New Zealand Sword Symposium

Christchurch 2021

"He who is still, is dead, he who moves will live.” - Liechtenauer

About the NZ Sword Symposium

At the New Zealand Sword Symposium, learn about and participate in swordplay and historic martial arts. This event brings together the finest instructors in historic sword fighting and martial arts, from New Zealand and the world.

Classes will include:

  • Swords fighting techniques from across western Europe
  • Other historic weapons forms
  • Opportunity for period combat in various styles (HMB,HEMA, SCA)
  • Period Eastern archery
  • Period wrestling and close fighting

We will also feature:

  • Full-time archery range
  • Combat arenas for casual bouting and competition

The Symposium is held in the forest setting of Brookfields Scout Camp, Wainuiomata. This is 45 minutes from central Wellington, New Zealand.

The NZ Sword Symposium is a not-for-profit, style agnostic, teaching event.  It aims to bring martial artists, re-enactors, historians, and medieval combat enthusiasts together with some of the world’s best instructors for 3 days of classes and practical lessons.

The Symposium is run independent of any individual group or affiliated sport.  This is so everyone from HMB fighters to LARP participants can feel welcome and encouraged to come and learn.

Sponsored by The Red Knight

Proudly sponsored by THE RED KNIGHT – New Zealand’s best off-the-shelf supplies for historical re-enactment

REGISTER

Register ASAP to get the classes you want

We can register up to 100 people. Book and pay early to get priority placement in classes. We will do our best to get everyone into the classes they want, but class sizes do have limits. Late registrants may not get their full choice of classes.

Combat classes are for authorized combatants

To participate in combat classes, you must be an authorised combatant in your own group. You must meet a minimum standard of armour and weapons calibration/control. Sorry FCMC/HMB folks, you cannot go full out in this one except with your own people!

Catering Provided

Full catering is provided (10 meals) and included with registration. This is from Friday dinner to Monday lunch. Please bring your own eating kit. Our catering can work with some dietary restrictions. Please let us know ASAP after booking so we can accommodate your needs.

VENUE

Brookfield Scout Camp

562 Moore’s Valley Road

Wainuiomata, New Zealand

Brookfields Scout Camp is in a striking forest setting, approximately 45 minutes from central Wellington. Add extra time to drive to Brookfields during rush hour.

To reach us from the airport, we recommend booking the Super Shuttle service.

What your booking includes and what you need to bring

All bookings include camp bunkroom accommodation, parking, and use of kitchens.

Camp sites are also available.

You must bring your own bedding, towels, and eating kit.

You can self-cater in the kitchens. If you have a dietary requirement, we recommend bringing everything you need.  There is a Countdown grocery store in Wainuiomata, about 20 minutes away from the Brookfields venue.

PRESENTERS

We are confirming our presenter list and will have more details soon.

Richard Cullinan
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Richard Cullinan

Stoccata School of Defence, Australia

Colin McKinstry
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Colin McKinstry

New Zealand School of European Martial Arts

Callum Forbes
plus

Callum Forbes

Upper Hutt Hapkido Academy, New Zealand

Guy Windsor
plus

Guy Windsor

The School of European Swordsmanship

Mike O’Hara
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Mike O’Hara

New Zealand School of European Martial Arts

Bede Dwyer
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Bede Dwyer

Archery Expert, Sydney, Australia

Eric Myers
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Eric Myers

Sacramento Sword School, Sacramento, CA, USA

Eduard Sadrutdinov
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Eduard Sadrutdinov

PROGRAM

We are developing our program and will have a full version soon.

Venue opens for attendees

Attendees are welcome to enter our venue, Brookfield Outdoor Education Centre. Take some time to unpack your gear and meet your bunkmates.

60min

Dinner hour

An hour for dinner.

45min

Saturday Activities

Sessions, training, fighting, eating - a good time for all. HMB - List opens and Training session 1 begins 10am

8 hours

Saloon B

Intermediate

Introduction to La Verdadera Destreza

Instructor: Eric Myers
450 years ago Jerónimo Sánchez de Carranza wrote his seminal work Philosophia de las armas y de su destreza. In this work he brought philosophy and practice together to present fencing as a pursuit worthy of the educated, and therefore respectable.  Later, Luis Pacheco de Narváez would build on this work and found the main school of Destreza, which would last until the beginning of the 19th century.
This class will cover the fundamentals of Pachequista fencing technique, and the Carrancista principles behind them.

