swinging swords

Pas d'armes, April 14, 2012

2012-01-31T09:33:00.000-08:00

AEMMA is hosting its 5th annual armoured pas d'armes on Saturday, April 14th, 2012. The event will be held at the salle d'armes on the 2nd floor of 927 Dupont St. (near the intersection of Dupont and Ossington). The day will begin in the morning with the arrival of the combatants, repairs to their harness if needed, coffee & pastries for the volunteers and combatants. The bouts are scheduled to begin approximately 1pm and will continue till around 5pm. Visitors are welcomed to spectate, and ask that a "cover charge" of $10 per person be contributed to AEMMA to help support the cost of hosting such an event.After the bouts are concluded, the salle will be transformed into a dining venue with great food, pot-luck and other culinary delights.

Details on the event can be found by visiting the AEMMA website by clicking pas d'armes announcement. As more details and personnel are added to the event, the web pages will be updated to reflect these changes.

Bow Making Course returns in 2012!

2012-01-14T07:02:00.000-08:00

The ever popular bow making course, instructed by Paul Micallef returns with its first instance this month, beginning on Jan 22nd for 6 weeks, concluding Saturday, Feb 25. The first three classes fall on the Sundays, Jan 22 & 29, Feb 5th, with the final three classes on the three consecutive Saturdays beginning with Feb 11 through to the 25th.

The course details:

the course consists of six classes; each class is 2 hours long
includes detailed instruction with lots of individual coaching
students must supply: a spokeshave, a round file, and sandpaper
no previous woodworking experience is needed
students can complete a longbow valued at over $200 retail
students will also learn how to make traditional bowstrings

Course fee: $200, which includes all materials, Registration and payment of fees (cash or cheque only) will take place just before the first class.

For more information on the course or to register, contact Paul Micallef with archery@aemma.org.

AEMMA Bow Making Course

2011-09-14T18:16:00.001-07:00

AEMMA is happy to introduce a bow-making course, instructed by Paul Micallef. Students taking the classes will learn the bowyer's craft and make their own traditional longbow. There will be six Sunday classes, each class being 2 hours long. All materials (bowstaves & bowstring) are included in the low fee of $200. Students must supply a few basic tools including a sharp knife, a spokeshave, round file and sandpaper. The final product is a longbow which would retail for approx. $200. Courses begin on Oct 16 to Nov 20, 2011 between 3pm and 5pm. Contact Paul by clicking here.

Paul organizes and instructs the AEMMA archery group and the Royal Ontario Museum Mediaeval Longbow course. He still takes great pleasure in experimenting with and building primitive and mediaeval archery tackle. Paul helped start two archery clubs in BC and also gave seminars showing camp instructors how to teach archery. By then, Paul was an experienced woodworker, yet he found making archery tackle still pleasantly challenging.

How a man shall be armed...

2011-07-19T04:57:00.001-07:00

David M. Cvet, President and Founder of AEMMA, delivered the very popular "How a man shall be armed in the 14th century" to a largely Slovenian audience at Dom Lipa Auditorium, 52 Neilson Dr, Toronto, a senior care facility catering to Slovenian elders on Sunday (Mother's Day), May 8 at 3pm. The audience was comprised approximately 1/2 by patients in the facility, and the other 1/2 by members of Slovenski Dom. Slovenski Dom is an association of members of Slovenian descent, which promotes and preserves Slovenian culture through hosting and organizing social, sport and charitable events and activities.

The presentation began with a powerpoint presentation introducing some mediaeval history of the Slovenian region, followed by the history of Slovenian heraldry and the state of Slovenian heraldry today. This was followed by the popular "How a man shall be armed...". Questions were fielded in both English and Slovenian. It was well received, most never having experienced anything like this form of presentation before.

Destreza: a reintroduction to Spanish swordsmanship

2011-03-23T14:48:00.000-07:00

Maestro Ramón Martinez of the Martinez Academy in New York, will be coming to AEMMA to give a weekend workshop on Spanish Swordsmanship, la Verdadera Destreza, at the Fighting Arts Collective on Dupont St, May 14-15th. This workshop will pick up where the last workshop left off after last year's workshop in April, 2010, and as such, it will be generally reserved for three kinds of students of the art: 1) those who took the workshop last year, 2) those who are currently taking Italian rapier, and 3) those who have done Dall'Agocchie, or are currently in the Spanish study group on Wednesday nights. If you would like to attend but do not fit into one of those three categories, contact AEMMA.

The fencing equipment required will give people a good idea of what will be covered over the weekend. Without exceptions, all participants must have the following gear:

rapier,

fencing mask,

fencing jacket or gambeson (a sweatshirt, sweater, regular jacket is NOT an acceptable substitute),

leather gloves,

gorget is highly recommended,

16th/17th century dagger for rapier, as a good chunk of the time will be spent with sword and dagger.

If you do not possess any one of the above items, and are not currently in the pursuit of them, contact AEMMA immediately so we can set some equipment aside. AEMMA has three rapiers which can be released on loan for the workshop, including up to two daggers.

The cost for the weekend will be $125, and AEMMA will require a $60 deposit by the end of this month (31st of March) to reserve your spot.

March Break @ the ROM

2011-03-02T04:50:00.001-08:00

Since 2003, AEMMA has been delivering programs for the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) which includes annual static and dynamic displays and presentations during the March Break, to individual programs and lectures such as "How a man shall be armed in the 14th century" to classes including introduction to medieval swordsmanship, Italian rapier and medieval longbow.

This year is no different, with the conclusion of the Italian rapier classes, AEMMA will be participating once again in the March Break activities on and between March 14 - 18th. However, this year will be slightly different, in that static displays of arms and armour will not be included, but visitors and children will be treated to the usual plethora of medieval interests and activities including medieval dance, falconry and an interactive presentation of "How a man shall be armed in the 14th century" daily at 2pm.

However, the really big "production" is scheduled on the weekend of October 1 & 2, whereby, in partnership with the ROM, a medieval festival weekend entitled "The Field of the Feast of Archangels: A Fall Mediaeval Fair" which will be featuring medieval falconry and hunting, heraldry, and a historically authentic pas d'armes (armoured tournament) on the Saturday, and an unarmoured tournament on Sunday. A truly activity packed weekend for all to witness and experience the medieval period. Details are being worked out, and look forward to more information and brochures on that weekend distributed during March Break.

FMSS Event : How a man shall be armed in the 14th century

2010-12-18T07:36:00.001-08:00

The Friends of the Medieval Studies Society (FMSS) of the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) presented to its Members, along with an invitation to the members of AEMMA, a presentation on how a man shall be armed in the 14th century, delivered by David M. Cvet. The intimate audience witnessed the arming up from the feet (solarets/sabotans), to legs, to body and arms and head. Each component of the armour (harness) was described in detail with respect to its design and function. Additional historical details on the specifications of the armour including sources, weight and time frame were included.

David M. Cvet is the founding President of FMSS; the Founder and President of the Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts; and an Honorary Fellow and President of the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada. David has spent the last 15 years in the research, reconstruction, training and instructing in the mediaeval fighting arts.

Click here for a downloadable copy of the Fall issue of the FMSS newsletter.

Helping out a brother in arms

2010-10-15T04:26:00.001-07:00

Ken Mondschein, a student of historical fencing, originally from NYC, contacted AEMMA and asked if we'd be willing to help him in creating a demo of him narrating the Battle of Poitiers (1356) for the possibility of narrating a series on History Channel. After much discussion, AEMMA agreed to assist Ken and the film crew, scheduled on Thanksgiving Monday.

The Battle of Poitiers was fought between the English and French, which highlighted Edward, the Black Prince ("a bad ass" as Ken puts it) where the English had about 6,000 foot soldiers and 1,000 archers against the 3,000 bowman, 500 knights and 17,000 foot soldiers on the French side. The battle was won by the English, and to add further misery to the French, their King John II was captured. The demo focused on the English foot soldiers and how they defeated the heavily armoured French knight.

The AEMMA personnel included David M. Cvet and Kel Rekuta (both armoured), Aaron Bolarinho (unarmoured) and Jacqueline Miller who was a great assistant in harnessing up. She also took the photos in this post as well as those found on the AEMMA photo album.

The day began around 8am at the salle d'armes on Dupont, loading up the Jeep and pickup truck, and north to Newmarket, where the site was arranged at a horse farm near the woods. A timeless setting with trees and a babbling brook which could look like any period in history. The day concluded about 4pm, with the film crew having generated tons of video. Editing will take this volume down to about 2 minutes to present to History Channel. Good luck to Ken, and hopefully, he'll get the gig!

Sick Kids gig

2010-10-08T07:13:00.001-07:00

On Thursday afternoon, Oct 8, David M. Cvet of AEMMA, assisted by Alex Wagner also of AEMMA delivered a presentation to a group of excited children and patients at the Hospital for Sick Children. The presentation included a combination of a brief background on heraldry, having the kids draw and colour their own coats of arms, and how a man shall be armed in the 14th century, called the "Tin Man" presentation within the hospital. Thanks goes out to Susie Petro, Child Life Specialist of the Hospital. This is the fourth such gig for David and AEMMA, and undoubtedly, more will be scheduled in the new year.

