Our Training:

Dagger Grade, new memebers.

  When you first start training, you will be in the Dagger grade, here you will learn the basics of Quarterstaff, Dagger and some Unarmed.  After 3 weeks you will be allowed to "spar"* with these weapons, After three to six months you will be able to participate in a grading, which if you pass means you are now in the Cape grade.
The most important thing you will learn in this grade is control, both of yourself and of the weapons you use.  This grade lays the foundation for you to be able to learn more complex weapons in the procedding grades.

Cape Grade.

  Here you will learn the basics of the Single Sword, Case of dagger and dagger and buckler.
This grade teaches the principles of the sword, the single most common weapon in the medieval period, it also introduces you to combination weapons through the case (Two) daggers and to a the principles of a defensive device, the buckler.  After six to twelve months you may sit another grading, which on passing means you are now a senior, and able to learn a much broader selection of weapons.

The Hood and Belt Grade.

  These two grades can be done in either order, they intoduce a wide variety of weapons and combinations.  The Hood grade expands on sword combinations, including sword and daggerm sword and buckler, sword and shield, sword and spear.  The Belt grade introduces the spear and poleweapon, including spear and shield.  On completion of these two grades you are ready to specialise in weapons of your choice, in the advanced grades.

The Advanced Grades.

  There are six advanced grades, which can again be taken in any order.  The Grades are Blade grade, Shield Grade, Axe grade, Case grade, Pole grade and Spear grade.  In each of these grades you get to chose 3 weapons from their list, in which to specialise.  This allows you to use the weapons of your personal choice.  You need to pass 4 of these grades before being able to do the last grade of our sylabus.

The Sword Grade.

  The sword grade is the pinacle of our sylabus, it takes a minimum of 7 years to get to this level.


*  "Sparring", is controlled fighting, between two combatants, ALL of our fighting is to touch only, control of your weapon is of utmost importance as all the weapons we use are real, albeit blunted in the case of edge weapons, so would do a lot of damage should they connect at full force.  This promotes technical excellence, as the combatants try to hit their opponent without being hit themselves.

There are a number of original Fighting Manuscripts reproduced on the internet at sites, such as, Primary Resources, all of which are well worth reading if you are interested in the history of sword fighting and how the techniques developed over