Jousting instructors are much like fencing Maestri. Remember the myth that the Maestri do not hit their students? Well, jousting instructors even break “honking big sticks” on their students!

Just like the fencing Maestri, the jousting instructors only hit their advanced students, and that in their own armor, however, therefore I was safe in this regard. I had a ton of educational fun in Jeffrey Hedgecock’s Knight School even without the armor, however. To begin with, I got to practice the lance technique in tilting a the quintain. (Well, one with a tiny "shield" for "point control" practice :-).

There must have been more than just Jeff's being nice to his statements about being happy with how I was doing what I was doing, as he ultimately entrusted to me, together with his horse, a sharp sword and a box of cabbage heads to “play with.” Does this look like a fun cutting practice?

PS: Since the Knight School website states that all new students, even people who are bringing their own horses, have to take their first session on foot, of course I was asking about doing that. However, Jeff put me on a horse to see how I ride, and that was the end of the foot training idea. How appropriate for the beginning of my California story... 

Before the Knight School, however, I attended the TOURNAMENT OF THE PHOENIX (click here for a video) in order to check out the practical application in real jousting and mounted games competition of the skills taught at the school.

A part of the tournament was also foot poleaxe combat.

Volunteering at the event, I was assigned to assist Chris Vivo and David Teague with WMA demonstrations, for which I was furnished with the appropriate attire. From our "neighbors,"I even learned a few arrow-making “tricks” there...

Next morning, I begun driving north, as I was scheduled to have my first lesson with Puck Curtis and Kevin Murakoshi in Davis the same evening.

But let us begin this part of my story on a humorous note:                

antonieHow (How To Do Just About Everything Unimaginable)

  How to become a classical fencer in 4 days: 

 1.) "CUCHARA-fechten"

Cuchara-fechten is an educational activity (apparently best performed over a dinning table) not to be confused with the CSG/WMAW “spoonfechten.” This activity is important, as otherwise you might be working really hard on doing stuff say “in terza” while still looking like you would not even follow the given instruction. So remember--no matter how perfect your Fabris terza might be, terzi are not the same everywhere :-). And do not even get me started about say “prima”!

Now, you could alternatively prevent the above-mentioned problem by opening your Science of Fencing book and looking at some pictures, or by getting your foil out of the shipping box and experimenting a bit while reading the email you have received from Chris (Holzman). However, does not “cuchara-fechten” look like much more fun?

2.) Getting in the guard

Good that no pictures were made of me trying to get into the pertinent guard for the first time, as I could not stop giggling while doing so. Therefore, I could not resist taking a picture when the same predicament met Scott Aldiner a bit later (this was Scott's 3rd ever foil lesson), as pictured. Many may be thinking that someone who spends her fencing time in the Fabris guard, like I do, has no reason to complain here. I was ready to submit, however, that hanging out in the Fabris guard is like resting on a sofa in comparison... 

Concerning how Scott fits in here, we have not yet definitely resolved who was following whom. However, when Scott begun his "Pilgrimage of the Sword" in Davis, he attended my last lesson with Puck. When he and his buddy Trevor were nearing Chicago, I had just stopped there briefly. By the time the guys reached Virginia, I was already there as well (as seen here).

3.) No excuses crash course

While still in Chicago, I proclaimed I had no clue what I could do with a foil, and I owned none anyway. Kevin solved that by sending me detailed instructions for what to click and fill out at the American Fencers Supply website to order the appropriate Italian foil. Kevin even sent me a picture of his wrist strap, on inch paper, so that I can make myself a strap exactly like that. Well, so I showed up in California holding said foil with two fingers of one hand, and the wrist strap with two fingers of my other hand, in the typical shoulder-shrugging “Ok, what now?” pose, as I had no clue how these two could even fit together.

But it was Puck's turn to proceed with his mission highlighting for me the similarities between the Italian Classical foil and early 17th century rapier systems, in order to dispel my claims that I have no idea what I could possibly be doing with a foil.