End-of-summer BBQ in Smiths Cove, NS

2010-09-07T04:45:00.000-07:00

The AEMMA NS Chapter's 3rd annual BBQ celebrating the end of summer, hosted by David at their summer residence in Smiths Cove, was an afternoon and evening of good cheer and lots of fun. The afternoon began with the boys playing with a throwing spear. David's wife, Gail retrieved a large pumpkin from the target, providing a much more challenging target for the spear throws. David, after numerous attempts, nailed the pumpkin, whereas, Dieter nailed the target post.

This was followed by archery, which included a number of different archery styles, including longbow, recurve, compound and crossbow. This took up the rest of the afternoon till the BBQ itself. The students and their wives, brought great food contributing to a well stocked dinner, of burgers, sausages, potato salad and other salads and great lemon marange pie created by Rob himself!

The day continued into the evening with a fireside, with the firepit blazing, and more libations well into the late evening. Despite the rather wet weekend produced by "Earl", the BBQ materialized and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. A number of selected videos can be seen by visiting the AEMMA youtube channel by clicking here.

Swinging Swords in Digby, NS

2010-08-30T04:37:00.001-07:00

On a hot and sunny afternoon, on Sunday, August 28th at the bandshell next to the Digby Wharf, swords were swinging, arms and armour were on display, depicting a little piece of historical martial arts by the AEMMA NS Chapter. The spectators were treated to something quite unique for this little fishing town near the coast of the Bay of Fundy.

The presentation included a weapons display table, depicting the various training weapons used by the Chapter, including spears, poleaxes, swords and daggers. The volunteers included AEMMA NS students (L-R) Jurgen Griegoschewski, D. Jeremy Walsh, Timothy Simms, Robert Wilkinson and Dieter Jilge. Dieter's wife Marion also volunteered to help out with the event. Demonstrations began with a brief look at the three styles trained, beginning with "abrazare" (grappling), "daga" (dagger) and "spada" (sword). Various drills executed with efficiency by the students dazzled the spectators. This first part of the presentation concluded with a number of cuts with a sharp arming sword, using "HFTs" or Human Facsimile Targets composed of rolled tatami mats, having been soaked in water overnight. The image on the right depicting Jurgen preparing to take a cut at the target.

Following the demonstration of the fighting art, David delivered the popular "How a man shall be armed in the 14th century", donning his complete harness, suitably impressing the spectators. This generated a number of questions from the spectators and concluded with a photo opportunity whereby photos with the "knight" were made with donation of funds for the AEMMA NS Chapter by those taking the photos. David, accompanied with "Lady Marion" did a walk-about in the town of Digby, terrorizing the locals concluding the demonstrations of the day. Click here to view a short youtube video on the walkabout.

All in all, a fun and successful presentation. AEMMA wishes to thank the volunteers for taking the time out of their busy weekend to participate in the event.

8th Annual OMSG Camping Weekend

2010-08-04T19:09:00.000-07:00

The Ottawa Medieval Sword Guild (OMSG) hosted their 8th annual camping weekend on the farm of John Woods (co-founder OMSG) and his wife, Liz in Groveton near Spencerville, ON south of Ottawa during the weekend of July 30 - Aug 2. The weekend featured many of the usual events including an archery contest, bonfires, libations and a pig-roast banguet on the Sunday evening.

This year's event, John had extended a challenge to Dale Gienow to a joust followed by sword on horseback and grappling on horseback. A jousting list was built on the east side of the farm. The event also featured the return of the "Scallagrims", a Viking re-enactment and fighting group from Toronto. They challenged the AEMMA & OMSG combatants to armoured combat within the lists. This was concluded with a small melee, in which four of the Scallagrims formed a shield wall, and the four armoured combatants from AEMMA & OMSG attempted to breach the shield wall with some success. The "battle" was a hard one, and a Scallagrim was the only one left standing.

The banquet was held Sunday evening. Prior to the meal, Anton and John of OMSG, awarded medallions to all armoured combatants, including the Scallagrims. Other awards went to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place for the archery contest taken by North Gienow in 1st, Dale Gienow in 2nd and Samuel Cvet (Anton's son) taking 3rd.

AEMMA wishes to thank the OMSG folks for another great weekend and do look forward to next year's event!

Presentation, Juniper House, NS

2010-05-25T04:37:00.000-07:00

David delivered a presentation for kids between the ages of 13-15 yrs, associated with Juniper House, NS, a transition house that provides a safe shelter for abused women and their children. The presentation took place in St. Mary's Bay Academy in Weymouth, NS on May 12.

The presentation began with a talk on the history of the medieval fighting arts, and the principles and concepts behind the fighting system, which are applicable to today's potential physical scenarios. The presentation included the attributes of respect and compassion. The presentation in the gym continued with instruction on a few movements of "abrazare" or grappling.

The presentation continued after the gym session with a lecture and presentation on heraldry and chivalry. All of the kids received blank shields on paper, and were asked to draw their own personal coat of arms with symbolisms which reflected who they are and who their families are and their current interests. The winner, determined by the loudness of applause was awarded a Primer on Canadian heraldry, published by the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada. The presentation was well received, and the kids were nothing short of attentive! AEMMA NS would like to thank Lori Andrews, RPC for organizing the event.

Pas d'armes 2010

2010-04-27T04:02:00.000-07:00

This year's pas d'armes (a reproduction of a late 14th century tournament on foot), on April 25, was held at AEMMA's salle d'armes located near Dupont and Ossington, Toronto. The field comprised of 9 armoured combatants, 5 from AEMMA Toronto, the defendants, being challenged by the appellants, 3 from Ottawa and 1 from Muskoka. The salle proved to be a viable venue for the event, and it was felt that future pas d'armes can be held at the salle. Spectators numbered around 50 people. They were informed on the event during the ROM March Break, where AEMMA distributed flyers announcing the event and its new location.

The defendants included David M. Cvet, Brian McIlmoyle, Kel Rekuta, Aldo Valente and Matt Brundle, all of AEMMA Toronto. The appellants included Dale Gienow, a jouster who hails from Muskoka. The other appellants were John Woods, Chris Penney and Matt McKee all from the Ottawa Medieval Sword Guild, and all appellants were no stranger to the AEMMA pas d'armes.

The pas d'armes began with a lavish procession, complete with heralds, pagentry and banners. It was a memorable site for the spectators witnessing this event. The closing procession was also as impressive. Each of the combatants were awarded a medallion, signying their participation in the event. Despite the bouts being fought with dramatic intensity, there were no injuries incurred by the combatants, save a cut finger, and a slight concussion from being struck to the head with a sword blow. All combatants were extremely pleased and excited about how well the event went, and most certainly, conveyed that they will return at the next one in 2011.

AEMMA was fortunate in having a photo-journalist from Reuters, the results of his work appearing in numerous publications listed below.
Toronto Sun, April 26, 2010 by Mark Blinch, a closeup of the same.
Edmonton Journal, April 26, 2010 by Mark Blinch, a closeup of the same.
Windsor_Star, April 26, 2010 by Mark Blinch, a closeup of the same.
Yahoo News, Photos filed by Mark Blinch
AEMMA Spring Pas d'Armes photos by Emily Tanaka
Washington Post, April 26, 2010 (click on photo #7)
Wall Street Journal, April 27, 2010 (scroll down about 1/2 of the page)
The Vancouver Sun, April 26, 2010
Telegraph, UK
Дневник (Bulgaria)
Terra Networks Brasil S.A.

Spanish Swordsmanship Workshop

2010-04-20T14:44:00.000-07:00

AEMMA invited Maestro Ramon Martinez (Martinez Academy of Arms) to Toronto over the weekend of April 17-18, to provide instruction on Spanish Swordsmanship, to broaden our understanding of other historical fencing systems in Medieval and Renaissance Europe for the purpose of enhancing our own techniques as they pertain to Fiore dei Liberi.

The Spanish style, founded by Carranza in the late 16th century, is characterized by entirely circular footwork - as opposed to the mostly linear footwork found in Italian rapier - and is practiced with the sword alone, or with a dagger as a secondary weapon. Unlike the Italian school, which evolved rather quickly from the 16th century onwards, the Spanish school went almost completely unchanged from its inception to the beginning of the 19th century.

The content covered during the workshop included:

How to stand in guard and move along the circle.

The cuts and thrusts used in the school (small to large compass, from various angles).

Blade engagements.

Stepping along the circle as both an offensive and defensive maneuver (desviar).

The disarm (movimiento de conclusion) and other actions.

The workshop was well received and was attended by 16 students. Maestro Martinez is an excellent instructor, and everyone who attended found the workshop most useful and were completely satisfied. AEMMA is discussing the possibility of having Maestro Martinez return for a follow-up workshop on the same subject.

Looking forward in 2010

2010-03-02T17:11:00.001-08:00

There is always something going on at AEMMA, with projects, papers, new ideas in training, events, and so forth. 2010 will be no different as the year unfolds, and things continue to develop. Kel continues to interface with the public schools in the GTA, providing the students at the schools, a practical look at arms and armour of the medieval period, evaporating the many incorrect perceptions and historical data.

