News…Class changes, T’s, rapiers vs longsword and chest protection.

For those who need it Thibaults circle with easy to read letters.

A few bits of important news.
Plain swords VS longswords.
Last night saw the introduction of Thibault's rapier against longsword technique. I think all the students saw the benefit of this form not only in isolation but also in the application of it's principles in both Longsword and sword and buckler.
This will become a regular piece of the training schedule.

Class changes:

From the 1st of  Feb the Bromley class (at the moment Thursdays 7-9) Will move to Beckenham Spa on Tuesday nights 8-10pm.
Burn Night in Hither Green will change from Tuesdays to Thursday Evenings, still at 8 and still at the OLF gym.

This is due to the rather excellent Bromley hall being turned into a bowling alley.
All the other classes will remain the same.

T shirts.
I have ordered a new shipment of LLA T's anyone wanting to add to the order please let me know asap.
There are some... not for class "alternate" T shirts coming too, contact me for details.

Chest protectors.
I will be putting an order in for these next week if you want one.
Sizes are...
Male:
Small: 44 (chest 87 cm) Med: 46 (chest 92cm) large: 48 (chest 97 cm).
Female:
Small: 40 (chest 92 cm) Med: 42 (chest 96cm) large: 44 (chest 100 cm).

Training update...

Well it's midway through our second full week back at training, so well due an update.

Moving in against dead (a lack of) pressure

This year we are slowly introducing rapier into most of the classes, so you will get to see a lot more cross weapon training wherever you attend , Thibault's rapier treatise is (in my opinion) the most helpful and insightful resource for any long blade training from sword and buckler right through to long sword, I think the school as a whole will reap a lot of benefit working with it.
This week we worked the entry and response to a lack of pressure against the subjection.

Longsword:, this week was mainly a reminder for people making sure they were familiar with the terminology of the basic guards and strikes (and the reasoning behind our choosing the older-pre 1389 terms for the guard postures).

Entering in to grapple, Talhoffer's messer.

 
Messer.
A perfect way to see in the new year is a good run through Talhoffer's messer technique, it has great distance manipulation and is very, very simple, we worked this with the Rawlings Range single swords, which though they lack the knuckle nail stood up well to the beating we gave them.

Entering in against 2nd ward, and preparing to grapple.

sword and buckler.
To compliment the work we did with Talhoffer's messer work, we worked with the alternate counter to second ward (right shoulder ward) identifying the difference in approach to two entry techniques that at first glance look very similar.

Sparring.

Burn night was a little different this week, no bungees due to one of the students having a knee injury (not training related) so instead we worked non co-operative drills from Talhoffer's messer with both steel and synthetics. Then for the last thirty minutes, free play with sword and buckler (again with both steel and synthetic swords).
Nice to see the regulars back, and great to see some new faces for the new year, train hard, see you at the next session.

New Year New Courses

Kicking of the new year we have a new set of starter courses.
Starting Monday 17th of January each six week course* will give you the perfect introduction, a solid, practical foundation in the western sword arts.
And once you are hooked, your completing the six week course guarantees you a place one in our regular classes.
Weapons covered are:
Longsword (available Monday-Friday)

Rapier (course available Wednesday night only)
Sword & Buckler (available Monday-Friday)

Short staff ( available Monday-Friday)



These will run alongside the regular class so you'll have the benefit of a training partner who's been there before and knows how best to help you.
for prices and any further information contact us at londonlongsword@gmail.com or call 0770 9639881
*course offers one night per week.

Seasons greetings from the London Longsword Academy

Good wishes to you all out there from the L.L.A

We hope your enemies become your friends,

and your bonds of friendship grow ever stronger.

Peace to you.

Training nights over xmas,

Mondays: As normal every Monday.
Tuesdays: Back on the 4th of January.
Wednesdays: Back on the 5th of January.
Thursdays: Tomorrow as normal then break till the 6th of January.
Fridays: Off 24th, a special 2pm class on new year's eve then back to normal on the 7th of Jan.

Private lessons are of course still going on throughout the festive period... Have a good holiday folks and remember "Be excellent to each other".

Burn Night update 22nd December.

The last Burn Night of the year last night, but we'll be back January the 4th.

 

 

Andy and Nick feeling the burn...

As it was a quiet night Andy and I started off working through Talhoffer's messer work with the rattan canes, this was done very free-form to emphasise the timing of receiving the blow rather than obsessing about perfect poise...

Talhoffer's messer work from 1467

The action was from downward strikes from any direction countered with either a downward blow/parry or a rising blow. No pause no, let up, then as the timing improved slipping the occasional counter in, then gradually increasing these in frequency.

In the few minutes remaining before Nick arrived for his first burn out, we went through the simple messer techniques a little more slowly, looking at the shape and structure of the moves.
This is an unusual format for Burn Night usually all this will be done on the H.I.R.T.S. But we wanted to save the real burn for Nick's arrival...

Nick (right) notices he's arrived.

 The Burn drills were very simple last night:
Entry with Zornhau and krieg against the parry.
Zwerch against a free oberhau, countering that zwerch with another.
Zorn against a free oberhau using tactile sensitivity to dictate the secondary technique.
All this of course performed while attached to the H.I.R.T.S ropes (the enormous blue rope you can see attached in some of the pics).

Andy looks like he may go flying backward, that's because he may go...

Although we started the burn a little late everyone put in a hell of an effort, change overs were quick and the workout furious, and I think burn night won another convert. 
Burn night will return Jan the 4th at the O.L.F gym in Hither Green.

LLA Sutton, Sword and buckler December 17th

London Longsword Academy Sutton is to date my smallest class, but one of my favourites, the effort and humour put in by the (currently 2) students there is phenomenal, very much a case of get in there, push yourself hard, have a giggle along the way, but do not let that you stop moving. The students there exemplify that approach.

Last night was sword and buckler, lots of it... Straight into cutting transitions to warm up. ten minutes then quickly onto pad work.

The work begins.

The drills (I'm sure you are going to see a these soon) are designed to maximise your timing in attacking or trapping, making the system of  I.33 simple and instinctive to use.

Making Mr T work the pads.

And that is what we did for the whole session, egging each other on, building the tempo...

Great work, the lesson flew by, we even managed to carry on training when Toby missed the block on two shots, somehow managing to carry on entering and attacking while half folded up in laughter, I think I've figured out why the priest is grinning. An awesome system and awesome students to train with.

I.33 the manual for happy stabbers.

The Sutton class is coming down to train with us in Bromley next week, pick up on how they train, it's harder work, but very rewarding, train hard, see you at the next session. Dave