National Historical Swordsmanship Convention 2012

The National Historical Swordsmanship Convention (NHSC) is a special event that brings top level instruction in early-Renaissance European swordsmanship to fencers of all experience levels. NHSC will provide a cohesive, focused approach that will have classes covering unarmed combat, the use of the langes messer (long knife), the single handed sword, Italian sword and shield, German longsword, the Italian spadone (the great 16th century two handed sword), and the use of pole arms. Each class will build off of the next so that students will not only gain exposure to different weapon styles, but also develop a stronger level of proficiency and competence as martial artists. There will be talks on historical context, with an opportunity for participants to handle period authentic swords as well. INSTRUCTORS: •Bill Grandy, Director of Historical Swordsmanship at the Virginia Academy of Fencing - Bill has taught historical European martial arts professionally over the past decade and has been invited to teach across the country for various schools and events, including at the Western Martial Arts Workshop and Chivalric Weekend. He will be teaching 15th century German swordsmanship (the Liechtenauer tradition) on all four days. •Tom Leoni, Founder of the Order of the Seven Hearts and one of the principal Historical Swordsmanship instructors at the Virginia Academy of Fencing - Tom is one of the leading researchers of Renaissance Italian martial arts. He has published some of the top translations of historical fencing treatises, and has taught historical fencing around the world. Tom will be teaching 16th century Italian swordsmanship (the Bolognese school) on all four days. •Christian Tobler, Head Instructor of the Selohaar Fechtschule - Christian is a researcher and author specializing in the 15th century German Liechtenauer tradition. German longsword enthusiasts will be familiar with his successful books including Secrets of German Medieval Swordsmanship and Fighting with the German Longsword. He will be teaching on Saturday and Sunday German Poleaxe in Armor. WHO CAN PARTICIPATE: NHSC is for all experience levels, from the total beginner to the experienced veteran of historical martial arts. With three professional instructors plus additional VAF coaches to assist, everyone can expect personalized attention for their own skill levels. Age 14 to adult. Minors must have signed permission of a legal guardian. EQUIPMENT: All participants at minimum are required to have a fencing mask, jacket, gloves and practice weapons. Participants must wear long athletic pants and non-marking athletic shoes. Equivalent or additional historical clothing and protection acceptable. All necessary equipment is available for purchase or rent on site at the Virginia Academy of Fencing. LOCATION: Virginia Academy of Fencing, 5401-B Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22151 (just outside of Washington DC) REGISTRATION: Participants can sign up for individual days, or for the entire four day event. Though each class builds off of the previous classes, the event is structured so that if a student can still jump in despite having skipped previous days. The registration cost is $385 for all four days (best value), $235 for both Saturday and Sunday combined, or $125 per day if registered by July 1, 2012. To register for all four days, follow the link above. To register for both Saturday and Sunday (7/7-7/8) click here: http://askfred.net/Clinics/moreInfo.php?clinic_id=18572 To register for Day 1 (Thursday, 7/5) click here: http://askfred.net/Clinics/moreInfo.php?clinic_id=18549 To register for Day 2 (Friday 7/6) click here: http://askfred.net/Clinics/moreInfo.php?clinic_id=18550 To register for Day 3 (Saturday 7/7) click here: http://askfred.net/Clinics/moreInfo.php?clinic_id=18551 To register for Day 4 (Sunday 7/8) click here: http://askfred.net/Clinics/moreInfo.php?clinic_id=18552 SCHEDULE: All four days will begin at 9:00 AM and finish at 5:30 PM, with a 1 hour break at 12:30. Food is not provided. There will be the option for lunch deliver during the morning of each day, and there are also shops nearby. The theme of Day 1 is Fundamentals: Learning the Building Blocks. The theme of Day 2 is Tactics: Proper Execution of Technical Ability. Day 3 is Repertoire: Critical Thinking During Fencing. Day 4 is Application under Pressure: Putting Practice into Practice. CONTACT INFORMATION: Please visit our website at www.vafinc.com/nhsc.php E-mail Bill Grandy at tocatchupwiththesun@yahoo.com or call VAF at (703) 321-4922