4.) GETTING EVEN WORSE

Remember the saying “It will get worse--and it did”? Although this picture definitely deserves further treatment, for now, I will not be commenting on it much further...

It suffices to say that should you ever feel like you have prepared for just about anything, something surprising can still always happen. After driving from San Diego straight to my first Davis lesson, I inquired what I should wear there. The response was that should I feel comfortable taking my lessons just in a T-shirt, that was fine; I would just for sure need my chest guard when I begin teaching. Upon hearing that, I was thinking: “Well, that will be years from now, so no worries.” Little did I know I was to begin learning how to teach the "San Jose" FMP way  the same evening... (while applying that to rapier).

5.) STEP FIVE

So what is step five of “becoming a classical fencer in 4 days”? Go, and trick someone into thinking that you know what you are doing! Right? But remember--should you be always aiming for the best, you will now also have to attempt “tricking” some of the best Classical Fencing teachers. Should this your attempt count, you will need at least three, so how about say Maestra Sahm, Maestro Sullins, and Maestro Sahm?

Ok, enough kidding now. Of course I am not stupid enough to attempt such foolishness!!! Quite the contrary. I presented myself to all the above-mentioned Maestri, in the above order, with my “proud” declaration that I have no clue what I am doing whatsoever (although Puck might have “spoiled” this just a bit). But how in the world has THAT come to happen!?! That is a long story...by which I will prove that everything is someone else's fault; that I was almost not even involved! :-)...

At the 2009 WMAW, the "San Jose Maestri/guys," who must have heard of my previous "Grand Journey," wondered if I was going to journey to their area as well. When I said I totally could, Puck and Mary (Curtis) as well as Kevin (Murakoshi) invited me to visit with them, to stay at their house, and train together for some time. When we figured out a good time also with Eric (Myers), a whole daily practicing schedule was set up for me. When we first talked about this my visit, I thought I would focus on historical swordsmanship, the Montante and rapier in particular, during my stay. However, during the planning process, a recommendation came within both Puck’s and Eric’s emails that I should also visit both the currently existing continuations of the "San Jose" program--Maestro and Maestra Sahm's Fencing Masters Program in Santa Clara, and Maestro Sullins' Fencing Masters Certificate Program at Sonoma State University. Since Kevin had told me that the programs' graduates who live in the area sometimes go and help out during the sessions, I was happy to originally plan on coming along while “hiding behind” them and watching. When they also suggested that I write to Maestra Sahm and Maestro Sullins so that the Maestri can prepare for my visit, I thought that would indeed be polite. So I did. As the arrangements progressed, however, it turned out that I was in fact to go alone, thus not being able to “hide behind” anyone, and that my active participation in the classes was assumed (thus my just watching was not happening either). Well, this is how my showing up with my "proud" declaration that I had no clue what I was doing came about.

It was all the "San Jose guys'" "fault." It was also the "fault" of Tom (Leoni), who, together with Steve (Reich), had good things to say about the FMP. Tom told me already during one of my earlier visits with him that the Fencing Masters Program was "the place to be." I am not sure whether he said it was the place to be for students of our kind of martial arts, or whether teaching was mentioned as well. I was not worried about any of that back then. I totally missed Tom's hint because I was not even imagining how his statement could apply to me whatsoever. When he was telling me how much he learned in the program, I was just thinking: "Good for you!" Then, at the WMAW 2009, however, I "caught" Tom telling one of the "San Jose guys:" "Antonie is very good, she will be teaching in no time." I went like: "Tom, do not give them any ideas!" But it was late anyway. It turned out that by then, they had come up with their own ideas in this regard, especially during their Fencing Pedagogy class. 

