Italian Rapier and English backsword class

[fbhjr]

As Phoenix Swords doesn’t have as many performances this summer as last, we’ve scheduled a few classes to help folks expand some of their skills.

Today’s class was on the Italian Rapier and English Backsword. It was taught by Mark Millman who used to be one of the instructors at the Higgins Museum.

Mark lives in quite close to Boston, and this morning we went in and got him. It’s only about a mile from where I used to work, so I know the route well. As we headed home, Boston was pretty clear in the rear mirror.


We stopped for some lunch and then got to the practice grounds.


Mark brought Kendra as his assistant and she brought some guy with zero sword experience as her assistant.


Mark started with Di Grassi’s rapier wards.




After we had gone that far, another pair of folks finally located us and brought Mark his proper historical rapier. Mark was happy.



My wife wants to get one of these as well.


We also got into proper targeting of the rapier.


The guy with no experience teamed up with our newest member as they are both strongly left handed. Our new guy has only been to two practices before this, but did quite well.


Others, maybe not so well.


But everyone tried.


Folks seemed to enjoy it, but it is very different from the German style we usually study.


We did notice that as Jose worked in the sun something that looked almost like the Batman symbol appeared on his chest.

As impressive as it might be that Jose is secretly Batman, we went on with the class.

Next was English Backsword from George Silver.


There are parts, like the fake mustache, that I must have missed in the instruction.


But, we went through a sequence with that too.


I did not get Batman on my shirt.


But the class seemed to go over well.


The nice thing, for me, was that my wife’s friend and son who attended the class drove Mark home so we didn’t have to go into Boston again.
So, instead I went in to work for a bit to stop my boss from panicking.

But, the class was good. We’ve got another next week that I also hope will go well.

Comments

[evrgreen.livejournal.com]

Very cool - too bad that we live so far away. I've always been somewhat fascinated by the rapier, though I have no experience onwhich to base such an interest.

[fbhjr.livejournal.com]

You are certainly welcome any time you want to make the drive down from NH. Next week we're doing a saber class. (Not the Oylmpic fencing one.)