Training continues to evolve, looking at expanding the training regimen with the inclusion of drills or "sequenza". Although, in the early formative days of AEMMA, drills were created oriented towards German longsword, and were called "folgen". However, new interest in developing drills, focused on one or two attributes of fencing appears to be making traction in the AEMMA environment. The design of the drills, at least initially, appear to be incorporating Fiore's foundations, with gioco largo plays and leveraging some details of Vadi in their design. If anything, they are fun to do, in particular, when the speed of the exchanges are ratcheted up.

It was a great disappointment that the ROM has terminated the hosting of the annual "pas d'armes" or tournament. It appears that the issue has to do with insurance risks with respect to the spectators. AEMMA does plan to approach the ROM, providing sounds arguments in favour of them lifting the "ban" and returning the event to the ROM.

In the next Medieval Symposium, organized by the Friends of the Medieval Studies Society of the Royal Ontario Museum, scheduled for Saturday, April 27, 9-5pm at the ROM, look for our very own Ariella Elema, who will be delivering a lecture on medieval fighting arts. Check with the ROM website to register to attend this symposium.

Why Become a Scholar?

2009-12-02T11:44:00.000-08:00

Over the course of my involvement with AEMMA there have been scores of students who have darkened the door. Some have stayed for just a few classes, some a few months, some for years. Others have decided to commit to achieving the rank of Scholar. A few have, through much training and study ascended to the illustrious rank of Free Scholar. There are examples of individuals who are content with each of these scenarios and have found the appropriate place in their lives for this study.

I have noticed that it is not at all uncommon for students to hover around the decision of whether or not to commit to playing for the prize of Scholar or not. The following are some thoughts and personal reflections which may help your internal dialogue.

Shawn Zirger, who challenged on September 9, 2007, is being observed under the watchful eyes of Frank Williams FS, Brian McIlmoyle and David M. Cvet Provosts, Kel Rekuta FS and Anton Cvet Provost.

Firstly, and this can’t be said strongly enough, there is no timetable, other than the one one imposes on ones’ self, for becoming a Scholar. Some set short time lines and strict training regimens and eagerly set test dates. Others linger, taking time to digest and make sure they’ve internalized key skills and concepts. Both strategies work depending on what type of individual you are.

Secondly, we all start from a different entry point. That is, some are fit and lithe and have scads of martial study under their belts before they enter the salle d'armes. Some are a tad longer in the tooth with conditions or injuries to contend with. Some are single with a good measure of free time. Others have schedules that are not their own. All these things must be considered when developing a time line for your scholar test and expectations for yourself. Many students who get to the point of setting a date for their Scholar test, find it prudent to back the date up for some time to make sure they are ready. This is not out of the norm and can be perfectly acceptable.

Aaron Bolarinho, who challenged on December 14, 2008, sits patiently in the middle of the salle d'armes at the conclusion of his test, awaiting the results of the deliberation of the Schollers and Free Schollers in the armoury.

Some find that there are several advantages to becoming a Scholar. The first and most immediate is a sense of accomplishment. It is no small task to be successful in your challenge. As with anything difficult, success breeds enhanced self-esteem and self-concept proportionate to the task. However, it has happened in past that individuals are not successful in their initial play for Scholar. This is not reason to give up or pack it in. Rather, it’s a time to reflect and retool.

One of the most obvious advantages of “scholarhood” is the opportunity to participate in free-play with a variety of weapons. This is truly a most excellent thing. I cannot find words to describe how much fun, how invigorating, how much of a multi level superb experience this is (and this is written by a person who rarely “wins” a bout!). Participation in tournaments is an opportunity to meet new people in the broader community and test yourself. They are a wonderful opportunity to put your own skills under the microscope and set study and practice goals for the next opportunity.

Personally, I find the biggest advantage to becoming a Scholar is the freedom to self-direct study to a large degree. The very word scholar implies study and, for me at least , this limitless field of study is the single greatest result of becoming a scholar. Over the years our community has grown and accordingly, a greater number of players is becoming available to fellow Scholars. The ability to study together, in text and on the floor is valuable and allows one to propel one’s own study.

For some, achievement of the rank of Scholar is an end in itself. For those people, occasional practice, visits to the salle d'armes or online participation adds to the richness of their lives. For others, WMA study is woven into the fabric of the rest of their lives. They continue, in whatever capacity possible, to train and study and improve themselves and their understanding of the art. It becomes a necessary component of life. If you’re worried about not having “the stuff” don’t. You can do it. If you’re considering to move beyond recruit training, you’ve already taken the first step. Once you’ve decided to pursue this path, it’s simply a question of hard work, hard thinking and patience. Feel free to talk to any or all Scholars at the salle d'armes or online if you have questions. Good luck and I hope to see you in the circle!

A link on the AEMMA website which describe the requirements for becoming a Scholar can be reached by clicking here.

Matt Brundle

3rd Annual Unarmoured Tournament

2009-11-10T19:11:00.001-08:00

A shot of the bout between Mat Brundle (L) and Beau Brock (R)

AEMMA Toronto hosted the 3rd annual unarmoured tournament at its salle d'armes on Dupont st, Toronto on Saturday, November 7, 2010. It was an all day event, with combatants being comprised of twelve combatants including schollers and free schollers from the Toronto Academy, Guelph Chapter, Ottawa Medieval Sword Guild (OMSG) and one Dale Gienow from Muskoka. The weapon to be used for this tournament was the Tinker Pearce blunt trainer longsword. David M. Cvet and Brian McIlmoyle were the marshals for the tournament, and OMSG's scholler Leanna Falkenhagen assisted with the execution of the tournament.

This entire event was initially organized by David Murphy, founder and instructor of the Guelph Chapter, however, was unable to attend the event due to illness. He is on the road to recovery, and he was missed by one and all.

A shot of the bout between Chris Penney (L) and Bill Brickman (R)

The event was structured so that each combatant had a chance to fight with all other combatants, resulting in approximately 73 bouts during the day (a couple dropped out towards the end of the tournament due to incurring injuries). For details on the structure and rules of the tournament, click here. All went well, and the quality of the bouts were extremely good, with most of the bouts demonstrating the art in spirit and principle. After the conclusion of the tournament, all combatants casted a secret ballot for voting on which combatant best demonstrated the principles and spirit of the art, selecting him/her as "first amongst equals". The ballots selected the AEMMA Guelph Chapter's Bill Brickman who was awarded a prize (under contruction at that time) of a sword created by Charles Jevons, the same individual who constructs AEMMA's aluminum arming and long swords.

An assessment and review of the Tinker Pearce Blunt Longsword Trainer can be viewed by clicking here. Videos depicting some of the bouts can be seen by going to the AEMMA Channel on youtube.

AEMMA on Discovery HD

2009-09-23T09:03:00.000-07:00

A shot of a portion of the filming depicting Dieter Jilge on the left, and David M. Cvet on the right.
Photo credit: John DeMings, Digby Courier

David M. Cvet and four of the students engaged in AEMMA training in Nova Scotia, assisted in the filming of a documentary for M5 Productions Inc., "M5-Weapons of War", a mini-series scheduled for Discovery HD. The filming was done at the Smiths Cove residence of David Aug 23-25 for a series of out door shots and action, and Saturday, Aug 26, at Rebeka Hall, Bear River. The students involved in the filming include Dieter Jilge, Robert Wilkinson, Mark Amirault and Jurgen Griegoschewski.

The weather during the outdoor shoot was completely cooperative, however, rain set in on Saturday, but this was not a problem, given the shoot was scheduled for indoors on that day. The days were long, ending with dinner at the local restaurant "Boardwalk Cafe" in Digby. The expected scheduled for airing is sometime this coming winter.

Forza e Destrezza

2009-09-22T12:04:00.001-07:00

AEMMA has a new blog, oriented towards renaissance fencing, pull together by rapier instructor and AEMMA member, Beau Brock. The blog offers its readers updates on subject such as equipment, training courses and workshops. The blog is entitled Forza e Destrezza and is an invaluable resource for those individuals who have an interest in rapier form of fencing.

OMSG Camping Weekend 2009

2009-08-07T06:31:00.000-07:00

The Ottawa Medieval Sword Guild (OMSG) hosted their 7th annual camping weekend, on the farms of John Woods and Matt McKee in Spencerville, south of Ottawa during the long weekend from Friday, July 31 to Monday, August 3rd. The weekend featured the usual activities archery, bonfires, large amounts of libations and a pig-roast banquet on the

Maestro Sean Hayes, Northwest Academy of Arms, Oregon, USA, wearing his armour worn at the armoured pas d'armes during the camping weekend.

Saturday evening. The event was attended by David M. Cvet (who traveled in from Nova Scotia), Ariella Elema, Igal Lelchuk, Brian McIlmoyle and Aldo Valente all from the AEMMA Toronto. Also attending and participating during this weekend, was Maestro Sean Hayes from NorthWest Academy of Arms, from Eugene, Oregon, USA.

This year's event included three new features. A Viking re-enactment and fighting group called "Scallagrims" from Toronto were on hand on Friday and Saturday. They participated in the class delivered by Sean, and also demonstrated their fighting Saturday afternoon. To add, they entertained all present during the evening after the banquet around the bonfire, a demonstration of fire acts, including fighting with swords in flames.

