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Our School
The Study of European Martial Arts
FROM WHOM ONE MUST LEARN
“You have to know that there are some who quickly, when they have learned a little and yet having little practice of it, place themselves to teach others. They teach without foundation nor rules that are true, nor understand that the knowledge is very different from teaching and that this way of teaching is acquired with length of time. For as the misura and the tempo require great time in order to know them, one who does not know the misura nor tempo and does not have methods of teaching can be called an imperfect giocatore, and one must be warned of learning from them.”
Ridolfo Capo Ferro 1610 – Italian fencing master
In the 20th Century sword play has become a very different entity, mainly to achieve Olympic status; changing the martial art into a sport. The swords, as well as the methods have been adapted to achieve athletic and sporting success – to score points. The weapons and techniques are adapted to the rules as they changed over the years, the grips in particular have become unrecognisable as martial grips; footwork is secondary to speed and gamesmanship. As a result although sports fencing has a great amount of skill and athleticism, it is not a martial art or indeed a real construct of duelling. As a result, European martial arts were all but forgotten.
The Sussex Rapier School (SRS) instructors teach European Martial Arts.
A revival was in the air when a number of Victorian gentleman scholars and fencers rediscovered these arts, by studying and documenting treatises of the earlier masters. Unfortunately, too many of these scholars were killed in the First World War and again these arts went into hibernation.
During the last 20 years there has been an enthusiastic revival all over Europe and the USA of European Martial Arts. As a consequence, now there is a new generation of students and Instructors.
The SRS encourages our students to study the fencing masters who have laid down their thoughts, theories and practices in treatises throughout the centuries. The SRS applies their principles in practice through training exercises and free assault.
The SRS makes these arts relevant to people today, providing an environment for exercising the body and the mind whilst stimulating the intellect.
Instructors Andrew Feest, Duncan Fatz and Lyell Drummond are BFHS Certified Instructors who teach an ever evolving systems to their students. The systems we teach are in preparation for the duel as if the weapons were sharp, to touch without being touched, to offend in the defence.
Two Regular classes are held each week on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Occasional weekend workshops are arranged and presented by SRS teachers and invited national and international instructors.
“The truth is arranged in the precepts of fencing. They should not be measured according to the ignorance of some, who teach and write from the long use of weapons that they have and not through the science. Therefore most of the time they make a reasoned case from an inkling of substance, confusing the foolish with sugar and 'talking nineteen to the dozen'. Yet it should be judged on its own and restricted to the truth of its nature.”
Ridolfo Capo Ferro 1610 Italian fencing master
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