Required gear:  Mask, jacket, and gloves.  Sidesword or rapier

 

3hrs

Main Field

Beginner/Intermediate

Day 1 HMB – Buhurt fundamentals

Day 1 - Buhurt Fundamentals - working on the basics of HMB fighting suitable for all disciplines Will be a mix of instructor led training, drill and instructor observed and guided free fighting Break for Lunch a 13.00

All Day

Buhurt Area

All

Lecture: The Tactical Use of Horse Archery

Instructor - Bede Dwyer   Describing how horse archery was used in real combat, why it was sometimes ineffective, and changes over time.

2hrs

Maree Lodge

All

The biomechanics, combat theory, principals and fundamentals of Liechtenauer longsword.

Instructor: Colin McKinstry   Johannes Liechtenauer was a Fencing Master in the Holy Roman Empire who is believed to have taught his art in the late 14th century. He left behind a Zettel (coded poetry of his system). Numerous of his student descendants would expound upon this Zettel. His system would last into the 17th century.   These student descendants would form fencing guilds and would eventually be granted monopoly status. As such, Liechtenauer’s system would have a huge impact on the fighting arts of what we call Germany.   I will be presenting my latest interpretation of this system that attempts to match the written instructions with the visual representations more closely, including resolving the close foot distance between antagonists.   I will be going over the biomechanics, combat theory, principals and fundamentals of Liechtenauer longsword techniques.   Required equipment: fencing mask, longsword and ideally a padded jacke

2hrs

Main Field

Beginner/Intermediate

Swordsmanship Fundamentals: Mechanics

Instructor: Guy Windsor One of the hallmarks of an expert martial artist is graceful powerful movement. We will cover the principles of grounding, range of motion, strength, gait, initiation, and footwork. These can be applied to striking harder, moving faster, reducing wear and tear, reducing the likelihood of injury, winning fencing matches, or simply looking and feeling good. You will end the class with a clear idea of what you should be working on, and how to go about doing that, as well as a series of exercises to improve your mechanics. This class will focus on unarmed movement, as grip and striking mechanics deserve a class of their own…

2hrs

Fletcher Hall

Beginner/Intermediate

Practical Archery 1

With Bede Dwyer Practical Archery focusing on drawing from the quiver, shooting from unusual positions, speed of shooting and follow through.

2hrs

Archery Range

All

An Introduction to LARP Combat

Instructor: Hayden Parks Rulesets, weapons and what it offers combatant

90min

Main Field

Sunday Activities

More fighting, food, and fun! HMB - List opens and Training session 2 begins 10am

8 hours

Introduction to Classical Italian Sabre

Instructor: Eric Myers

Italian saber burst into the European scene in the 19th century, and quickly became famous for its speed and power.  In this class we will cover some fundamentals of classical Italian saber, and then explore several iconic elements of the system, such as circular cuts, actions on the blade, and expulsions.  Students should be comfortable with the lunge and also have some experience with cutting styles of swordsmanship.

Required gear:  Mask, jacket, and glove.  Also a training saber of some kind: modern sport sabers, Hanwei Pecoraro or Radaelli style sabers, and other manufacturer’s sabers intended for fencing are fine.

 

2hr

Main Field

Beginner/Intermediate

Sword Striking Mechanics

Instructor: Guy Windsor The sword is a labour saving device. If you are holding it correctly, and moving correctly, you can deliver extraordinary force with very little effort. In this class we will study the ways of holding the sword to create the optimal interface with the weapon, and cover how to hit hard (ideal for killing your enemies), and how to hit very fast without impact (ideal for fencing your friends). I strongly recommend taking the Fundamentals: Mechanics class first, as we will be using the same principles. If time allows we will also cover applying these mechanics in controlling the bind. This class is appropriate for any and every kind of sword. It is easiest to learn with a longsword or messer, but rapiers, smallswords, backswords, sabres and so on all follow the same rules. You will need a sword and a mask

2hrs

Parade Ground

Beginner/Intermediate

Day 2 Buhurt = Profight and 1v1

How to make the most out of your ProFight and 1v1 experience Mix of drills and instructor led exercises with practice bouting After lunch will be combat in pairs working on the lessons with instructor guidance Some competition may occur later in the day if time and energy levels allow

All Day

Buhurt Area

Lecture: Arrows in War

Describing the types of arrowheads and arrows used in warfare, concentrating on adaptions to changing armour, different ranges used for special purposes, and effectiveness.

