Chivalry Today

Warrior Dodgeball might be the best thing about Warrior Camp! We aren’t sure if the kids or the coaches love it more, but we do know that we look forward to it all year.

It’s not too late to join in on the chaos, we have another camp last week of July at LionHeart Academy!

Warrior Dodgeball might be the best thing about Warrior Camp! We aren’t sure if the kids or the coaches love it more, but we do know that we look forward to it all year. It’s not too late to join in on the chaos, we have another camp last week of July! #lionheartacademy #fencing #summercamp #lidscamp #sandiego #sd #elcajon #santee #lamesa

We have some exciting news! The has invited Chivalry Today back to take part in the festivities for their upcoming exhibition, “Play and Pastimes in the Middle Ages”.
We had a wonderful time last year and can’t wait to see what they have in store!

If you missed us last year and want to find out Patrick has to say about Scott “helping” him to the ground we encourage you to come on over!

We’ll be there June 25th, July 16th, and July 30th, but if you can’t make it in those days the exhibition opens today and runs through August 6th.

2nd Annual Medieval Mini Fest coming soon!

gave us a preview of the Viking shield workshop that he will be teaching this summer. Today’s lesson included discussions on how we currently believe Viking shields were (and were not) used, how to appropriately handle the shield, binding, footwork, body mechanics, and the concept of using the shield as a weapon.
It was an illuminating class and a heck of a work out! We’re looking forward to the workshop!

Kicked off the new year with a little drilling and a little sparring with the poleaxe over today.

Seven days and counting until our next introductory course at LionHeart Fencing Academy in El Cajon!

It’s that time of the year again! We are back with our introductory course Longsword 101! This is the foundational course in which students learn basic foot work, cuts, turning of the sword, winding, and more! The class sets students up to join the intermediate class.
This round will be taught by one of our head coaches, Richard Orazi. Richard has over a decade of experience in this art and is a skilled educator.

No prior experience or equipment is necessary. We provide the sword. Students only need to wear athletic clothing and shoes and bring water and a smile!

Hope to see you all there! Link in the bio.

We can’t believe it’s just a few days away! First demo is Sunday!

The has asked us to take part in the festivities for their “Fantasy of the Middle Ages” exhibition which explores historical and contemporary views of the the medieval period and how it has inspired and fascinated generations in the centuries that have followed.

We will be doing a series of armored and unarmored fighting demonstrations, Q&A sessions, and giving YOU the chance to get your hands on some real armor.

Demonstrations are on July 24th and August 14th at The Getty Center from 11-3. Reserve your free tickets using the link in our bio. We’re looking forward to seeing you all there!

The Fantasy of the Middle Ages The castles, knights, battles, and imaginary creatures of the Middle Ages perpetually inspire art, literature, photography, film, and reenactment. These later fantasy works blend historical source material with legendary or magical elements to create memorable characters, creatures, and cultures. Th...

Feeling tired? Take a break and join us at the this Sunday July 24th! The Getty has asked us to take part in the festivities for their “Fantasy of the Middle Ages” exhibition which explores historical and contemporary views of the the medieval period and how it has inspired and fascinated generations in the centuries that have followed.

We will be doing a series of armored and unarmored fighting demonstrations, Q&A sessions, and giving YOU the chance to get your hands on some real armor.

Demonstrations are on July 24th and August 14th at The Getty Center. Reserve your free tickets using the link in our bio. We’re looking forward to seeing you all there!

Bringing Medieval History to Santee
In May Chivalry Today was part of the “Mini Medieval Fest” put on by the Santee Historical Society. Our knights in armor, and longsword fencers, were part of a wonderful day of medieval activities, and more than 200 attendees came to enjoy our demonstration of historical swordplay.
We are looking forward to putting on a similar demonstration for the Getty Center in July and August, as part of their “Fantasy and the Middle Ages” manuscript exhibition.
Anyone interested in learning the art of medieval longsword fencing (armor optional!) can join in our weekly training classes at LionHeart Academy by checking out our website: www.SanDiegoLongsword.com.

