"A halberd (also called halbert or Swiss voulge) is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 14th and 15th centuries. Possibly the word halberd comes from the German words Halm (staff), and Barte (axe) - in modern-day German, the weapon is called Hellebarde.
The halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on a long shaft. It always has a hook or thorn on the back side of the axe blade for grappling mounted combatants.[1] It is very similar to certain forms of the voulge in design and usage. The halberd was 1.5 to 1.8 metres (5 to 6 feet) long.
The halberd was cheap to produce and very versatile in battle. As the halberd was eventually refined, its point was more fully developed to allow it to better deal with spears and pikes (also able to push back approaching horsemen), as was the hook opposite the axe head, which could be used to pull horsemen to the ground."
- Source: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halberd
Poleweapons: Deceptions, Close Plays and Nasty Business
Saturday, February 18, 2012 3pm-7pm
"I say that a stout man skilled in the use of the feint and deception of the staff can successfully defeat multiple opponent's with all manner of weapon." - George Silver, Paradoxes of Defense 1599.
Learn how to decieve, mislead, and invite your opponent to their folly in this 4 hour intensive on the deceptive plays of the staff. Students will learn:
- The 4 zones of attack and how to manipulate them with feints.
- Feints of line and feints of distance.
- Invitations and ways to mislead the opponent into the wrong strategy.
- Countering feints and avoiding counters.
This workshop is recommended for any weapons user seeking to increase the deceptive nature of their fight. The quarterstaff is a superb teacher of timing and deception regardless of your primary weapons or style.
Prerequisites - Grounding in the posture, movement, attacks, and defenses of English Quarterstaff or Italian Poleweapons technique. Graduates of Warrior Fundmentals or Intro to the Knightly Arts qualify.
Required: Comfortable workout gear and footwear.
Recommended: Padded hockey or lacrosse gloves, or steel gauntlets; fencing mask or helm.
Optional: 6' to 9' short staff (1" round dowel), 9' to 12' long staff ("1.25 - 1.5" round dowel)
A limited amount of loaner protective equipment and staffs are available. Please contact our office to reserve.
Instructor: Devon Boorman
Cost: $60 + HST (15% off for members!)
"It is the habitual carriage of the umbrella that is the stamp of Respectability. The umbrella has become the acknowledged index of social position. . . . Crusoe was rather a moralist than a pietist, and his leaf-umbrella is as fine an example of the civilized mind striving to express itself under adverse circumstances as we have ever met with." - Robert Louis Stevenson
Umbrella Self-Defense
Sunday, February 19, 2012 2pm-6pm
Learn to fend off ruffians and rapscallions with Vancouver's most common weather-based accoutrement.
In this 4-hour workshop, participants will learn the art of self-defense with an umbrella or cane. Based on the Bartitsu system developed in turn of the century Victorian England, stick fighting is a practical, easily applied system of self-defense for any gentleman or lady.
This workshop is suitable for participants of any fitness level.
Instructor: David McCormick
$60 (15% off for members)
Devon Boorman is the Co-Founder and Director of Academie Duello Centre for Swordplay, which has been active in Vancouver, Canada since 2004. Devon’s expertise centres on the Italian swordplay tradition including the arts of the Renaissance Italian rapier, sidesword, and longsword, as well as knife and unarmed techniques. Read more from Devon Boorman.