Classes

It doesn't matter whether you have taken dozens of classes and workshops or whether you have never done or experienced anything like this before The Chivalric Martial Arts International will be a rewarding and memorable experience. This workshop is designed to expose you to a wide-variety of research by some of the finest instructors in in the Chivalric Arts in the world.

Classes will be 90 min long with a 15 min break between them.

Equestrian Training
This is the part that you will find no where else in the world. For this event we have instruction in riding at any level, games and skills, mounted combat, and finally jousting.

Basic Riding
This track of classes covers several days and includes: safe handling on the ground, correct mounting, goals to develop a balanced seat capable of directing the horse and serve as a foundation for the other aids, will include off horse exercises to encourage rider fitness; an understanding of rein, leg and weight aids to control the horse laterally and longitudinally if not the ability to accomplish at all 3 gaits. This crash course hopes to show the way ahead as well as cover a lot of information in a short time. Participants are encouraged to attend all the classes in the track as each session builds on the skills of the previous class. Participants in this series of classes will have the opportunity to try out their new found skills on a Skill at Arms course on Thursday.

Day 1

9:00a Beginning Riding 1:
Instructor: Tina Walsh
Required Equipment: Boots with heel, comfortable long pants (riding pants recommended)

1:30p Beginning Riding 2:
Instructor: Tina Walsh
Required Equipment: Boots with heel , comfortable long pants (riding pants recommended)

Day 2

9:00a Beginning Riding 3:
Instructor: Tina Walsh
Required Equipment: Boots with heel, comfortable long pants (riding pants recommended)

1:30p Beginning Riding 4:
Instructor: Tina Walsh
Required Equipment: Boots with heel , comfortable long pants (riding pants recommended)

Day 3

9:00a Beginning Riding 5:
Instructor: Tina Walsh
Required Equipment: Boots with heel , comfortable long pants (riding pants recommended)

Mounted Combat
These classes begin to combine horsemanship with the understanding of combat on the horse. Just as footwork is the basis of all martial arts, horsemanship is the basis of all martial arts on horseback. These classes will take the moderate horseman, and teach the rider to used his horsemanship to defeat an opponent on horseback. Throws, grapples, displacements, and other techniques will be taught. There will be an "equisims" available for those who don't ride, but wish to cover the material. Specific training on the behourd will be discussed as well.

Day 1

5:00p Mounted Combat 1: Rolling and Falling from Horseback
Instructor: Theresa Wendland
Required Equipment: Boots with heel , comfortable long pants (riding pants recommended), knee pads or knee cops

Basic rolling and falling on the ground and working toward rolling and falling from the saddle as well as emergency dismounts.

Day 2

5:00p Mounted Combat 2: Riding for Combat
Instructor: Theresa Wendland
Required Equipment: Boots with heel , comfortable long pants (riding pants recommended), knee pads or knee cops

This course focuses on specific riding tactics for fighting one on one or in a melee-like setting. It will also focus on distance and timing, specific footwork, and riding with partners and in a crowd.

Day 3

5:00p Mounted Combat 3: Introduction to Fiore's Sword on Horseback
Instructor: Theresa Wendland
Required Equipment: Long pants for riding; boots with a heel; knee pads or knee cops; fencing mask/WMA mask or helm/helmet with full face protection (NOT SCA bar grill); gorget; training longsword or arming sword- blunted steel, nylon, aluminum, or wooden waster; you may in addition to a sword bring your tournament baton
***A few extra masks and swords will be available, but if you have the equipment, please bring it!

Fiore's universal parry and several plays from the universal parry as well as his first counter.

The Joust
The purpose of this clinic is to address, diagnose and remedy common misconceptions and issues pertaining to the cavalry man and his horse. Riders interested in participating in the Tirocinium joust (the novice joust on Friday afternoon, 5/11/12) are required to participate in all of these classes. As this track of classes builds on the skill obtained in the previous class, we recommend that riders interested in jousting attend all of these classes.

Day 1

10:45a Jousting 1: The Riders Seat
Instructor: Luke Binks
Required Equipment: Boots with heel , comfortable long pants (riding pants recommended). No armour required
This session we will focus on the rider's position and the bio mechanical relationship between the horse and rider through his seat. How and why this will affect the horse and its benefits in mounted combat.