Historical Society Medieval Mini Fest 2022 Recap Historical Society Medieval Mini Fest 2022 Recap

The Santee Historical Society had us out for a demonstration at their first annual Medieval Festival. The San Diego East County Community Times was there to report on the event and snapped a few photos, which was pretty darned cool. As much as we love the travel, it was really nice to do a demonstration right here in our own community.
The Santee Historical Society is wonderful community resource that is committed to preserving local history. I highly recommend stopping by the barn to learn a little about Santee and to say hello to the wonderful folks who run the organization.

The East County Community Times is a must if you’re looking to stay informed about the wonderful events happening in our communities.

One of our favorite podcast guests has been Elizabeth Morrison, curator of manuscripts at the renowned Getty Center, and all-around knowledgable expert on medieval art and literature. Well now, to her resume, you can add "novelist" as her first book, The Lawless Land, premiers this month!
The medieval adventure story is bound to be filled with all manner of intriguing historical detail, including swordplay and chivalric ideals. This is a great book to add to your summer reading list!

The Lawless Land (Tales of the Lawless Land Book 1) The Lawless Land (Tales of the Lawless Land Book 1)

Back in 2018 at the Knights in Armor exhibition. It was so much fun fighting and answering questions about medieval history. I have a feeling someone must have asked us a fairly amusing question when this photo was taken.

Looking for a new and interesting hobby but not quite up to armwrestling The Mountain or grappling with Conan the Barbarian? No worries! While the Hollywood image of Henry Cavill wielding a 10-pound chunk of steel is an exciting cinematic image (we enjoyed “The Witcher” as much as anyone!) the historical art of fighting with the longsword is surprisingly complex and subtle. The great master of this art stated that the successful swords-person “fights strength with weakness and weakness with strength”.

This course provides detailed instruction in the basic elements of dueling/fencing with the longsword - it’s a great place for beginners to start their practice of any medieval fencing art, and also an effective way for experienced fencers to get a deeper understanding of basic fencing mechanics.

Follow the link for more information and to sign up!

https://sdlsonline.simplero.com/products/127099-Introduction-to-Fighting-with-the

Winding up to take his shot!!! The opposing yeoman are out of range for a block and, as you can see, number 23 on the right, is discretely prepared with a back up ball in case they miss youth coach Reece!

Join us for our next day camp, July 5-9 !

Contact the club directly at 619-462-2027 to sign up or check out the link in our bio for more details!

Kids and l coaches come together for a game of warrior dodge ball.
This game is completely different from its (painful) predecessor and encourages team work and honor over bullying.

How?
1. A new “warrior class” with different abilities is introduced each day. For example, knights can get hit twice before they’re down. Medics can heal downed teammates, for the price of two balls. Campers can also be shieldmen and spearman! Running low on standing teammates? Hire a Landsknechte (I.e. a coach) by sacrificing two balls. But be careful not to get hit on your way over! Choose your team configuration wisely so that your team is well balanced.
2. You may be down, but you’re not completely out! Kids who get hit stay in the game and with their team as yeomen. They pick a spot on the floor and kneel. They can still throw balls at the other team, so be sure to roll some their way. Strategic use of yeomen can win or lose the game.
3. We play with balls that are specifically designed for dodgeball, unlike those outdated rubber balls that hurt. You can fling the new foam balls pretty efficiently across the room, but getting hit with them won’t phase you. Our coaches can tell you from personal experience that the accidental close range hit to the face isn’t comfortable, but it isn’t painful either. We still recommend taking off your glasses though.
4. Teams are picked by coaches to maintain a careful balance in skill level. This keeps the game challenging and the the competition friendly. Also, no more being picked last.

If this sounds like something your kiddo would enjoy consider joining us for our next camp at starting July 5th! Reach out to them directly to sign up!

Warrior camp one of four! We’ve got a great group of campers this week! Here they’re learning the basics of Longsword as they prepare for one-on-one bouting.
In our bouts, students call it their partner’s blows against them; meaning they let us, the coaches know, when their partner has scored a point against them. You might think this is a recipe for argument but the truth of the matter is it teaches children the importance of honesty while proving them with the opportunity to practice and display their integrity. Throughout the years we’ve seen all of our campers rise to this challenge and behave with honor while bringing their best fight to the field.
Join us for our next camps this summer!
July 5-9
July 12-16
July 19-23

Contact the club of your choice to sign up!

https://www.lionheartsandiego.com
http://teamtouche.com

Warrior camp is back!!!!!