The appellants having been awarded their pas d'armes medalions. L-R: Sean Hayes, David M. Cvet, Brian McIlmoyle, Aldo Valente

Another feature was the pas d'armes organized by OMSG's Herald and armoured combatant, Mat Ravignat. The rules were based on the tournament rules employed by AEMMA in Toronto at the tournaments held at the Royal Ontario Museum. With some minor adjustments to the rules, the tournament was a huge success and will be integrated into future OMSG camping weekends as a new tradition. The appellants were David, Brian, Aldo and Sean Hayes. Sean demonstrated excellent armoured fighting skills and all spectators were suitably impressed with his abilities.

Mat Ravignat, OMSG Herald and armoured combatant organized the pas d;armes.

The defendants included OMSG's Chris Penney, Dan Sellars, Matt McKee, John Woods and "Nic" from Scallagrims, who wore Anton's gear and fought on the defendants' side. At the conclusion of the pas d'armes, each of the appellants were awarded a pas d'armes medalion, as well as the defendants. All fighters had an excellent time crossing swords, daggers, spears, poleaxes during this armoured challenge.

To add to the events of the weekend, was a Free Scholler test for OMSG's Chris Penney. The test was scheduled on Monday, and the panel included David, Brian and Aldo from AEMMA Toronto, Anton from OMSG and a special guest member of the panel, Maestro Sean Hayes. Chris proceeded to demonstrate his knowledge and skills of Fiore dei Liberi's manuscript from beginning to end,

A pair of combatants from Scallagrims demonstrating sword and shield fighting.

clearly showing his intimacy with the works of Fiore. At the end of the 1.5 hour test, the panelists all agreed that Chris was worthy of the rank of Free Scholler. Chris was awarded the gold garter, the symbol of Free Scholler at AEMMA. By tradition, when a Chapter or Associate Group creates a Free Scholler, the founder of the group, in this case, Anton Cvet, is then conveyed the title of Provost by the Provosts of AEMMA.

For more photos of the event, visit the AEMMA website by clicking here.

ROM Pas d'armes

2009-03-30T12:45:00.001-07:00

Presentation of the appellants to the Patron of the tournament
Photo credit: Ray Barlow

The day began as any other day at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), except that there was something different in the air that spring day on March 21, 2009, which had little to do with the moderate weather the city was experiencing, nor the exhibits in the museum. There was a sense of excitement as the growing numbers of spectators began to accumulate, jocking for the best seats around the fighting lists, feeding the air with expectation awaiting the commencement of the second annual medieval pas d'armes (tournament). Tiny subtle battles between spectators vying to protect their "investment" as more people began filing in to possess available seats offering the best vantage to spectate the armoured combats soon to be unleashed on the floor of the Currelly Gallery later that day.

Combatant defendant Aldo Valente with combatant appellant John Woods from OMSG
Photo credit: Ray Barlow

Combatant defendant David M. Cvet with combatant appellant Dale Gienow from Muskoka
Photo credit: Ray Barlow

Towards the end of the morning approaching high noon, the Gallery was filled with children of all ages, parents, friends, wives, husbands, boyfriends and girlfriends, all awaiting the fanfare which denotes the opening of the grand tournament. Number of spectators having achieved as high as 1,400 spectators during the day. The spectators were treated with a presentation of "How a man shall be armed in the 14th century" by David M. Cvet, with the assistance of his squire Larry Brydon.

Defendants' herald, Dr. Robert Mason (ROM)
Photo credit: Ray Barlow

While this presentation was being made, all of the other combatants defendants and appellants were arming themselves in preparation for the ensuing armoured combat bouts. Immediately following the presentation, the anxious spectators were not disappointed with a lavish opening procession lead by a medieval musical ensemble, followed by heralds and pursuivants bearing their beautifully decorated tabards depicting the arms of the combatants defendants and appellants. These were followed by the marshals, responsible for the monitoring and tallying of strikes in the bouts, who were then followed by the combatants defendants and combatants in full armour wearing jupons depicting their coats of arms, preceded by their squires and banner bearers. Lastly, the combatants were followed by the Patron of the tournament, Robbie Sprules, Lord of Wrentnall and his wife, Lady Lucinda. The final grouping were the lovely ladies of the tournament who had undoubtedly inspired the combatants in each and every bout.

Combatant appellant Mat Ravignat from OMSG with combatant defendant Aldo Valente
Photo credit: Ray Barlow

Combatant defendant David M. Cvet with combatant appellant Jeremy Oneail from Boston
Photo credit: Ray Barlow

Once the tournament was officially opened by the Lord of Wrentnall, the bouts began in earnest. The fighting was intense, the spectators intimidated with the realism of the combats, perhaps not entirely understanding that the combats were unscripted tests of prowess, in which each is attempting to best the other.

Appellants' herald, David Birtwistle (RHSC)
Photo credit: Ray Barlow

Weapons chosen by the combatant appellants were one or more of sword, dagger, spear or poleaxe. This year's tournament featured the first female armoured combatant, Nikki Fourtzialas-Oneail who was accompanied by her husband and armoured combatant, Jeremy Oneail both from Mass., USA.

The first bout matched Matt McKee from the Ottawa Medieval Sword Guild (OMSG) who challenged Matt Brundle (AEMMA) with sword. The bout began without incident, however, in one of the early

Procession herald, Geoff DeMille
Photo credit: Liz Woods

exchanges, Matt Brundle delivered a thrust to the armpit while gripping his sword in the manner known as "1/2-sword". Unfortunately, the odds of incurring serious injury, although low, reared its ugly head, combined with looseness of the mail over the upper arm allowed the sword to penetrate between the mail and gambeson sleeve and struck Matt McKee squarely in the armpit. This injury drew blood to the surprise of Brundle, and McKee was removed from the lists, and had his injury treated at St. Mike's hospital, no stitches required. McKee was able to make it to the post tournament dinner party at the salle, and assured everyone there that he was fine and was on the road to recovery.

Combatant appellant Nikki Fourtziales-Oneail from Boston with combatant defendant Kel Rekuta
Photo credit: Ray Barlow

Without too long of a pause, the tournament continued forward with the next series of bouts in the first round. David, who involved with two battles, the battle against a flu bug, engaged in yet another battle with Jeremy Oneail fighting with spears, who promptly struck David on the inner elbow with the spear. The trauma to the elbow did not manifest itself till later at the post tournamenmt dinner party at the salle where his left arm began to swell and cause pain, which was duly handled with dark rum, purely for medicinal purposes.

Combatant appellant Nikki Fourtziales-Oneail from Boston
Photo credit: Leslie Lemar

The level of prowess was superior to last year's tournment, an obvious testament to improved, dedicated and enhanced training on both sides of the lists. The second round was a bit shorter than the first, due to fighters having become absent, McKee, Brundle (emergency at home), David out due to fever and congestion, and Larry Brydon (who replaced Brian McIlmoyle who was involved with his own family crisis) incurred an injury to his hand. However, the appellants John Woods, Mat Ravignat, Dale Gienow, Jeremy Oneail and Nikki Fourtziales-Oneail demonstrated their prowess to the delight of the spectators, the rest of the defendants including Kel Rekuta and Aldo Valente satisfied the appellants. All fighters had fought with gallantry and good sportsmanship. The combatants defendants identified Nikki Fourtzialas-Oneail as the "first amongst equals" and most deservedly so.

Lady Lucinda and Robbie Sprules, Lord of Wrentnall posing with the OMSG clan
Photo credit: Liz Woods

The conclusion of the tournament included a procession of armoured combatants and their banner bearers, to receive the traditional tournament medalion placed around the neck of each combatant by Lady Lucinda. This year, the medalion's silk cord tincture was "Or" or gold, representing yet another tincture found in AEMMA's coat of arms. The prize of a beautiful poignard dagger for the combatant selected as "first amongst equals" was given to Nikki by Robbie Sprules, Lord of Wrentnall. This was followed by a closing ceremony, equal to the pomp and circumstance of the opening to the delight of the spectators.

AEMMA wishes to thank the Royal Ontario Museum for allowing us to hold the tournaments in the Currelly Gallery, a fine venue and most appropriate for such an event, given the medieval murals painted on the walls. AEMMA also wishes to thank the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada for their support and volunteers, in particular to Society's members, Robbie Sprules and David Birtwistle, the combatants appellants herald.

"The Aldo's" Free Scholar Challenge

2009-03-06T04:03:00.001-08:00

Aldo Valente, a dedicated and committed student of "l`arte dell`armizare", joined AEMMA March 29, 2004. It was evident at that time that he had already possessed good martial experience developed from his boxing training. He demonstrated excellent footwork, and continues to display this today. His recruit training led him to challenge for the rank of scholar the following

A sterling silver Free Scholar lapel pin awarded to those who successfully challenged for the rank of Free Scholar. Pin was created by Nicolas Facundo Rico

year, and successfully achieved it on May 29, 2005. From there, he was faced with a significant challenge of the next rank, Free Scholar, and realized the amount of work in endlessly studying the treatises by Fiore dei Liberi, and developing his skill in each and every play and technique described by the historical figure. During the period of his rank as Scholar, Aldo developed his abilities to the point of leading training classes. He also took the Getty, Morgan and Pisani-Dossi versions of Fiore's treatises and translating these into English, thus contributing to AEMMA's own improved understanding of these treatises.

