| Beginner's Classes |
| Beginner's Classes are usually offered beginning late August to early September. New students are introduced to the basics
of swordplay and the School's system of safe stage combat in semi-private lessons. Classes run weekly for approximately
three months and last about an hour. The Intermediate/Advanced Class follows the Beginner's Class, giving new students
the opportunity to observe more advanced topics and choreography. |
| Students begin by learning proper
stance and basic movement for period sword fighting. Next, students will work with a rapier to learn basic
attack and defense. Once these have been learned, students begin to work with one another to understand the concepts
of distance and timing. The final topic covered in the Beginner's Class is the use of a dagger in the offhand.
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- Do I need my own sword and dagger?
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| No. The school has a limited number of rapiers and daggers for
use by new students. However, we encourage every student who intends to continue in the study of sword fighting to
purchase their own sword and dagger. We find it is easier to learn when one consistently has the same blade. Unsure
where to purchase a sword? Ask any of the advanced students! Most can list numerous places to order stock or custom
swords and daggers. |
- Sounds like fun! How do I start?
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| Contact us by email at
info@albionschoole.com.
Once we know you are interested, we can give you more information about when the next set of Beginner's Classes will
commence. |
| Intermediate/Advanced Classes | |
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Once the Beginner's Class is completed,
students can join the Intermediate/Advanced Class. At this point, the student is no longer a beginner and is now
called a "Young Scholar". This is the first step in a ranking system analogous to their historical counterparts.
Young scholars spend much of their time practicing the basic skills from the Beginner's Class, as well as learning
the "Scholar's Routine," a short choreographed sequence performed solo to demonstrate mastery of the basic skills
of rapier-use. |
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| To advance in rank, each scholar has to
master specific choreographed routines and perform them in front of an audience, the Provosts, and the Maestro. Once
a student has reached the rank of "Scholar," they are entitled to wear the Crest of the Albion Schoole of Defense
(right). |
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| Students proceed from the rank of Young Scholar to Scholar, Free Scholar, and finally
Usher, the highest rank acheivable through testing. The rank of Provost is a rank only earned through service and
teaching.
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