In this week-long day-camp, teens get to unleash their inner champions, heroes, and knights-in-shining-armor! Participants will get an up close look at replica historical arms and armor; learn tactics and teamwork with a crew of friendly coaches; and band together in a series of challenging, energetic melee-games that will put their teamwork to the test - all while learning about the ideals of the “warrior’s code” of honor and chivalry.

Register at one of our two locations now to get your tween or teen involved in the fun and excitement of Warrior Camp!

Camp1: June 21-25, 2021 at Team Touche Fencing Center

Camp 2: July 5-9, 2021 at LionHeart Academy

Camp 3: July 12-16, 2021 at LionHeart Academy

Camp 4: July 19-23, 2021 at Team Touche Fencing Center

Scott winds over the weak of Kate’s spear and thrusts to the aventail.

The mordschlag: dramatic, effective, and a little bit tricky to pull off.
Unless you’re Scott. If you’re Scott it’s just another Wednesday. 😝

The mordschlag is effective enough that we have to be a bit gentle when employing it, even with our steel helmets. A concussion, even a little one, is a TBI. There were other styles of helmet out there which were more concussion proof, however, like most things in the world of armor, when you add protection you lose mobility and vision.

Unsurprisingly, the mordschlag, like all medieval combat, is pretty effective. There are many techniques in the manuscripts that we cannot safely recreate in free play or otherwise.

We cannot wait until we get to see our friends Jen Landels, Devon Boorman, Greg Mele and Sean Hayes in person again.

But in the meantime we are excited that we’ll be collaborating with them on this amazing one day virtual workshop THIS Saturday!

The theme of the five classes offered is is movement. Devon is going to teach us how to masterfully control the fight using measure to manipulate our opponent. Sean will break down one of the most finicky techniques in the manuscripts, the mezzani and zwerchau. Greg teaches how to “walk dangerously”. Jen will focus on muscle isolations (not easy) to better communicate with your horse. Finally, Scott teaches cross weaponry foundations with the sword, pollax, and messer!

Go to universityofthesword.com for more info!

A throwback to the pre-pandemic days! We miss having all of favorite people in one room but are hopeful that with the vaccine we will be able to practice all together again in the future!

We are doing in person learning but with considerable safety measures in place. Cloth masks, class size limits, open rolling doors, and outside whenever possible!

If you’re waiting to come back, what’s the best thing you can do to prep for in person learning? Foot work, foot work, foot work! Practice stepping off line so much that you have to think about not doing it when moving around normally.

Solo drills in the mirror are incredibly useful too, however, if you really want to see improvements via solo work you’ll need to visualize what your sparring or drilling partner should be doing in that moment. That is not an easy practice as it takes a certain amount of mindfulness and imagination!

And of course we have the video library and an in person zoom class available for those who wish to join via a membership.

Exactly how many people does it take to help you put on all that armor?

We need at least one other person, but two is preferable.

We cannot put on our maille standards, cuirasses (body armor), arms, or spaudlers/pauldrons (shoulder armor) by ourselves. Oh and it’s a 45 minute process at minimum when you’re really moving. We could probably do it in less if we weren’t prone to forgetting things, like maille standards, when we’re in a hurry!

We also cannot easily/reasonably take it off on our own. did it once, but it took some luck, pliers (to grab the laces behind her arms) and flexibility. She said she wouldn’t want to do it again. Most kits wouldn’t allow it.

So, be especially thankful to your squires. Especially when they’re nice enough to help you wipe down your sweaty armor!

On March 20th the Chivalry Today team will participate in an amazing day long virtual workshop with University of the Sword. Instructors include Devon Boorman, Sean W. Hayes, JM Landels Greg Mele of the Chicago Sword Play Guild, and our very own Scott Farrell. Our friend and fellow instructor JM Landels, pictured here, will be teaching the section on fighting from horseback. She is just one of FIVE instructors participating in the workshop!

