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Learn A European
Martial Arts System
600 Years Old!
Fiore dei Liberi was born in the middle of the
14th century, and spent 40 years learning techniques of
combat from many masters and at great expense. He fought in
the battles and duels of his time, and in time became an instructor
himself. He trained many noblemen, knights and squires for
combat in tournament, judicial duel and war, and in 1400 was
appointed by the Marquis of Ferrara as the trainer to his personal
knightly household with duties as a military advisor. It was
the Marquis, Niccolo D’Este, who convinced Fiore to write down all
he knew so that his art would not be lost to those who came after.
Fiore’s manual, the Fior di Battaglia (Flos
Duellatorum in Latin) includes wrestling, knife attack and defense,
one and two handed sword, pollaxe, spear and mounted combat both
with armor and without. It is a complete, coherent and
brutally effective system of self defense that can apply to any
situation armed or unarmed. It has relevance not only to the
student of historical or European martial arts, but its wrestling,
knife play and extrapolation of weapons techniques to anything which
may be at hand makes it relevant to the 21st century as
well. Fiore stood on thousands of years of unbroken martial
tradition in the West, dating back to the ancient Greeks and before.
He had distilled the art down to its most useful techniques,
stressing recurring actions and positions. He thus created a
system that is easy both to teach and to learn.
The founder of St. Martins Academy of Medieval
Arms, Bob Charron, has translated Fiore’s manual of arms. All
of the well over 200 techniques in his manual have been worked
through and are now being taught as the core instructional material
within the Academy. St. Martins also stresses the cultural,
moral and ethical philosophy which guided those who knew the skill
of arms in the Medieval period, so that the students are aware of
the discretion and responsibility that are necessary when one has
learned a martial art.
Mr. Charron is now engaged in publishing a book
on the translation and techniques, and is engaged in symposia and
teaching of the material all over the United States and Canada.
He brings his qualifications as a professional educator, along with
his knowledge of Medieval culture to his presentation of Fiore’s
techniques.
To contact Mr. Charron and St. Martins Academy
for lessons, lectures, demonstrations or symposia:
Call: 608-835-0903
e-mail:
stmartinsacademy@juno.com
web:
www.barbute.com/stmartin
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