Forte Swordplay in conjunction with Schola Saint George Boston is pleased to present...

The Next Boston Sword Gathering: December 2009

When: Sunday, 12/13 from noon - 6ish (details below)
Where: 57 Stanley Ave, Watertown, MA (directions below)
How much: just $10 per person to participate with RSVP, classes and all!
To attend: please RSVP at by clicking and entering your name here.
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The BSG is an ongoing series of events where sword (and other weapon) practitioners gather every few months in the Greater Boston area to cross blades, share training ideas, and enjoy the camaraderie that comes from enjoying the pursuit of swordplay and the Western martial arts (WMA).  If you are interested in seeing practical swordplay in action, please come check us out! 

As a preview, a few clips of sparring from our last event in August, hosted by the Academy of Knightly Arts:
See below for Schedule and Event descriptions, as well as details on Equipment guidelines and Directions to the event . 

Please come join us in celebrating both swordplay and the end of 2009 with an awesome WMA event! 

Best Regards,

Jeff Tsay
Founder and Host
Forte Swordplay

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Schedule
  • 12-1p  Free play
  • 1-2p  Workshop: sword wrestlings
  • 2-3p  Free play
  • 3-4p  Workshop: sword grabs/disarms
  • 4-6p  Tourney development
  • 6p+  Post-event dinner

Event descriptions

Free play
These are open periods where the floor is open for participants to cross blades with anyone they can convice!  Rules to be agreed upon by opponents, though all participants are expected to hold control and safety as the highest priorities. 

Workshop: sword wrestlings
A continuation of concepts presented by Jeremy Oneail of the Academy of Knightly arts in August, this workshop will give participants a chance to review this material (or be exposed to it for the first time) before an introduction to additional wrestlings with the opponent from the German tradition.  This will be followed by some general training scenarios that will give participants a chance to try out these various wrestlings in an instructive environment, where participants can practice at their own pace and demonstrate the level of control they are capable of.  Assuming this goes well, these techniques may then be used during the Tourney development (see below). 

Workshop: sword grabs/disarms
Similar to the wrestlings above, the focus will be less on wrestling with the opponent and more on how to control the opponent's weapon.  Techniques will be based on material from the German tradition (drawn specifically from the Wallerstein codex of c.1470).  Theory will again be followed by general training scenarios to allow participants to try these out in a controlled environment, and if all goes well, again these techniques may then be used during the Tourney development (see below). 

Tourney development
Here's where participants get to simultaneously practice swordplay while contributing to the development of practical competitive WMA!  This is an ongoing effort to test and vet various tourney rules to see what works welland what needs improvement.  Details on specific rules will be provided at the event, though questions are welcome at jeff@forteswordplay.com.  Basic equipment guidelines can be found below.  


Equipment
Required:
Protective gear: head protection (e.g. fencing mask), hand protection (e.g. LAX gloves), groin protection for men
Weapons: modified shinai, steel federschwert
Recommended:
Protective gear: arm/forearm/elbow protection, knee protection, mouth guard (if you wish to grapple)
Weapons: anything else you'd like to play with -- please send questions/requests to jeff@forteswordplay.com


Directions
The venue for the event is at 57 Stanley Ave, Watertown, MA -- look for a big red brick school.‎  Click here for directions off of I-95.  (If you're coming elsewhere, you're on your own!)  Note from co-host Schola Saint George: despite what Google Maps says, you can only reach Stanley Ave from Waltham St, not Pleasant St.