2hrs

Maree Lodge

All

Bolognese Polearms – an introduction

Instructor: Richard Cullinan, Stoccata School of Defence Weapons covered: partisan, ronca, speido and javelin Equipment requirements: Mask, gloves (padded gloves recommended, pole / staff of around 2.4 – 2.7 m Required Experience: Beginner students The treatises of Antonio Manciolino (Opera Nova, 1531) and Achille Marozzo (Opera Nova, 1536) both provide detailed instruction on the use of polearms such as partisan, ronca, speido and javelin. These weapons are all taught using a common framework with small variations in their use due to the different polearm heads. This class will focus on the common actions for all polearms, with some brief exploration of how the differing polearm types may be used.

2hrs

Parade Ground

Beginner

Practical Archery 2

With Bede Dwyer Practical Archery focusing on drawing from the quiver, shooting from unusual positions, speed of shooting and follow through.

2hrs

Archery Range

All

Kata for the Highland Broadsword – Angelo style

With Shihan Mike O'hara A common Complaint is "Western Martial Arts doesn't have Kata" using the work of Angelo, Mike will explore a form of Highland Broadsword similar to Kata and suitable for learning by 2 people Some wasters will be available

2hrs

Parade Ground 2

All

Introduction to South African Close Quarter Edged Weapon Combatives

 Instructor: Maarten Bazuin South Africa has a rich and varied edged weapons culture, from the Cape knife culture which is derived from the Silat the Malay brought with them in the days of the Dutch colony, to the spear and stick arts of the Swazi and Zulu tribes. In more modern times the infamous numbers gangs developed a very distinctive knife fighting style which has become common amongst the criminal element which makes South Africa so dangerous today. We’ll also work through some of the close quarter combatives taught to select units of the South African Defence Force back in the day. Padded or fencing jacket and forearm protection recommended. If you have a knife simulator and eye protection or a mask this would be useful as well, but I will bring some from our club. Required Experience: Beginner students

90mins

Fletcher Hall

Beginner

Monday Classes

Final Days Programme of fun and activities HMB - List opens and Training session 3 begins 10am   Event Closes 5pm

45min

Saloon A

Beginner

Introduction to the Montante

Instructor: Eric Myers

The two-handed sword saw active use through the greater part of three centuries, and was renowned for its effectiveness against multiple opponents. This class will sample the works of several different Spanish and Portuguese masters from the late 15th through the late 17th centuries, but will focus on the Memorial of the Practice of the Montante by Diogo Gomes de Figueiredo. Class will include basic skill building plays to integrate the movements of sword and body and then proceed to context or tactical plays, designed to address situations of encounters on the street, in narrow passageways, defending a person or place, etc.

Required gear:  a montante or spadone trainer is ideal, but a 170-175cm/66-68” staff will work in a pinch.

 

90min

Main Field

Beginner/Intermediate

An Introduction to Bolognese Fencing

An Introduction to Bolognese Fencing Instructor: Richard Cullinan, Stoccata School of Defence Weapons covered:  sword, dagger Equipment requirements:  Mask, gloves sword (34"-37" blade length), and a dagger simulator. Fencing jacket and forearm protection recommended. Required Experience: Beginner students

Bolognese fencing is a system built around the art of provocation, so that the fencer can hit their opponent in safety without being hit. This class will focus on the use of the single handed sword to explore the various provocations described by Manciolino and Marozzo in their treatises; and how we can use them successfully. We will also round out the class with some work with the use of the Bolognese dagger as described by Marozzo, showing how these provocation principles are universal in Bolognese fencing across all weapon

2hrs

Fletcher Hall

Beginner

Day 3 Burhurt – team fighting

Solid day of working with teams, working on practical mixed fight tactics, techniques and team work

All Day

Buhurt Area

Open Archery Range – free shoot and competition

The range will be open, the masters present and there may even be a prize or two on offer So come and shoot, share learnings and just enjoy

5 hrs

Archery Range

All

Problem Solving for the Rapier

Instructor: Guy Windsor   In this class we will cover how to identify and correct problems with your rapier fencing. The problems may vary, but the process is the same: run a diagnostic, fix the weakest link, run the diagnostic again. How do we fix the weakest link? Come to the class to find out… You will need a rapier and a mask.

2hrs

Fletcher Hall

All

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