On the Sunday, March 1, 2009, the Free Scholar test was scheduled at 11:30am. Provosts David M. Cvet and Brian A. McIlmoyle presiding over the test, along with Free Scholars Anton J. Cvet (OMSG), David B. Murphy (Guelph Chapter), Frank Williams and Kelly Rekuta were present and engaged in the test. All of the recruits and scholars in attendance at the earlier training remained to observe this most comprehensive and intimidating test. Other visitors included John Woods, Nick Conway, Chris Penney and Leanna Falkenhagen all from OMSG, Bill Brickman and Martin Taves from AEMMA Guelph. The Free Scholar test was 4 hours long, and gruelling to say the least. Aldo had spent many hours and days prior to the test tuning his knowledge and intimacy of Fiore's works with the help of his "zugadore", Beau Brock. It became a regular event for the pair of these students to be at the salle prior to regular training, working through the plays in every minute detail. From Beau's perspective, he learned an incredible amount on Fiore and therefore, found the training with Aldo to be quite beneficial for himself as well.
Aldo demonstrating abrazare techniques with his zugadore Beau Brock.
Aldo demonstrating spada in daga techniques with his zugadore Beau Brock.

The test began with almost two hours on the concepts, principles and structure of Fiore's works, combative principles, drills, and the application of the concepts to physical realities. The first portion was the segment on "abrazare". Aldo's "zugadore" Beau, was bent, twisted, turned, thrown in every which way, and in ways he didn't even know was possible. This portion of the test continued to the section on "daga" followed by "spada" and "spada longa", "lanca" (spear) and "aza" (poleaxe). Questions posed by the Free Scholars and Provosts were designed to keep challenging Aldo's knowledge and intimacy of the material, and his "repostes" adequately demonstrated his thorough understanding through his excellent presentation of technique and their application to the physical, using Beau as his "zugadore" to help convey the concepts to those present. This portion of the test was both intellectually and physically challenging for Aldo and of course, for Beau as well.

Kel Rekuta attaching the Free Scholar gold garter below Aldo's right knee, the symbol of the rank of Free Scholar

After a short rest, Aldo and the Provosts and Free Scholars dressed to engage in the second portion of the test comprised of physical bouts. The Provosts and Free Scholars selected the weapon of choice to combat Aldo, and Aldo was to simply "comply". The bouts would last to the satisfaction of each of the combatants challenging Aldo. Most bouts were long and fatiquing, but Aldo resisted his desire to rest and reaffirmed his commitment by continuing his acceptance of the next bout and the next, always knowing that the choice of weapon is the challenger's choice, not Aldo's. This portion of the test along with rest stops took about an hour. These bouts were physically demanding and at the end of each of the bouts, the challenger indicated that he was satisfied with the performance of Aldo.

After another short rest, Provost Brian McIlmoyle and Free Scholar Kel Rekuta decided to test Aldo in harness, to which Aldo was both prepared and accepted. By this time, Aldo was nearing fatique, but he remained strong and confident, and donned his harness as did his two challengers. The first to challenge Aldo was Brian who challenged with longsword. The bout was intense, ending up with a take down to the floor, however, both ended on the floor, and Brian attempting to retrieve his dagger for the finishing left his hand and skittered across the floor out of reach. It was at that point, the bout was concluded. Brian was satisfied with Aldo's performance.

Kel challenged Aldo to poleaxe and dagger. By virtue of a disarm of Aldo's poleaxe followed by the dagger, it was clear that Aldo's skill and capabilities matched those of Kel and at the end of yet another, physically demanding bout, Kel was satisfied with Aldo's performance.

Aldo and Brian enjoying Montechristo "a" cigars in the office after the Free Scholar test

The Provosts and Free Scholars retired to the Armory to discuss Aldo's performance and it was agreed by all that Aldo was a worthy Free Scholar. Aldo was presented with the AEMMA's traditional symbol of Free Scholar that being a gold garter worn below the right knee, and was also presented with a sterling silver lapel pin representing the official coat of arms of AEMMA. Most everyone remained after the test for libations to celebrate Aldo's success at achieving the rank of Free Scholar. Aldo and Brian each enjoyed a Montechristo "a" Cuban cigar, which by coincidence were brought back by Brian's wife, Betty from a recent vacation trip to Cuba.

So You Want To Fight in Armour.....

2009-01-28T09:18:00.000-08:00

As students of Western Historical Martial Arts it is, for many, a desirable extension, or sometimes the ultimate goal, to train and fight in an accurate, period appropriate medieval harness (suit of armour). AEMMA Scholler Matt Brundle began training in armizare some years ago and the thought of fighting in harness was of immediate interest. Fighting in armour may very well be the hook which drags one into the study of Western Martial Arts. AEMMA's purpose academically is to study historical text to come to a more complete understanding of the medieval armoured combat. Training these techniques with historically accurate equipment is an essential part of this study. Matt has written some thoughts on the acquisition of harness for the purpose of training for foot combat with steel blunts with reputable training partners and instructor/s oriented to those who are considering taking the path towards armoured combat.

The several points which Matt covers in which he believes are the salient ones pertaining to the process of putting together harness and to begin getting ready to train with it.
1. Be clear about your intent
2. Develop a Vision
3. Research, Research, Research
4. Budget
5. Repair and the DIY of Armour
6. Avoid The Impulse Buys

He then proceeds to discuss on one's preparation to train in harness. The points raised are:
1. Conditioning
2. Helmet Time

If one decides to embark on this journey, one is about to enter a truly superb community of individuals. The demands, intellectual, academic and physical are substantial. However, the rewards are nothing short of awesome. It feels terrific to have assembled a complete, working harness. Training and fighting in armour with authentic medieval techniques and authentic equipment and weapons is a unique experience and adds another, truly excellent dimension to one's study of the Historical Western Martial Arts. For a complete version of this article, click "So You Want to Fight in Armour...".

Matt Brundle
Scholler, AEMMA

Fighting Arts Collective Toronto - Open House

2009-01-26T05:19:00.000-08:00

The Fighting Arts Collective Toronto or FACT, is an organization originally established through a partnership between AEMMA, JKD and Wing Chun. Over the years, FACT has organized an annual Open House, which is essentially a celebration of the various fighting arts and body movement forms which are offered at FACT. The day began around noonish with the sharp sword cutting. Representatives from each of the schools took turns at striking the rolled tatami mats in their attempts to slice all the way through. The rolled tatamit mats each had a wooden dowel core to "simulate" a human limb, and were inserted into a stand providing a vertical target. A variety of swords were used including the German messer, longsword and Filipino sword.

The cutting demonstration was immediately followed by the Dragon Dance, celebrating the Chinese New Year. The two dragons weaved, and danced their way towards the prize which was a head of lettuce suspended from the ceiling. The dragons had remarkably detailed faces, with eyes blinking and seemingly coming to life with their expressions. By the conclusion of the Dragon Dance, FACT experienced what was undoubtedly, the largest crowd ever.

The demonstrations continued after the Dragon Dance with Ryan Kennedy leading an impressive presentation of Wing Chun Toronto. All of his students in unison were conducting their traditional Wing Chun kata. This was followed by Shawn Zirger and the Jeet Kune Do, opening with the JKD kids aged between 10 - 14 years, adequately demonstrating their skills with staff. Following this, was a demonstration by AEMMA, which included Beau Brock and his assistants demonstration rapier techniques based on Capo Ferro. Following this was Brian McIlmoyle and Aldo Valente demonstrating sword & buckler. The rest of the day offered demonstrations of other activities at FACT, including Systema Downtown (Russian martial arts) lead by instructor Paul McCaughey accompanied by a number of students including his wife Jenn, Toronto Kettlebell Club, and the recently added aerial acrobatics. The four performers of the aerial acrobatics includes three women who train at FACT in women's self defense with Shawn Zirger as their instructor. Shawn became fascinated with the aerial acrobatics that he now trains in this and was one of the four performers at the Open House. FACT had expanded it's offering by including Live Action Role Playing (LARP) by a group known as "Underworld". These costumed individuals gave a presentation of what they do, with the usual "good vs evil" and having to do battle with the "undead". One of the battles between a viking and the undead left a little souvenir on the floor depicted on the right.

Of course, the day would not be complete without a little armoured combat, with Aldo Valente and Matt Brundle engaged in battle firstly with spear and then a second engagement with dagger.

The day ended with nothing short of a feast comprised of giant pots of chilli, lasagna, tons of meatballs, and plenty of libations, including the in-house favourites of Kel's Ale, Bermudian Rum and swigs of "Waldec Shine".

Overall, based on visitors comments, it was a tremendous success. Most visitors had no idea that such an environment existed in Toronto and were extremely impressed with the demonstrations and presentations, which means that the Open House did satisfy at least one of its objectives, which is to educate the people of Toronto.

Guelph Challenge 2009

2009-01-23T12:36:00.001-08:00

David B. Murphy, founder of the Guelph Chapter of AEMMA and his schollers challenged AEMMA Toronto to an unarmoured fencing tournament, encompassing spear, dagger and sword. This challenge occured on the Saturday afternoon of January 17th, 2009 at the salle d'armes in Toronto.The challengers numbered five including David, and the defendants numbered five, plus one or two extras who got a match or two in-between. The bouts were played to three landed blows, with the victor of each bout announced at the conclusion of each bout. The structure enabled every combatant to play with every other combatant, whereby, each weapon saw 25 bouts with a total of 75 bouts in the afternoon, not counting the few extra bouts with some of the extra Toronto schollers.