I was almost not even involved in this class either. I totally ignored it in 2007, but when the same class was announced within the 2009 WMAW schedule again, I begun thinking: Should I indeed go back to the Czech Republic in some two years, this may be my last opportunity to check out the "San Jose" Fencing Pedagogy stuff. And since people do not practice the American WMA way in the Czech Republic, should I wish to still play there this way, I might have to do so with my students. But, since the WMAW Fencing Pedagogy class was explicitly for people who either teach or want to teach, I thought that already my showing up there would look too arrogant. Thus, I instead asked if I could just audit the class, although then I found an adventurous solution. I registered for the first half of the course, which consisted of the participants taking lessons. Then, I told Puck (who was in charge of our rapier section) that I was going to be gone from the second half of the class, where participants were to give the same lessons. And then I run. I run so fast in fact that I forgot most of my stuff behind... 

On this my run, I went to Steve (Reich's) Bolognese Swordsmanship course that was to begin concurrently. However, Steve sent me off, saying that I did not need to be in his session--that is unless I wanted to teach it. With his typical sideways look, a smile on his face, and little stars in his eyes, Steve said he was sure I could teach his class (he was not kidding; the other time when I said I was looking forward to seeing Steve's Bolognese book in print, he also replied: "Why? You have no need for the book, as there will be nothing in it that you do not know!") So I promptly left Steve's class, although with the sinking feeling that no amount of hiding is going to help me in the long run. Somewhat later then, I sneaked back to the Fencing Pedagogy class to get my left behind gear. However, Kevin caught me there, welcoming me back to class, and wondering where I was (I had informed Puck, but not Kevin, of my panicking run). So I gave up running and tried that...    

After all, this whole story very much reminds me of another one that transpired at the University of Chicago. When I was in the second year of my Ph.D. studies, the chairman of our department asked me one day if I had seen the announcement concerning an open teaching position. I said I certainly had, but I deleted it right away, as the announcement clearly specified that student in the fourth year of their Ph.D. studies, or more advanced ones, should apply. In addition to being only in my second year back then, I also learned English practically only after coming to the U.S. for my education, and I had no teaching experience whatsoever. However, the chairman wanted me to try anyway. Since it was a kind of a honor to be asked this way, I thought it would not be even polite to refuse, therefore I indeed tried. I thought that in case it does not work out, I could after all always blame it on the chairman :-). By now, I have been teaching at the university for four years, and both the department and my students seem to be quite happy about that. Even I actually found teaching to be a lot of fun (in addition to being rewarding and all that).       

Anyway, so I happily accepted Puck's, Kevin's, and Eric's invitation to train with them, and I planned a ten-day visit to fit just right in between the Tournament of the Phoenix and my Knight School training session. And how do things work in “fencing heaven”? Unless you want to go elsewhere for the whole day or evening (like to The Sahms or Maestro Sullins' classes), you have lessons at the Davis Fencing Academy each evening. When you are at Eric’s house, fencing in his orchard until in gets dark, you can still get your Davis lessons subsequently. These include 1.) CapoFerro rapier or rapier and dagger, 2.) Classical Italian foil, and then the surprise--3.) Fencing Pedagogy. And there even are detailed handouts each evening. And the best thing? You can make a request in the morning concerning your next desired lesson topic, say "dagger blade seizures and parries combined with feints," and you get that lesson the same evening.

For further illustration, a CapoFerro sword+dagger disarmament: a) as set up "pretty," and b) as completed "in action." 

A further very important thing about "fencing heaven" is that Tuesdays and Sundays are two-handed sword days there. We were meeting with Eric Myers in his olive orchard to work on plays from his (with Steve Hick) translation of Memorial of the Practice of the Montante by Diogo Gomes de Figueyredo. Eric was also very patient with respect to helping with Steve Hick's plays from their 2009 WMAW handout.  (Please, note that this version of the handout is modified, the first column always representing the original while the second column shows how I was at first "translating" the plays into the "Spadone language" :-). However, as soon as Eric's translation became available, I begun using that, as one should indeed work on each respective material using the corresponding terminology ;-). (Eric offered to help with my Classical Fencing exploration as well, but I asked him to do just more Montante with me instead). 

