Summer is here! Ars Gladii holds classes weekly on Tuesday evenings and Sunday mornings. Currently our class/practice schedule is this:

  • Tuesday 6:30pm-8:30pm - All weapons, depending on attendance.
  • Sunday 10am-12noon - Longsword
  • Sunday 12noon-1pm - Boxing, depending on attendance

Every class starts with a short warm up/calisthenics session followed by a review of the material covered in the previous class. We will then go over several new techniques/topics as time and comprehension dictates.

We currently do not have enough members to set a start/end date for each class type, so new members are free to start attending at any time and we will make the best attempt to get them up to speed.

Practice Location

All classes are held at a private residence in Redford, MI. Please contact us for more information on our practice area.

List of Novice and Advanced Longsword topics

Novice

  • Introduction to the manuals and historical martial arts
  • Introduction to Germany in the Late Medieval Period
  • Introduction to the martial landscape of the Late Medieval Period
  • Concepts of Footwork and whole body motion
  • Passes, Traverses, and Gathering steps
  • The Sword and its parts
  • Swinging the Sword
  • The Drei Wounders
  • Oberhaus and Unterhaus
  • Distance and Time
  • Vor, Nach, and Indes
  • The Vier Leger and the concept of guards/wards
  • Introduction to the Hauptsücke
  • Introduction to the Meisterhau
  • Zornhau
  • Krumphau
  • Zwerchhau
  • Scheilhau
  • Scheitelhau
  • Nachreisen
  • Uberlaufen
  • Absetzen
  • Durchwechseln
  • Zucken and Abnahmen
  • Abschneiden
  • Hande Drucken
  • The Eight Windings and the Zwei Hangen
  • Introduction to Freeplay

Advanced

  • Introduction to the Drei Ringen
  • Durchlaufen
  • Ringen am Schwert
  • Halbschwert
  • Sprechtfenster
  • Nebenhut
  • Schrankhut
  • Introduction to the concepts of Armored Longsword
  • Fighting in the Judicial Duel
  • Tactical Sensibilities
  • Freeplay

The Novice class is open to anyone over the age of 18 who is free from any major disability or medical complication. The Advanced class is open to any member that has reached the Scholar level in Longsword (i.e. anyone who has passed and can demonstrate competency in the Novice topics).

Other Classes

I.33

I.33 (pronounced "one thirty three") refers to Tower Manuscript I.33, the oldest known fencing treatise. It was written right around 1300. The treatise is devoted to the civilian/unarmored use of the sword and buckler [small shield]. The treatise is written as a set of plays between the Priest and the Scholar. This class will cover the breadth of the manual.

Requirements

Previous experience in our Novice Longsword class or permission of the instructor. Equipment requirements are as follows:

  • Arming sword waster from Swordcrafts (their 'I.33' model surprisingly enough).
  • Wooden or steel buckler
  • Gloves or gauntlets
  • Mask and arming cap

Ringen

Ringen roughly translates as "wrestling", though the modern use of the term does not equate to the whole scope of RIngen . Ringen incorporates strikes, locks, throws, and general grappling. In this class we will cover the basics of Ringen including proper falls, body manipulation, Vor/Nach/Indes as it applies to wrestling, and the core concepts, techniques, and counters as described in the period manuals from Ringeck, Talhoffer, von Auerswald, the Codex Wallerstein, and others.

Requirements

Member in good standing or permission of the instructor [Ringen is probably the most dangerous thing we do so we need to be assured of someone's level of control before working with these techniques]

  • Low wrestling shoes or kung-fu shoes
  • (Optional) Mouthguard
  • (Optional) Forearm pads

Dagger

The dagger was the knight's weapon of last resort. It was also used to dispatch an armored opponent once he had been thrown to the ground. The dagger in question is the roundel.It was typically edgeless. It's distinguishing feature was a set of disks on either end of the hilt. In this class we will examine how the dagger was used as both a weapon and an aid in grappling. Sources include Talhoffer, the Codex Wallerstein, and von Danzig.

Requirements

No pre-requisites.

  • Wooden Roundel dagger.
  • Fencing mask
  • (Optional) Padded forearm guards