[MR] [MR]Bob Charron brings dei Liberi to Washington DC

[Karen]

... well to be precise, George Mason University Fairfax Campus.
Fiore dei Liberi, master of medieval combat, established a
comprehensive fighting system for the medieval warrior. And Bob
Charron's two day seminar on this great master's work is without
parallel.
Dates for the event: Saturday March 2nd and Sunday March 3rd.
The cost = $50.00 if pre-registered by February 15th, $60.00
thereafter or at the door.
The seminar is hosted jointly by the Mid-Atlantic Society for
Historic Swordsmanship (MASHS) and the International Order of the
Sword and Pen (IOSP). This will be an exciting hands-on event, the
venue is excellent, and the cost is extremely reasonable. So if
you're in the Washington DC area, Maryland, Virginia, or the
nearby states, plan to attend. This is not an SCA event, nor stage
combat, but an historical study of dei Liberi's martial art.
For more detail, and pre-registration information, e-mail the sponsor
directly at LVITOM at aol.com Include your mailing address in your e-mail
for a brochure.
Larry Tom
Founder
Mid-Atlantic Society for
Historic Swordsmanship
The Fior di Battaglia (Flos Duellatorum): Masterwork of Fiore dei Liberi "
A Two Day Seminar
The Material:
Fiore dei Liberi was born in Northern Italy 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
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 Seminar:
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 Hand 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
Armored Combat