Read below for a full description of Jen’s class and stay tuned for more descriptions and photos of what you can expect from the University of the Sword!

The cost of the workshop is $75 but if you join the mailing list we’ll provide a $25 discount! Go to universityofthesword.com to sign up!

Course Description:
When fighting from horseback it is vital to be able to move parts of your body in isolation from the rest. Inadvertent movements of the legs and hips can send your horse in unexpected directions. You can’t rely on your full body to power your cuts, and must generate force from small groups of specific muscles. In this workshop, Jen will take you through a workout designed to target precise muscles and improve your ability to isolate and control your arms, shoulders, waist, hips, and legs. This routine is not just valuable for riders -- it will help you improve your point control, feints, and deceptive fight strategies as well.

Zach rocking it by fighting in a true Germanic fashion- taking the center and never giving it up!

I have to take a minute to brag on our students who are all fantastic people and training partners.
Being a good training partner means that you don’t try to “win” during a drill or exercise. It also means you’re probably going to get hit in the face a lot... as Scott is demonstrating here.
If you’re doing it right you will apply the technique correctly (but you’d better mean it)so that your partner can respond with the targeted skill.
For example, if the target skill is to apply a scheilhau in response to a thrust, the partner thrusting does so with the appropriate technique (unless otherwise specified) AND actually tries to hit you. The partner does not try to counter. At least not until you’re working on counters. 😉

So bravo to our students and ALL the good training partners out there. This is a great community!

Want to learn the knightly art of historic fencing?

Join us at LionHeart Academy for an introductory course in fighting with the longsword!

Class starts March 4th at 4:30pm and meets weekly for four sessions.

Follow the link to reserve your space now!

https://sdlsonline.simplero.com/products/124760-Intro-to-Medieval-Longsword-Fencing

A new round of our introductory longsword course starts next week! Sign up now to reserve your space!

Intro to Medieval Longsword Fencing THIS SESSION: 3/4, 3/11, 3/18/, 3/25 from 4:30 - 5:30 pm Join Chivalry Today/San Diego Longsword’s historical fencing team for a four-week wor...

The pumpkins are more festive and often more informative but the photos from the recycled milk jugs tend to be far more dramatic.

Which would you cut?

More pumpkin “carving” from the weekend! Anthony got some very nice cuts in with Shannon’s Henry replica.

We’re starting another round of longsword 101 at Team Touche Fencing Center on November 1st. Work off some Halloween candy and join in on the class that will build your foundational knowledge as you pursue mastery in the historic fighting arts!

Hey San Diegans!
We’re starting another round of our in person introductory course, longsword 101, on Oct 1st.
This course introduces students to the fundamental mechanics of sword work and lays the foundation needed for this exciting, but surprisingly zen like martial art.

If you’re interested sign up please follow the link. Spaces are limited so you will need to reserve yours ahead of time.
You can also email us at [email protected] with any questions or text/call 619-307-9153.

See you LionHeart Academy!


https://sdlsonline.simplero.com/products/114440-Introduction-to-Longsword

Life a little too tense? Pick up a Longsword and start your journey into the surprisingly zen like art of historical fencing! Support a small local business, have fun, make new friends and get a little exercise with your new unique hobby.

Our next round of introductory classes starts Thursday, October 1st.
Class meets at 4:30pm .

Registration is required in advance.

This is a four week course in which each lesson builds upon the previous. Don’t miss your chance to get started! Contact us at [email protected] or 619-742-2315.

Hey folks,
Understandably, our host studios are struggling in these dark days due to low attendance numbers. If you are able, please consider taking an online class, taking an in person class, or donating to Lionheart's gofundme campaign (you can also reach out directly to lionheart to make a donation if you do not wish to use gofundme). Remember, taking a class with us supports LionHeart. So if fencing and archery are not your thing, there are still ways to support.
LionHeart has been an amazing host school and partner to Chivalry Today and SDLS over the years. Any help you can offer is appreciated.

Help Save LionHeart, organized by Isabel Shih Dear fencing friends, We’re writing to you as former students of LionHeart Academy. While it has been… Isabel Shih needs your support for Help Save LionHeart