Has anyone set up a group for training live steel fighting from scratch? I've got a half dozen new folks several with olympic-style fencing experience who want to move into 14th C. longsword to 16th C. rapier, and, while I've trained and learned with my equals, I've never been in the position of teaching people who are basically better "fencers" than me. They merely don't understand the earlier styles.
None of them is a member of ARMA, although I hope to steer them that way. Consequently, I can't lean on ARMA too much until they join.
I have started with guard positions, transitions and simple combinations. It would be nice to put together an actual "format" instead of running from the seat of my pants.
Setting up a training group (non SCA)
It is a lot of hard work.
First of all we listed all the things we wanted to do. For a group the non-combat aspects are just as important, or probably more important as the combat aspects, and has to dealt with first. Decide what you want out of the group, find a clear direction. After you have worked out things like where and when you are meeting, or what area you are studying, get as many fighting manuals as you could posibly find, both modern and historical, and read them in a group setting. For our group, we sat around a table with print outs, books and a laptop with all the manuals and decided what we did and didnt want to use. After that it was simply a matter of showing up regularly and practicing.
First of all we listed all the things we wanted to do. For a group the non-combat aspects are just as important, or probably more important as the combat aspects, and has to dealt with first. Decide what you want out of the group, find a clear direction. After you have worked out things like where and when you are meeting, or what area you are studying, get as many fighting manuals as you could posibly find, both modern and historical, and read them in a group setting. For our group, we sat around a table with print outs, books and a laptop with all the manuals and decided what we did and didnt want to use. After that it was simply a matter of showing up regularly and practicing.
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Russ Mitchell
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Sir, I strongly recommend you pick a single manual, get these gentlemen together, and work it until your eyes bleed. The range of study you have mentioned is incredibly broad, so much so that I suspect you will not achieve much if you spread your eggs into multiple baskets.
Of the two major organizations that held an eclectic approach, ARMA and AEMMA, the latter has had folks recently say "that was a mistake, and we're getting more specialized (any AEMMA lurkers, correct me if I'm wrong)." ARMA stands by its guns that it can do a quality job across periods and locales-- and maybe their curriculum is just that good. If you're a member and have access to it, good luck.
But I would strongly advise against such an approach if you're not, as I've never seen anybody who spread themselves out like that amount to much.
Of the two major organizations that held an eclectic approach, ARMA and AEMMA, the latter has had folks recently say "that was a mistake, and we're getting more specialized (any AEMMA lurkers, correct me if I'm wrong)." ARMA stands by its guns that it can do a quality job across periods and locales-- and maybe their curriculum is just that good. If you're a member and have access to it, good luck.
But I would strongly advise against such an approach if you're not, as I've never seen anybody who spread themselves out like that amount to much.