You have guessed that in addition to other weapons, a lot of sabre work was happening in Maestro Sullins' Fencing Pedagogy Certificate Program at the Sonoma State University. Pictured are Maestro Sullins and Bill first fighting, and then analyzing a certain part of the bout. When I have gotten my first ever sabre lesson from Maestro Sullins, and subsequently commented on now being able to proudly claim that I have held a sabre once, Maestro Sullins noted that since I have received my lesson from him, it in fact counts as ten lessons. (When I subsequently narrated this story of "why be shy" role-model over a dinner, another Maestro commented that it was probably totally true. :-) But guess what--we have done no footwork exercises. This was because we were first waiting for one student who was supposed to show up, which time I happily filled with my questions, and then it was time to proceed to other stuff. But, hey, that is still zero footwork exercises the whole Saturday at Maestro Sullins'! :-)

In the historical portion of the Fencing Pedagogy Certificate Program session, Richard suggested that we do Bolognese in honor of the guest (me). And so we did. Then, I have gotten in the car and drove south. When I had met with Maestra Sahm the previous day, she said it would be OK for me to come late on Saturday. While Maestro Sullins' classes begin in the morning, the Sahms' Fencing Masters Program sessions at Santa Clara University begin after noon, and it is only some two hours drive from Sonoma to Santa Clara (well, in traffic, it is really more like three hours...).  

Speaking of pedagogy, Puck has an exceptional ability to not only make people do things that confuse them, but even feel comfortable doing so. Additionally, he has the greatest patience making people do things they never even thought they could do. Speaking of which, Tom (Leoni) uses a "trick" where he tells others that I can do this or that, which means that I then have to just do it so that Tom does not look like a "liar." Puck has perfected this "trick" by publishing in a newspaper article actual pictorial "evidence" concerning me teaching. (For the whole article, click here.)      

By the time Scott (Aldinger) has arrived at Davis, which was the first stop of his then "Pilgrimage of the Sword," I have given up on panicking about my learning how to teach, and I rather just did it. Scott was very patient and generous about becoming my experimental student.

Puck applies his talent for making people do new things also in life in general. That is how I run out of excuses against becoming a part of the "Ponytail Beatles Rock Band" :-).  The second photo features our "vepro-knedlo-zelo" dinner in Czech national style, with not only Puck, Mary, and Kevin, but also Dori and David, who also study in the FMP.   

When I was trying to take the perfect "There is Nothing Like Studying in the Sunny California" photo designed to allow especially the frozen Chicagoans to be envious with respect to the California weather, the first picture shows how it always ended up. Still, please, note the citrus tree and the lush green lawn. The sword in the background, then, is Puck's Montante, which was even more appropriate to the task at hand than is my Spadone. The second picture documents how I eventually managed to train Kevin's dog to hide when people are swinging honking big swords in the backyard. In fact, all it took was speaking to the dog in Japanese :-). Why? Because Kevin is all Japanese all the time--see the third picture. No, this does not mean that he dresses this way all the time, and it does not mean that I have gotten to learn some katana in addition to everything either :-) (although wait; no, just kidding...). But everyone in Kevin's family, four generations back, is Japanese. Now, Puck's dog only obeys commands in Spanish, but Puck's dog is really a cow anyway... (see here :-). 

Further, Maestro Sullins invited me also to the San Francisco club where he teaches. In addition to trying out some Bartitsu and Saviolo's Rapier there, I was introduced by Tom Badillo and his friends to the formal judging of fencing bouts. Finally, I got to do a bit of the touristy stuff as well (the following three pictures being taken in San Diego). 

It still took four Maestri to persuade me that I did indeed need a white fencing jacket, together with one Kevin getting involved to find me such jacket for cheap in a local store so that I purchase it before I change my mind, but the rest is history... 