The spear challenges saw the employment of the revival.com's rubber spear heads afixed to wooden shafts. This training weapon proved to be useful and appropriate for exchanges in unarmoured bouts. The tips were flexible enough to disipate the blows when struck, and therefore, reducing the potential injury incurred by the combatants receiving spear blows.

After the first round with spear, everyone took a water/bio break and resumed the bouts with sword. The combatants would select either an arming sword or longsword. The type of sword was agreed to prior to the bout. The action was fast, with strikes and thrusts.Another break was had after the sword segment of the challenge, and the challenge was resumed with dagger bouts. The daggers were constructed using the same rubber head as the spears, and were afixed to short wooden dowels. Marshalling these bouts were a challenge as the action was very fast and the "feel" of the rubber tips was far less, in that the combatants receiving the thrusts with dagger often did not feel the thrust. The "jury is still out" on whether rubber daggers have a place in training at AEMMA.At the end of the day, once all the bouts were tallied, the Guelph schollers were victorious, having won more bouts than the Toronto schollers.

Maritime training...

2009-01-02T18:56:00.000-08:00

During the summer of 2008, David M. Cvet of AEMMA, Toronto started up an eight-week training program in Smiths Cove, near Digby, NS. Students local to Digby and the Cove attended the training throughout the summer, which concluded with a bar-b-que at David's residence in the Cove.However, due to the interest and desire to continue training, the group coordinated a practice at the Digby Elementary School to review the basics of Fiore, and when David is visiting the Cove, arrangements are made with the school to provide their gym to allow for periodic AEMMA training.

The class structure is similar to the structure used in Toronto, except that each class will start off with some dagger or grappling alternating each class, concluding with arming sword. Due to the somewhat irregular training during the winter months, this form of structure covers much material and appears to work.

The photos above depict the gymnasium located at the Digby Elementary School in Digby. The school principle was kind enough to offer us the space in exchange for the presentation of "How a man shall be armed" delivered earlier in the fall of 2008.

Clovis achieves Scholler rank

2009-01-02T17:10:00.000-08:00

Clovis Kari, who started training with AEMMA when he was 16, had successfully achieved the rank of Scholler on Dec 21, 2008. What better way to describe the event than with the words of his father in both French and English.

En ma qualité de témoin, de compagnon et de modeste père, je tiens à signaler la noblesse et la droiture de l’Académie, de ses Maistres et de ses Escholiers. Je suis reconnaissant et ému par le talent et la maestria des éducateurs et des mentors qui ont fourni les conditions maximales permettant, en un dense mélange de rigueur et de camaraderie, à une recrue de 16 ans de devenir un Escholier de 18 ans. Je pense à ces personnes de haut savoir qui ont donné généreusement de leur temps et de leur ascendant, notamment (la liste est incomplète): David, Brian, Frank, Kel, Aldo et notre merveilleux Homme aux Trente Arts Martiaux. L’Académie a établit indubitablement la preuve de sa capacité et de son désir de former des adolescents et de leur faire découvrir, articuler et mettre en forme, avec solidité et rigueur, leurs rêves et leurs aspirations. Quand un Art, via ses Artistes, atteint un objectif de cette nature, il se prouve, pour son propre bénéfice et pour le bénéfice de ses futurs adeptes, qu’il est moins un Vieil Art qu’un Art Éternel…

Montjoie,
Ventre Saint Gris,
Que trépasse si je faiblis,
Audace d'abord, Prudence après...

As a witness, a companion and a modest father, I want to point out the noblesse and credibility of the Academy's leadership and scholarship. I am thankful and touched by the talent and skill of the educators and role models who created a rich environment which cultivated a rich mix of rigor and camaraderie facilitating a 16 years old recruit to become a 18 year old scholar. I think of persons of scholarly influence who shared generously with their time and mentoring such as (the list is incomplete): David, Brian, Frank, Kel, Aldo and our wonderful Man with the 30 Martial Arts. The Academy proved clearly it's capacity and willingness to train teenagers and make them discover, articulate and give a solid and rigorous shape to their dreams and aspirations. When an art, through it's artists, reaches such an achievement, it proves to itself and to it's future students that it is not old but eternal...

Montjoie,
Ventre Saint Gris,
May I die if I weaken,
Audacia first, Prudencia after...

Aaron out ranks himself!

2008-12-14T15:33:00.000-08:00

Aaron Bolarinho, who's had a passion for medieval fighting arts since he was 16 and who has been training with AEMMA since 2005 challenged for the rank of Scholler earlier this year, and proved

Aaron fencing his 10th bout during the test, presently fencing with Free Scholler Kelly Rekuta

himself worthy of the rank of Scholler as a result of the Scholler test held Sunday, December 14th 2008. Spectators on hand to witness this event included his parents, and friends of his from the University of Toronto and other recruits training at the Academy.

He faced 9 Schollers and 2 Free Schollers, including his previous instructor, David B. Murphy who instructs in Guelph - the test being presided by Brian McIlmoyle and David Cvet. The test was long and gruelling. He was first tested on his knowledge of the art described by Friulian

Provosts Brian McIlmoyle and David M. Cvet both attentive in observing and assessing Aaron's skills and abilities during the fencing bouts

swordsmaster Fiore dei Liberi, combative theory and techniques. He was able to adequately demonstrate his skills developed over the years on the various grappling, dagger and sword techniques. Following this first portion of the test, all schollers and free schollers to fence prepared themselves for the fencing bouts with Aaron. Aaron would challenge with either arming sword or longsword, and the schollers and free schollers would comply. He fought admirably against all those he challenged for the rank. All of the schollers, free schollers and provosts then retired to the armoury for diliberation on

A lonely figure of a man sitting on a stool in the middle of the salle d'armes, in contemplation of his performance, awaiting the results of the deliberation of the schollers, free schollers and provosts at the conclusion of the test in private, in AEMMA's armoury

whether or not Aaron should be awarded the prize of Scholler. Once the testing group re-formed the circle, with Aaron in its centre, he was conveyed the title of Scholler by principle instructor and provost, Brian McImoyle, and was awarded the traditional symbol of the rank of Scholler, a rondel dagger, presented to Aaron by AEMMA president and provost, David M. Cvet.

As tradition dictates, all would retire to the Armoury, where the newly created Scholler would show his thanks and gratitude to his new peers by providing significant amounts of libations for the pleasure of all those who participated in the test.

Being congratulated by all fencers and fighters for his successfully achieving the rank of Scholler, and awarded the traditional Scholler rondel dagger

Congratulations to Aaron for his well earned rank of Scholler!

Italian Rapier in the style of Ridolfo Capo Ferro at AEMMA

2008-11-25T19:53:00.001-08:00

AEMMA is pleased to announce the addition of Italian rapier to its curriculum. Although the Academy focuses on the medieval fighting arts as defined by Italian swordsmaster Fiore dei Liberi (1410), the fortunate circumstance of Mr. Beau Brock, hailing from Vancouver, and instructor at Academie Duello, is now

Instructor Mr. Beau Brock

attending the University of Toronto, working on his post doctoral degree focused on societal languages. During his studies in Toronto, the opportunity presented itself to leverage his skills and expertise in Italian rapier, and his passion for Ridolfo Capo Ferro manifested into a popular rapier class now scheduled on Wednesday evenings between 9 - 10:30pm.

His instruction is based primarily on the treatise written by Ridolfo Capo Ferro of Cagli entitled "Gran Simulacro dell'arte e dell'uso della scherma" initially published in 1610. The treatise provides an excellent theoretical basis for understanding the principles of misura, tempo and stringere, as well as their uses in combat. Classes will encompass basic drills (footwork, blade sensitivity, line control, etc.) followed by reviewing specific elements of swordplay and conclusing with the application of those principles in slow work, or more advanced level of free fencing.

We extend our warmest wishes for his success in cultivating both interest in rapier fencing and creating excellent rapier fencers at AEMMA.

Good Knight Children, Take two....

2008-11-19T14:38:00.000-08:00

The Hospital for Sick Children has developed programs designed to elevate their patients' sense of well being and emotional health through almost daily presentations. Such presentations are donated by individuals and by organizations such as Mickey Mouse and Mini Mouse from Disney, local magicians, clowns and so on, with the intent of making the children forget for a few moments that that they are in a hospital. Caron Mills, a Child Life Specialist, has organized this and other presentations for the hospital. David M. Cvet of the Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts or AEMMA delivered a second presentation this year on Wednesday morning, November 19th on "How a man shall be armed in the 14th century". The presentation was done with the assistance of two students of the Academy, Russ Howe and Adam Trumpour. The venue of the presentation was the Hospital's "Bear Theatre" on the 4th floor, and was broadcast to all of the room occupied by children who were unable to leave their room for medical reasons.

