Asociación Española de Esgrima Antigua

This September, The School of the Sword will be hosting a 2 day event dedicated to the study of the rapier.

The vision behind the event, which celebrates the 10th year of the School of the Sword in its current form, is to bring together a group of instructors and students, over the course of two days, to take part in a series of workshops and a tournament dedicated to rapier in all its forms. Key to this is the fact that, unlike the majority of HEMA events, the level of the workshops and expected level of the attendees is not “beginner”. There are plenty of events across Europe where one can try something for the first time. Our drive is to give experienced practitioners the chance to compare and contrast different styles/sources, taught by good instructors, at a focused, single weapon event.

By pitching the content and approach of the workshops at this level, focusing on more advanced techniques and principles, we hope that the exchange between delegates and instructors will greatly develop the broader understanding of the rapier and its companion weapons.

By giving workshops, demonstration bouts between instructors in different styles, and the chance for experimental exchanges, the event should be seen as an academic exercise as well as a physical one.

The event will be held on the weekend of the 24th - 25th September 2011, in Aldershot, Hants.
More details , and the event website, will follow soon.

CS

• Timetable
• Instructors
• Tournament Rules
• Accomodation

My, what a good week end it was !

About 40 people gathered in Aldershot, using space kindly provided by the 4th Medical Brigade, for a weekend fully devoted to the Rapier (and dagger, sometimes). Even though we all know there are lots and lots of Rapier enthusiasts worldwide, the happy few that did make it there had all in common a dedication and love for this highly elegant and deadly weapon, and for the study of the teachings of the Masters of Old, which made for an incredible atmosphere of mutual respect, appreciation and kindness of spirit.

The fact that the famed School of the Sword was the host of this event also greatly added to its succes, I must say.

The workshops, run by Phil Marshall, Reinier Van Noort, Andrew Feest, Dave Rawlings and Fabrice Cognot, provided intersting and sometimes wildly different takes and input on the use fo this weapon, emphasizing the richness of Historical Rapier fencing. From the delicate, instant-decision-making teachings of Thibault (thanks to Dave), to the transitional doctrines of Bruchius (as explained by Reinier), from the principles of Alfieri's main guard (thanks Phil & Caroline) to the dirty tricks of the Frenchman Dancie or the elegant moves of Italian material, we had a great time exploring - and maybe learning - how diverse, how deadly the rapier could be.

The tournament, run under Phil Marshall's rules, was a blast. Some fo the fights were purely fantastic. Some of the fighters were, dare I say, amazing. And up to the finals, this competition offered us a high level of entertainment and martial skill. Congratulations not only to those who made it to the podium, but to all participants for such a wonderful time - as a judge, I can but confirm how helpful it is to have fighters showing great spirit and high skill.
The final fight, especially, was a pure moment of Rapier joy between two of the best - and I'm not just speaking of Martial aspects now - fighters I know. And at the end, Thibault Ghesquière from De Taille et d'Estoc had the upper hand over an always brilliant Hans Jörnlind in a case of sudden death after what was one of the most entertaining fights of this competition. Well done, Thib !

Awards were also given to fighters not necessarily making it to the top tier, but who still achieved worthwile feats, or displayed the purest style. Rob Runacres of SotS was - for a short, time-suspending while - Fabris Incarnate. Another award went to another Rob (Wrightson) from Susser Sword Academy for single rapier, and the third to Jason from SotS for least hits received.


And we made new friends. And saw old friends. And we had good free play too. Battered, knackered, and therefore happy