3:15p Jousting 2: Weapons Handling
Instructor: Luke Binks
Required Equipment: Boots with heel , comfortable long pants (riding pants recommended). No armour required
We will look at the correct ways to use your weapons mounted, optimized angles of attack and positioning of the horse in these situations.

Day 2

10:45a Jousting 3: Riding in Armour
Instructor: Luke Binks
Required Equipment: Armour required
This session will be focused on applying new techniques with the seat while mounted in armour. Improving balance and co-ordination with the horse.

3:15p Jousting 4: Weapons Handling in Armour
Instructor: Luke Binks
Required Equipment: Armour required
How to manage your weapons while in armour, with a focus on the lowering of the lance and the importance of the correct technique and angles and the correct use of a lance rest.

Day 3

10:45a Jousting 5: The Joust
Instructor: Luke Binks
Required Equipment: Armour required
With armoured riding and weapons handling mastered, this session will have particular focus on the joust and how each course should be run correctly. Starting with positioning of the horse in the lists, receiving your weapon, preparing for the course, running the course and hitting your target, receiving a hit and finishing the run.

Classroom Instruction
Classroom instruction is a great way to slow down, sit back and really delve into many aspects of knighthood and chivalry during the middle ages and currently as well as some classes geared toward expanding your understanding of Historical European Martial Arts.

Western Combative theory-Ken Mondschein
There is remarkable continuity in the way in which combative actions have been described since the late fourteenth century. In order to better understand the tactics and strategies described in medieval fencing manuals, we must first learn their intellectual underpinnings. This class will explain both the history and current use of the classification of fencing actions in the Western tradition.

Historical European Martial Arts: A Historical Overview-Ken Mondschein
How has fencing evolved from the enigmatic sword and buckler play in I.33 to the byzantine rules of the modern sort of fencing? How have Western Martial Arts changed from a life-and-death martial art to a sport? This class will explore the history of Western martial arts, our sources, and how recent history has transformed both the arts and our understanding of them.

War, Tournament, Knighthood, and Society- Ken Mondschein
What was a knight? What was his role in society? How did the tournament fit into this? We will explore the self-conception of the medieval knight, and the uses of the tournament from everything from training for battle to political theatre.

Building from Interpretation to Curriculum - Sean Hayes
This presentation will cover the basics of developing a curriculum from primary sources, using the Fior di Battaglia and Royal Armouries MS I.33 as examples. Lesson plans and curricula are distinct from the technical (or "how-to") sources. A program of instruction includes fundamental physical and movement training that supports the technique shown in the sources, and it also includes tactical training derived from the techniques and commentaries of the original masters. The class will consist of lecture, question-and-answer, and demonstration.

Concepts of Modern Chivalry- Randall Parr
This presentation will discuss why chivalry is experiencing a revival today, and how traditional ideals of knightly behavior are relevantly translated and applied to modern culture.

An Introduction to the International Jousting League - Fred Piraux
This class will cover the details on how to become involved with the IJL; the mission statement, structure and rules; the state of competitive jousting in the world today; how to become an IJL affiliate (as an individual or event); competitions included in the IJL.

How to Get Started in Competitive Jousting - Fred Piraux
This class covers the basic of what is needed to start jousting; armour requirements, working with an armourer, safety considerations.

List Field Operation - Fred Piraux
This class will cover the details of what is needed to safely construct and run a jousting list field; rules, match rotation and timing, field personnel, how to properly conduct the passes, field safety and procedures.

Foot Combat
These training sessions will not require full harness to participate, but the Armored Combat series will require more harness to fully explore these concepts. Please consider a mail shirt, gauntlets, and a helmet as a minimum to provided sufficient protection to explore many of the armored classes. Participation in the Armored Combat series is mandatory to all who intend in participating in the armored Deeds at Arms.