L-R: Russ Howe, David M. Cvet, Caron Mills, Adam Trumpour

At 11:00am, at the conclusion of the presentation, the children were invited to enter the Bear Theatre to experience a second presentation, this time on heraldry. David, donning his Royal Heraldry Society of Canada's hat, along with RHSC member Russ Howe, enlightened the children with the spectacle of heraldry, using wooden shields painted with his own and Russ's arms. The children were provided with dozens of blank shields and with copies of the colourful charges available on the RHSC website. The Hospital provided colouring markers, and many pages of "stickies" which the kids used to create their own personal coats of arms.

The names of each of the children were written onto small pieces of paper, and tossed into David's helm for a draw for a prize - a blank wooden shield give to the winner. A young man called Damien won the shield and his smile lit up the room.

The children had a fantastic time, and their smiles were bright despite being patients in the hospital. The Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts and the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada wish to thank the Hospital for Sick Children for allowing us the opportunity to create moments of joy and fun for the kids, and look forward towards "take three...", hopefully in early 2009.

AEMMA in Ljubljana, Slovenia

2008-10-25T20:20:00.000-07:00

The "Narodni muzej Slovenije " (National Museum of Slovenia), the organizers of the workshop, and sponsors of the workshop were "BTC City" (Slovenian business, shopping, recreational – entertainment and cultural centre) and "Rauch d.d." (provider of juices) presented "Delavnica srednjeveških Evropshik borilnih veščin " or Medieval European Martial Arts Workshop, the second of its kind in Slovenia on October 11-12, 2008. This follows the first workshop by David M. Cvet of AEMMA in 2005. This year's workshop featured five instructors including David M. Cvet from AEMMA Toronto. The first half of Saturday covered Fiore dei Liberi's "abrazare " (grappling) and "spada " (sword) by David. The lessons were oriented towards the application of distance and timing concepts. This was followed with the second half of Saturday with a Slovenian instructor from the Celje area, Igor Sancin, who has been working with Sigmund Ringeck's treatise for more than a decade. He is also in the process of publishing Slovenia's first Slovenian translation of a historical fencing treatise within a year. His technical understanding of Ringeck was clearly demonstrated during his class, conveying the necessary technical skills to incorporate Ringeck's concepts into German longsword fencing.

The second day of the workshop featured two instructors in the first half, Petr Matoušek from the Czech Republic and Martin Fabian from Slovakia representing "Spoločnosť pre výskum a praktické prevádzanie vznešeného umenia šermiarskeho " (The Free Brotherhood of the Honourable Art of Fencing) instructing initially on "ringen" or wrestling techniques of Ringeck, von Danzig and from the Codex Wallerstein. This was followed by longsword techniques led by Martin sourcing Joachim Meyer. The last instructor for the second half of Sunday was instructor Roman Vučajnk, from Ljubljana covering grappling and dagger techniques derived from Filipo Vadi.

The workshop's venue was a large gymnasium in central Ljubljana offering extremely high ceiling and tall windows creating an excellent workshop environment. Twenty students registered for the workshop and all felt very satisfied with the level and quality of training received. The weekend workshop included visiting the "Narodni muzej Slovenije " at 8:00pm for the opportunity to physically examine numerous medieval arms and armour artifacts from the museum's collection. A rare opportunity for the students of the workshop, and the second time the museum has offered students of such a workshop the chance to examine the artifacts, the first being on the Sunday evening after the weekend workshop in 2005.

Proclamation of the Grant of Arms, Flag and Badge to AEMMA

2008-10-06T11:03:00.000-07:00

L-R: Dr. Claire Boudreau, Chief Herald of Canada, David M. Cvet, founder of AEMMA, Dr. Darrel Kennedy, Assiniboine Herald, Canadian Heraldic Authority, assigned to the file, Bruce Patterson, Saguenay Herald. Canadian Heraldic Authority

The Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts received its offically granted arms by proclamation at a formal event in Montreal, on October 4, 2008. The proclamation certificate text is reproduced below.

"In 1988, by Royal Letters Patent of her Majesty the Queen of Canada, the Governor General received the authority to grant armorial bearings, such grants being part of the National Honours System.

Pursuant to this authority now vested in Her Excellency The Right Honorable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, and to the terms of my commission of office, I, Claire Boudreau, Chief Herald of Canada, do hereby proclaim the arms, flag and badge of the Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts as granted by me, entered in Volume V, Page 197 of the Public Register of Amrs, Flags and Badges of Canada, to be borne and used for ever hereafter by the Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts according to the terms of the grant and the law of arms of Canada.

These Letters Patent were signed and sealed at Rideau Hall in the City of Ottawa on the fifteenth day of January in the year two thousand and eight and proclaimed and presented here in the City of Montreal on the occasion of the Annual Meeting of the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada, this fourth day of October in the year two thousand and eight.

God Save the Queen."

Smith's Cove Swordsmanship Training

2008-08-22T09:44:00.001-07:00

It is without a doubt, a story which has garnished much interest in the press and television network during the summer's swordsmanship training in the tiny community of Smith's Cove near Digby, Nova Scotia. The training course delivered by David M. Cvet of the Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts or AEMMA was patterned after the introduction to swordsmanship offered by AEMMA through the Royal Ontario Museum, but with extensions that introduced some basic concepts and foundations with respect to "abrazare" and "daga" fighting styles.

The student count was 7 regular, with a periodic visit from one or two other individuals during the summer curious about what the training was all about. The students themselves have appeared in the spotlight in the small town of Digby, with such comments from the public they've received like "hey, you're that sword guy on the TV!".

Given the success of this experiment in measuring the interest locally, the residents of Digby County can expect to see a repeat of the training and possibly additional or more advanced offerings during the summer of 2009.

For more stories, click on the links below:

Knight Class, CTV Halifax, August 19, 2008

Class offers a clash of steel on a summer evening, Digby Courier, July 24, 2008

Anyone for knight classes?, Nova Scotia's Chronicle Herald, July 22, 2008

Grappling with an old art - swordfighting, Digby Courier, May 8, 2008

Call to Arms...

2008-07-21T03:33:00.000-07:00

The Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts or AEMMA has been granted an official coat of arms through the Canadian Heraldic Authority in Ottawa. The arms granted on January 15, 2008. The arms are based on the original coat of arms assumed by the Academy in 1998. The petition for

Click on the image to view larger of the same

the officially granted arms included the submission of the original arms, resulting in the granted arms being not to dissimilar to the originally assumed arms.

Heraldry in Canada, as well as the rest of the world, in particular, countries which have a close history with Europe continues to be practiced, and is alive and well. This thousand year old tradition seemed fitting for AEMMA and embraced this tradition with its petition. The entire process took about two years to complete, with receiving the Letters Patent, hand painted by a heraldic artist Ilona Jurkiewicz.

The motto "PRUDENTIA", "AUDATIA", "CELERITAS" and "FORTITUDO" represent the ideal qualities of a warrior as described by Fiore dei Liberi. These qualities are also symbolized in the armorial bearings with the two supporters, the lion ("AUDATIA") and the tygre ("CELETERITAS") and the lynx or wild cat in the crest ("PRUDENTIA"). The last quality, "FORTITUDO" represented in Fiore's manuscript entitled "Flos Duellatorum" or "Fior Battaglia" is the elephant and castle, but design aesthetics of the arms didn't allow for that representation to be included.

The standard depicted illustrates the arms and what looks like a rook and the crest (the lynx). The rook is actually a representation of a single-towered castle ("FORTITUDO") and is charged with three other symbols, the compass ("PRUDENTIA"), the heart ("AUDATIA") and the arrow ("CELERITAS"). The same castle charged with the three symbols also form the Academy's badge, which will be reflected in lapel pins or as embroidered patches to be affixed to jackets, athletic bags or other items.

Good Knight, Children...

2008-06-13T05:37:00.000-07:00

The Hospital for Sick Children has programs designed to elevate their patients' well being and emotional health through almost daily presentations donated by individuals or organizations such as Mickey Mouse and Mini Mouse from Disney Land, local magicians, clowns, comedy troupes, etc.. David M. Cvet, of the Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts or AEMMA, and 1st Vice President of the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada, delivered a presentation on the arms and armour of a 14th century "knight", followed by a talk and presentation on the origins and history of heraldry on Thursday morning, June 12th. The kids were very engaged, and listened with great anticipation to every word uttered, never before seeing a "real live knight in person". The hospital also setup some new equipment for the first time, to televise the presentation to the rooms of many kids who couldn't leave their beds. Other kids, numbering about 15 arrived at the theatre room to witness the presentation directly, in their wheel-chairs, and pulling banks of bags of fluids and monitoring equipment. One little boy, Tony, played the role of a reporter during the televised presentation, and asked pertinent questions about the armour, its weight, where it might've been made, and what the coat of arms meant. Another little girl, Emily, perhaps 8 years old, was very charming and who appeared to be recovering from major surgery, and asked questions, and was very intent on drawing her own coat of arms. Other kids, in similar situations, of various stages of recovery were present and focused on creating their own arms.

At the end of the little dissertation on arms and armour and what it was like being a knight in the 14th century, the staff had prepared many photocopies of blank shields, and supplied markers and pages of stickies (horses, balls, geometric shapes, etc.) that the kids used to create their own arms. The kids who were restricted to their rooms, watched the activity via the TV network they have setup in the hospital, and also received their own copies of shields, markers and stickies.

