ARRANGING FOR A SEMINAR IN YOUR AREA

Seminars are available in a variety of formats for schools, martial arts academies, and historical interest groups.

Seminars can be overviews of the entire system, like the one below, or may focus on particular aspects of the system (like knife combat, or two-handed sword) to allow for more drill, practice and retention.

Shorter seminars, lessons, demonstrations and lectures may be arranged.

A Sample Two Day Seminar

"The Fior di Battaglia (Flos Duellatorum):

Masterwork

of Fiore dei Liberi "

The Material:

Fiore dei Liberi was born in Northern Italy in the middle of the 14^th 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 eventually became an instructor himself.  He trained many knights and squires for combat in tournament, war and duel, 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, for whom Fiore wrote 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 armored and unarmored.  It is a complete, coherent and brutally effective system of self defense that can apply to any situation armed or unarmed.  He distilled the art down to its essentials, and created an integrated, sequential and self-referential system that is easy to teach and to learn.

The Instructor:

The founder of St. Martins Academy of Medieval Arms, Bob Charron, has translated and carefully examined Fiore’s manual of arms.  The hundreds of 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 presenting symposia on Fiore’s system in the United States, Canada and Europe.  He brings his qualifications as an amateur athlete, professional educator, and student of Medieval culture and warfare to his presentation of Fiore’s techniques.

The Two-Day Seminar:

Highly recommended for an introductory presentation to any group or individual.

Wrestling and Dagger – The first day of the seminar will begin with a brief introduction to Fiore, the Marquis d’Este, the internal structure and coding of the surviving copies of the manual, and Fiore’s prologue and segno page.  Then focus will shift to the wrestling and dagger techniques from the manual, and will include a slide presentation accompanied by a physical demonstration by the instructor and an assistant.  Each illustrated technique from the manual will be demonstrated and explained.  Following a lunch break, the remainder of the day will be spent in hands-on and training.  This training will include performing the techniques and participating in drills that reinforce the major concepts within the system.

 Schedule:     

9:00 – 10:00             Introductory Material

10:00 – 10:30            Demonstration of Wrestling     

                                Techniques

10:30 – 12:00            Hands-On Wrestling Drill and

                                 Practice

12:00 – 1:00              Lunch Break

1:00 – 2:00                Demonstration of Dagger Techniques

2:00 – 5:00                Hands-On Dagger Drill and Practice

One and Two Handed Sword, Spear and Pollaxe – The second day will be structured similarly, beginning with a slide presentation and demonstration of each of the techniques, followed by hands-on practice, drill and training from Fiore’s system for these weapons.  This day will also include discussion and training of armored combat techniques.

 Schedule:               

9:00 – 10:00               Demonstration of Dagger vs. Sword,

                                  Sheathed Sword vs Dagger, and One

                                  Handed Sword Techniques

10:00 – 11:30              Hands-On One Handed Sword Drill

                                  and Practice

11:30 – 12:30              Lunch Break

12:30 – 1:30                Demonstration of Two Handed         

                                   Sword, Armored Sword, Spear and

                                   Pollaxe Techniques

1:30 – 5:00                  Hands-On Two Handed Sword Drill

                                   and Practice Including Half-Swording

REQUIREMENTS:

Facility

The symposium site must be sufficiently large to allow 30 people to comfortably view the slide presentation and demonstration. Electrical outlets are required for the slide projector, and seating is required for the students.

The hands-on section will require a large open space for the attendees to practice the techniques. Often the same room can be used if lighting can be adjusted and it is large enough. This section can be performed outside, but in the event of inclement weather a backup indoor space should reserved.

Class Size

We highly recommended that the class size be at least 25-30 individuals. Smaller classes may be accommodated if the fees are met. If you believe you have the interest of 40-60 individuals, it is recommended that a two-day program of back-to-back seminars be arranged.

Fees

Travel expenses (airfare) and $500/day is the standard fee.

To schedule a seminar contact Mr. Charron.