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Sword Fighting Classes

Medieval Combat, Brought To Life

Isn’t it everyone’s dream to be a knight in shining armour? Well now you can bring that dream to life, with Blades of Glory Sword Fighting Lessons!

Sword Fighting Classes are available for everyone ages 10 and up, and our goal is to train you to the level that you could become an armoured combat sword fighter in one of our shows. Students will advance through using a polypropylene training sword, to a nylon sparring sword, and eventually to a blunted metal sword as they improve their skills and discipline.

Blades of Glory also offers a level system where you can earn belt flags after successful completion of each weapon / style, which you can hang on your armour during fights to showcase your skill.

2020 classes are now open!

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Things To Know
Locations

100 Dunlay Rd, Hastings, ON K0L 1Y0

Flagstone Court, Oshawa, ON L1K 2Z7

Port Hope – Location TBD

LEsson Times

All lessons last 1.5  to 2 hours

Oshawa:

Adult: Saturdays, 11am to 1pm

Hastings:

Adult: Sundays, 10am-12pm

Port Hope (starting Oct 14)

Wednesdays: 6 to 8pm

 

Price Per Lesson

Adult: $30/lesson + HST

Adult: $100/ 4 lessons + HST

Youth: $25/lesson + HST

Youth: $80/ 4 lessons + HST

Some of the skills you will learn:

1. Safety
You will learn to respect and be safe with a weapon.
2. Stance Work
You will learn footwork, various styles and movement (linear & circular).
3. Endurance
You will learn to pace yourself, so you can fight for 3 minute rounds wearing up to 80 LBS /35 KG of armour.
4. Shield Work
You will learn how to block a sword without thinking, using various shield designs & sizes.
5. Sword Techniques
You will learn various techniques to score points, using both Italian & German Longsword Guards.
6. Sword Control
You will learn how to maintain control over your weapon at all times, using both your left & right hands.
7. Psychology
You will learn self-analysis, analysis of your opponent(s), and what weapon to choose based on what your opponent chooses.
8. Awareness
You will learn to be aware of distance (weapon length, opponent's arm/leg length) and what's going on around you.
9. Thrusting
You will learn how to defend against a thrust - even though thrusting is illegal in MACE rules.
10. Showmanship
You will learn how to do all of the above, all while inspiring the crowd to cheer for you.
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Weapons & Styles

Our experienced combat instructors are trained in a variety of weapon combinations, including swords, axes, polearms, and even some more exotic weapons. Once you’ve learned the basics of sword combat, you’ll be able to branch off and learn more advanced techniques and weapons to give you an edge in Blades of Glory tournaments. Will you become a jack-of-all-trades, or will you train to master a single weapon?

Sword & Heater Shield
A sword used with the classic “Heater” style shield. This shield was used widely in medieval Europe for its light weight and inexpensiveness. Its primary flaw was how exposed it left the legs, though this disadvantage was eliminated by keeping your distance from your opponent.
Round Shield & Weapon
A weapon used with a “Round” style shield. This shield had many variations over the years, and its use changed with its relative size. With smaller, more modern “Buckler” style shields, the main use was parrying and riposte, while larger styles like the “Spartan Bronze Shield” were used for bashing and shield wall tactics.
Axe & Shield
Axes, which were a common sidearm when the more versatile sword wasn’t available, were most popular for their inexpensiveness. The Vikings were particularly famous for using this weapon, and would use them to great effect by getting very close to an enemy with a shield and attacking the unprotected legs.
Longsword
The Longsword was a quick, effective, and versatile weapon capable of thrusts, slices, and cuts. Historically, how the Longsword was used depended greatly on the type of armour the opponent was wearing. With minimal or no armour, slashing attacks were preferred, while against an opponent with chain or plate armour, thrusting attacks were most common.
Sword & Buckler
The Buckler is the more modern evolution of the Bronze Age “Round” style shield. While the original round shields were used for bashing, the Buckler is used for knocking the opponent’s sword away so that you can launch a quick follow-up strike. These shields are very small and lightweight, and while they don’t offer much passive defense, they allow more mobility.
Sword & Dagger
When used with a sword, these “Parrying Daggers” were actually primarily for defense, similar to a “Buckler” style shield. Their purpose was to deflect and “parry” the opponent’s single-handed sword, keeping you safe from strikes and allowing you to execute follow-up attacks with your own sword.
Single-Handed Sword
One of the earliest single-handed swords was the Roman Gladius, which was a straight double-edged weapon with a single-handed hilt. Its use spread widely across Europe, and its design diverged into several different styles. These swords were quick and good for close attacks, but offered little in defense and range. This was made up for by pairing it with a shield.
2 Weapons
While dual-wielding two main weapons was not particularly common in military history, it did happen sometimes. Some famous examples were the Dimachaerus Gladiators of Rome, who used two swords of the same length, and certain Japanese Ronin, who would use both a Katana and a Wakizashi. Many modern martial arts now incorporate two weapons.
Flail
The “Ball-and-Chain” style flail is a shorter weapon typically consisting of a short wooden haft attached to a spherical striking head by a chain. The primary tactical advantage of the flail was that it allowed you to strike around an opponent’s shield or parry. The main drawbacks were the lack of precision and difficulty of use in close combat.
Greatsword
These huge two-handed swords provided a significant weight and power advantage over one-handed swords, and were famously used to combat formations of pikemen (soldiers with spears) in Medieval Europe. These swords were powerful enough to snap the heads off the spears, allowing your army’s own pikemen to charge in safely.
Polearm
Throughout history, polearms were the most common weapons on almost any battlefield. They were cheap, versatile, highly effective, and because they mostly evolved from farm equipment, peasants could be easily trained with them. They were typically designed for three types of uses: thrusting attacks, throwing attacks, and swinging attacks.
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Medieval Armoured Combat Entertainment

Medieval Armoured Combat Entertainment, or MACE, is the set of combat rules that Blades of Glory teaches and fights with. In essence, combatants fight in full armour until the time limit is up. You earn a point whenever you get a solid strike on your opponent’s head, torso, upper arm, or upper leg, and all thrusting and grappling moves are strictly prohibited (for safety)

Three judges will score the match, so they can see and count strikes from different angles.

2020 reservations are now open!

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