Day 1

10:45a "God, the Art, myself, and my sword": Fiore de Liberi's Unarmoured Combat
Instructor: Sean Hayes
Required Equipment: steel longsword, gambeson, head, face and eye protection that simulates an unarmoured head (such as a fencing mask), leather gloves.
"Out of envy, some Masters challenged me to combat with sharp swords in a gambeson and without any other defensive weapon besides a pair of chamois gloves. Five times I was compelled by honor to fight in strange places, far away from relatives or friends and without anything to rely upon besides God, the Art, myself, Fiore, and my sword. By the grace of God, I came through each time with my honor intact and without any physical injuries."- Fiore dei Liberi, Fior di Battaglia, 1410

Based on these experiences, Fiore advises his students that fighting in armour in the lists is preferable to fighting without armour, since without armour "a single failed parry can be fatal , while in the lists a combatant wearing good armor can receive multiple hits and still go on to win the fight." This class will examine the fundamentals of fighting without armour, focusing on tactical approaches shown by Fiore to strike without being struck, how to fight at wide range, and how to close for grappling. Required Equipment: steel longsword, gambeson, head, face and eye protection that simulates an unarmoured head (such as a fencing mask), leather gloves.

1:30p Armored Combat 1
Instructor: Foot Combat Instructors
Required Equipment: Harness
The first day will focus on the wearing of harness, moving in harness, body awareness and sensitivity in harness, and the weakness of armor.

3:15p Fundamentals of the system - footwork, guards, blows and parries. aka "Pollaxe for Dummies"
Instructor: Jason Smith
Required Equipment: Pollaxe simulator
This class will focus on the fundamentals of the Burgundian pollaxe manuscript "Le Jeu de la Hache." Core mechanics and concepts will be visited, such as footwork, the attacks, defences and precepts of the system. All levels of student are welcome,

Day 2

9:00a Great Stick
Instructor: Ken Mondschein
Required Equipment: a large stick
The greatstick is the living descendant of the longsword, and provides an excellent and historically accurate way to begin internalizing both physical mechanics and basic fencing principles. This class will concentrate on basic manipulation and tactical ideas, with a focus on giving students a technical basis for the study of medieval martial arts.

10:45a Armored Combat 2
Instructor: Foot Combat Instructors
Required Equipment: Harness, dagger simulator
The focus will be on wrestling in armor, falling in armor, the use of the dagger in harness

1:30p Hooks, disarms and binds: Intricacies of the Knightly Swiss army knife
Instructor: Jason Smith
Required Equipment: Pollaxe simulator
The pollaxe is a versatile weapon, and favoured by the knightly class in single combat for that versatility. This class will explore that versatility through the Burgundian manuscript "Le Jeu de la Hache" and its plays as they occur from the bind. Included the various hooks, disarms, grapples and takedowns of the system, with an exploration of how we can apply the principles outside of canon. Some previous pollaxe experience is preferred, but not required.

3:15p Armored Combat 3
Instructor: Foot Combat Instructors
Required Equipment: Harness, dagger, sword, poleaxe, spear simulators
Session three will introduce the knightly weapons i.e. Sword, Spear and Poleaxe. drills and combat

Day 3

9:00a The Dagger of Fiore
Instructor: Scott Wilson
Required Equipment: dagger simulator
The dagger is a person's "go to" weapon of self defense. Fiore's dagger section is the longest and most involved part of the manual. Students will train dagger techniques and learn which ones are "good in armor" and why.

10:45a Sword in Armour: Fighting at the Full Sword and the Half Sword
Instructor: Sean Hayes
Required Equipment: steel longsword with rubber or leather blunt attached, harness
Armoured combat often employs the sword as a short spear, by grasping the blade with one hand, commonly referred to as "half-swording." While most of the armoured guards show this style of grip, Fiore also uses the sword in a "standard" grip, at the full sword. This class will practice the use of both forms in matched and unmatched combinations, and examine the tactical uses of switching between these grips.

1:30p The sinister pollaxe: Playing from the left in Le Jeu
Instructor: Jason Smith
Required Equipment: pollaxe
In this class, we will visit the left-handed plays of the manuscript and how it deals with playing against someone fighting from the left. Students will visit the plays from both perspectives to experience how the principles illustrated in the manuscript can be applied regardless of handedness, and how the dynamics of off-hand play affect the fight. Having attended the introductory Jeu class "Pollaxe for Dummies" is preferred, or some previous experience with the pollaxe.

3:15p Armored Combat 4
Instructor: Foot Combat Instructors
Required Equipment: Harness, dagger, sword, poleaxe, spear simulators
Students will practice the concepts with instructors and other students in a coached environment to improve the students understanding and ability to apply these concepts while in combat in harness.