

Instructor: Lisa Losito, Maryland KdF

3 -4 most fun italian rapier plays. Let's get some sprezzatura happening! We'll warm up with games that teach foundational skills for rapier without a weapon.  This class will engage students with varied experience, review plays that are fun to do and introduce them to people who are unfamiliar. Games that teach foundational skills, can also be taken home for use in home clubs.

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​Jack-of-All-Trades in HEMA

Instructor: John Crum, Maryland KdF

Intermediate level class.

A review of HEMA skills, weapon sets, non-martial skill sets, philosophies, and highlighting the importance of heterogeny in HEMA.  The goal of the class is to incorporate many, diverse disciplines into HEMA.  This class will help develop the ability and desire to include beginners in discussion of interpretation and curricula development, ability to recognize skills that can help in HEMA, and increase cross-over language between physical and scholastic disciplines to aid in cross-germination of skills and training.

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Natural Movement: A Parkour Inspired Class for Swordspeople

Instructor: Tiby Kantrowitz, New York Historical Fencing Association

Limited Size Class; multiple classes may be offered at discretion of Instructor

All levels welcome.

This class provides a series of drills teaching people how to develop fuhlen, rather than just telling swordspeople they need to have the skill.  The class is intended to be fun, goofy, and challenging depending on your individual efforts.  It will move quickly and everything will be applicable to HEMA. 

Yoga for Athletes

Instructor:  Angelita Singh

All levels welcome.

You'll either want a mat of some sort or socks with grip. It's going to be as close to a barefoot class as possible. Yoga is a full-body experience, and being able to see your feet is actually more helpful than a lot of people realize. 

If you have back/hip/knee issues, you may want to bring a hand-towel or small cushion of some sort to give a little extra support for some of the poses.

Dagger:  Finding the right remedy

Instructor:  Kimberleigh Roseblade, Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts

When faced against the dagger, Fiore says to always do these five things: "take their dagger away, strike them, break their arms, bind them and throw them to the ground."  How do we know when to attempt each of these difference things, depending on what the situation calls for?  

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In this workshop, students will learn to decipher when their opponent is giving them cues that allow them to feel whether they should disarm their opponent, bind or break them, or throw them to the ground.  

Fiore's Furious Five Flow 

Instructor:  Kimberleigh Roseblade, Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts

Abrazare is the foundation of Fiore's art.  Everything that comes after - from dagger, to longsword, the poleaxe - all has their foundations in Abrazare.  

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In this workshop we will look at the basic guards and footwork used in Fiore's system and explore the first five plays.  We will look at how the plays easily flow from one to the other, and how to recognize when he opportunities to execute them present themselves in the grapple.  

The Fit and Use of Armor

Instructor:  Bill Frisbee, New Hampshire KdF

All welcome

This class is not just an introduction to the basics of 14th-16th century armours, but it covers the important parts of making sure that before buying your armour you ask the right questions, talk to the right folks, trusted armourers, and what else is needed when buying a harness.

This class will also talk about the importance of fit of armour and why it is vital to make sure your kit fits you properly. Don't make an expensive, or dangerous mistake. Wear your armour like a pro. Fight in it like you were born to wear armour!

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We will discuss:

• 14th, 15th and 16th century armour in basic terms, as well as geographical differences in armours of those eras.

• The important of a good "soft kit", including under clothing, arming doublets, hosen and other clothing items.

• When and how was mail worn with plate and why it is important

• Modifications that need to be made to a harness when fighting under HEMA rulesets

• Fitting your kit properly

• Basic drills for strength, endurance and mobility

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If you have a harness, bring it. If you have a partial harness, bring it.

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The Fundamentals of Meyer's Dagger Combat

Instructor: Charles Murdock, Grunberg Freifechter-MFFGVT

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All welcome.

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This class explores the fundamentals of dagger combat utilizing Joachim Meyers techniques as a basis. Students will learn basic parries, postures and strikes while gaining an understanding of how to employ proper martial body mechanics to make them effective. These body mechanics are easily scalable to other weapons as well as unarmed combat. Bring gear commensurate for the level of force with which you intend to train (i.e. gear down for light contact and gear up for heavy)

Add-On Specialty Classes - limited availability

Forge

Instructor: Sam Hoffman and Willow Zietman

Maximum 4 participants per class (8 total)

Will have waitlist

Cost: $50 per person

Brief description:  Learn how to forge!  Cost includes instruction on how to make a knife from a railroad spike. 

HEMS

Instructor: Josh Parise

Maximum 6 participants per class (36 total)

Will have waitlist

Cost:  $75 per person 

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NOTE:  One class will be dedicated to Advanced work with prerequisite of precious HEMS attendance. 

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6 classes:  Thursday a.m. and p.m.; Friday a.m. and p.m.; Saturday a.m. and p.m.  NO SUNDAY CLASSES

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• Please provide preference for day and class; will do best to accommodate. 

• Weight limit: 250 lbs

Brief Description:  Introduction to mounted combat!  Learn how to interact with your horse, balance, and depth perception.  Advanced class TBD.

Shield Making 101

Instructor:  Matthew Mafera

No limit to participants

Cost: $40 per person 

Brief Description: Create a reconstruction of historical shields from the 15th century!  Participants wil be shown the process for gluing boards, attaching the facing, creating tempera paint, and various strapping arrangements.  You will leave this class with a functioning shield replica and the knowledge on how to make more.

Prerequisite:  Bring a print out, photo, or reference of what you would like your shield to look like. 

CAUTION:  Eggs will be used to make the paint.  Also, there will be particulates from the paint pigments.  The pigments can be harmful if ingested or if they get in your eyes.  Masks and gloves will be available if you require them. 

Beginner Archery

Instructor: Jess Rozek-Workman

Maximum 10 participants

Will have waitlist

Cost: $15 (may be combine with Historic Archery 101 for discount on both classes)

Brief Description:  Have you had an interest in archery?  Learn how to shoot during this introduction to archery class!  

Historic Archery 101

Instructor: Jess Rozek-Workman

Maximum 10 participants

Will have waitlist

Cost: $15 (may be combine with Beginner Archery for discount on both classes)

Prerequisite: Must have prior archery experience or minimally, taken the Beginner Archery Class. 

Historical Archery - learn some tips and tricks of shooting from military treatises from across the globe.  

Even though archery is mostly crystallized today - there is a "proper" way for everything - this wasn't always the case. Different military applications required different tactics. Come learn some of the skills historic military archers used to successfully wage war. 

Mechanics of Cutting

Instructor:  Tristan Zukowski

Maximum 12 participants

Will have waitlist

Cost:  $40 (includes 3 tatami mats)

All levels welcome.

Equipment necessary:  blunt (training) sword; sharp sword (there may be 2 available to borrow)

NOTE:  leftover mats will be available on first come-first serve basis.  $8 per mat or $20 for 3 mats; payable in cash, PayPal, Venmo, or Credit Card (note credit card will incur small fee for processing).

Description:  Cutting tatami for feedback on, and validation of, technique. The workshop will begin with an overview of the methodology of test cutting, progress to group exercises for optimized striking efficiency, and culminate with individual attention and feedback given to the student.  Descending cuts (i.e. Oberhau) will be the primary focus, as the principles employed there can later be extrapolated to all other cuts.  Those with more experience will also e given opportunity to examine other cuts, and/or combinations of cuts.