The hospital staff were very pleased and excited about the presentation, and discussion pursued about repeating this presentation sometime in the fall. The children were fantastic and all were very satisfied and grateful with the presentation, and left with big smiles on their faces.

Summer medieval martial arts training in Digby, Nova Scotia

2008-04-18T18:58:00.000-07:00

Introducing an 8-week training program scheduled for this summer in the Digby, NS area (Smiths Cove Fire Hall, 6:00 - 8:00 pm), scheduled between July 9 - August 26. An open house & free introductory training is scheduled on Wednesday evening, July 2, between 6 - 8pm at the Smiths Cove Fire Hall. The summer session concludes with a bar-b-que at the residence of David M. Cvet in Smiths Cove on Saturday, July 30 (rain day - Sunday, July 31).

Students will have the opportunity to learn self-defense techniques of grappling, dagger and single-hand sword based on a system described by Fiore dei Liberi.

Students will also gain experience on how it can be applied to 21st century scenarios, as well as improving one's conditioning during training.

Students considering the training program must be 16 years or older, males & females are welcomed, and adults encouraged to train! All you need to bring for training is a pair of regular leather gardening type gloves, t-shirt, sweats/shorts, running shoes (preferably flat soled martial art training shoes). Official AEMMA training t-shirts can be made available on request.

Digby County Courier, Wed. May 8, 2008: "Grappling with an old art"

AEMMA's president and founder David M. Cvet will be delivering the classes. Contact AEMMA for further information or add a comment or query to this post in this blog.

Unarmoured free-fencing weekend

2008-04-18T03:53:00.000-07:00

AEMMA is pleased to announce the second annual unarmoured free-fencing tournament weekend.

Date: Oct 25, 26
Location: AEMMA salle d'armes (Dupont & Ossington)
Time: 9-5 Saturday Sunday
Weapons: - Sword on Saturday in round-robin format, spear, sword and buckler, mixed weapons, on Sunday
Eligibility: Scholar

So, any would be scholars out there - you now have an objective. More details will be announced later, but book this in your calender! We also hope that the DVD from last year will be ready for viewing this year (no promises here however!).

Tournament is being organized by David B. Murphy, AEMMA Guelph.

For the "newbies" considering training...

2008-04-14T12:28:00.000-07:00

The Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts or AEMMA, is the only school in the Greater Toronto Area which offers historical fencing and fighting art training known as "l'arte dell'armizare". The methodology was developed as a result of over a decade of research on medieval treatises which describe fighting systems covering grappling, dagger, sword, spear, poleaxe and mounted combat.

AEMMA's focus is principally an Italian swordsmaster by the name of Fiore dei Liberi. He was born sometime around 1350 in a village Premariacco, located near Cividale d'Austra in north-eastern Italy. Sometime in the beginning of 1400, he entered the court of Niccolo III d'Este, Marquise of Ferrara, as the master swordsman. He then began to write a manuscript for the nobility on behalf of Signore di Ferrara. In 1410 Fiore dedicated his treatise to his Marquise. The manuscript was entitled "Flos Duellatorum" or "Flower of the Battle". Another version of the manuscript is entitled "Fior Battaglia".

As a "newbie", the typical question asked is "what do I need to buy or bring in terms of equipment to start?". A valid question and an easy one to respond to. Any individual (male or female) who wish to train in the art only needs to have comfortable black/dark training pants (sweats, tights), garden-variety leather gloves, appropriate footwear (flat soled training shoes are the best) and a T-shirt (AEMMA has T-shirts for $20). AEMMA has extra weapons (swords, daggers) for students to use. It should become clear that the initial outlay of cash for the purchase of equipment is very low. However, as one progresses through training, students are encouraged to purchase their own sword (arming sword) for as low as $120. One of our past students, Charles Jevons "Swordcrafts" makes the training swords used at the Academy.

Another common question asked is "when are the practices scheduled?". Practices are scheduled three times weekly, with a combined recruit and senior students training Sunday mornings between 10am and noon, followed by recruit training Monday evenings between 6:30pm and 8:30pm and finally, Wednesday evenings between 8:30pm and 10:30pm.

One cannot ignore another important question regarding fees, "how much does the training cost?". A somewhat under-publicized special is the first free month of training. This little known gem offers a "noob" the chance to train as often as one likes for their entire first month of training. All you have to do is print out the special "certificate" and bring it to your first class. There is no need to arrange an appointment. Simply show up, identify yourself to the instructor or instructors on hand, and present the certificate. Following a bit of paper work you're good to go. In general, fees are structured into three types: committed: allows one to train as often as there are training classes for $100 monthly and it includes longbow archery practices on Saturdays; casual: allows one to train once weekly for $65 per month; occassional: a pay as you play fee of $22 per training session.

Lastly, "where is the school located?". AEMMA is resides in Toronto, located near the intersection of Dupont and Ossington. Click on the link to pull up a map, including a TTC map on how to get there.

"Armed" with the above details, go forth and knock on AEMMA's door and demand that free month of training (bring the certificate!!) and learn about the medieval period (you can't help it!) and train in the fighting art which will offer you not only skills in self-defense easily applicable in the 21st century, but it's a pretty good workout as well.

14th Century Tournament in the 21st Century?

2008-04-12T21:11:00.000-07:00

Incredulous as it sounds, but it's true. The Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts (AEMMA), along with the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada (RHSC) successfully delivered a colourful and heraldic pageantry of armoured combatants, heralds, pursuivants, marshals and even a Patron, the Lord of Wrentnall. This event was hosted at the ROM in their large Currelly Gallery on March 15, 2008. The museum was at capacity that day with over 10,000 people in the museum, with hundreds spectating the tournament. There were hundreds upon hundreds of people lined up along Bloor Street and south on Avenue Rd. awaiting their entry into the ROM.

Figure 1: Robbie Sprules and his wife, Lucinda lead the opening procession into the fighting lists - photo by Gail J. Smith

The tournament focused entirely on "combats on foot", with the defendants (the home team) comprised of 5 armoured combatants, being challenged by the appellants (the visiting team) comprised of 5 additional armoured combatants, one combatant coming from Gravenhurst, while another from Boston, Mass, and the rest from the Ottawa Medieval Sword Guild or OMSG. The opening procession displayed a spectacular array of heraldry in the form of banners, standards and colourful tabards depicting the coats of arms of the combatants. To add, the combatants themselves, accompanied with their standard bearers, also wore jupons emblazoned with their coat of arms.

Figure 2: David Cvet battling Dale Gienow from Muskoka with steel longswords - photo by Jim Atack

The bouts were configured to three landed blows, by any weapon or weapons chosen for that bout. The blows were required to create visible displacement of the target in order to be counted. The bouts were extremely intense, with a good number of combatants choosing the spear as their weapon of choice.

Figure 3: David Murphy battling Mat Ravignat (OMSG) with poleaxe - photo by Jim Atack

At the end of the tournament, Lady Lucinda, the Patron's wife selected a combatant deemed to be the "best amongst equals" and was presented with a gift, a classic claymore sword. Following the tournament, most of the combatants, their significant others, volunteers and friends and relations attended a medieval banquet at AEMMA's salle d'armes. A glorious day for all involved.

Figure 4: Mathieu Ravignat accepting the award from Robbie Sprules and Lady Lucinda for "best amongst equals" - photo by Gail J. Smith

Figure 5: One side of the tournament medallion depicting the AEMMA arms, the reverse indicting date and location of the tournament. These were presented to each of the combatants at the banquet. Designed and created by Nicolas Facundo-Rico.

After the tournament, a good number of combatants and other participants, friends and family attended the medieval banquet at AEMMA's salle d'armes. With the salle beautifully decorated with arms of all of the combatants depicted on wooden shields, standards, banners, wrought iron candelabras, a medieval musical ensemble and demonstrations of medieval dancing, the banquet achieved what it may have been like in the medieval period. After some remarks and short speeches, Lady Lucinda awarded to each of the armoured combatants a tournament medallion. The medallions were created by an AEMMA student Nicolas Facundo-Rico.

Links:

Of the Undertaking of a Tournament

Tournament Roll for March 2008

Post-tournament Review

What's in it for me?

2008-04-12T20:13:00.000-07:00

An interesting question when one considers swinging a sword is as anachronistic in the 21st century as using a square rigger as the primary mode of marine transportation. So, it begs the question "why would one study and practice a medieval fighting art, when people don't walk around with swords any more?"

The question can be answered two-fold: a) cultivating an appreciation and understanding of the medieval period and of a people in the time where individuals developed both defensive and offensive skills in sophisticated fighting arts not derived from Asian or Eastern cultures, but developed within the context of European cultures and b) developing defensive skills applicable in the 21st century. After all, there's more to swordplay than swinging a sword around. The fighting art encompasses a number of levels of physical skill, including grappling, dagger and other classic weapons of the medieval period. Training swordplay without the basis provided by close-quarters fighting is like learning how to drive by using a Formula 1000 race car. There's a ton of material to become familiar with and skills to develop before taking that F1000 to the track!

Personal evolution through enhancement of one's intellect through expanding it to encompass a historical period is invaluable to anyone seeking to grow. When one takes the historical component and applies it to a real application such as medieval martial arts, what better marriage than the intellect with the physical?