To conclude with, I know that Alexandria, VA is not exactly along the way from Davis, CA to Chicago, IL. However, since my little red car does not make a big deal out of a couple of extra days of driving, and since a good time for another visit of mine with Tom and Steve was to be when Tom gets done with his Octoberfests music engagements, I practically extended my 2009 California visit into a coast-to-coast journey. When I thus reported in Alexandria what I have just done in the Bay Area, my "complaining" that I may be joining the Fencing Masters Program helped me none, however. Quite the contrary. Tom said that was the whole point of why he brought up the program to my attention already almost a year prior to that (even as I completely missed his hint then). Then Tom proceeded telling me his whole story of why he really thought I in particular should indeed be joining the Fencing Masters Program. After this his explanation, it would not be even polite to make further fuss. Thus, this report continues...

How to make driving to california a lot of fun:

The other time I overheard Greg (Mele) telling the story of how about two years ago, after having no previous driving experience whatsoever, I showed up at a Chicago Swordplay Guild practice inquiring casually what one might like to see along one's way to California. This was after I have had just enough time to meet my new (well, it was totally used, but you know what I mean) little red car. (Please, note that I have still had no accident although my brother predicted that it was only a matter of time when I would smash the car, and myself, in my attempt to learn how to drive by zipping through Chicago.) Anyway, after about two months of that adventure, I was ready to take on the Rocky Mountains in the middle of the winter, and all alone, in order to conduct some research for my Ph.D. dissertation in Arizona and California.

But wait! I was not alone. Me and my little red car, also known as Littlered, are a perfect match. We are both old and banged up, short and fat/small, non-impressive at first sight/all but fancy (even my car windows have to be rolled down manually), but only a fool would waste time trying to stop us when we are "on a mission."

Since that first trip, we have crossed the length of the continent already six times, driving from Chicago to the Pacific coast, from San Diego, CA to Seattle, WA, and to the Atlantic coast from Alexandria, VA to Everglades, FL and back. Trips to the Washington, DC area (see report here) are easy. You get into the car in Chicago and drive until the gas runs out. That is your sign to get gas, use the bathroom, pull out your lunch from your cooler, and get back into the car with it. Then you drive until the gas runs out, which is time for the same procedure as above, involving dinner for a change. By the time your tank is half empty again, you are in Alexandria. Due to the involved time change along the way, driving from Virginia back to Chicago is even easier. Should you get on the way first thing in the morning, you can be back in Chicago before dark, and that even in February (but yes, you do need to watch out in order not to get a speeding ticket). To conclude with, entertainment is thus not really needed during the Atlantic coast trips.

Trips to California are different. During the above-mentioned incident, Greg warned me about driving the Texas panhandle, calling it a "moon landscape that will drive [me] crazy." I like a challenge (right?), so I made sure to get a good serving of that experience through not only zipping through using a highway but also traveling the small roads though little Texas villages consisting of some farm buildings and a few houses here and there. I have done so in order to string together as many National Parks and Monuments along the way as possible. This is the first way of making driving to California fun. There are plenty of National Parks also along the "northern route"--through Montana and on the "middle route"--through Colorado, but on this my "southern route" trip, I visited every larger/well-known National Park in New Mexico, Arizona, and California, except those located north of Sacramento, CA. Some pictures from this trip are also towards the end of this report, but a few from my most recent trip follow. These four photos were taken during a day trip, onto which one of the people whom I was interviewing for my dissertation has taken me--to visit the natural beauties of the Grand Canyon National Park and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, as well as the archeological sites of the Wupatki National Monument.

The second major way of making driving to California fun is playing fencing games along the way. Well, you cannot be swinging a sword while driving, so you use your car instead. During my first trip, the homework that was assigned to me by my primary rapier instructor, John O'Meara of the Chicago Swordplay Guild, was to work on being more aggressive. We have a number of fencing drills, some of them designed for this very purpose, which can be very easily adapted to driving. However, when I came back and bragged about how hard I was practicing all our fencing games on the road, John felt the need to publicly announce that none of his fencing games are approved for adaptation to driving. Well, I admit I am not surprised he wanted to strictly dissociate from that, so I will be giving no-one no ideas in this regard... :-) 

A better way of practicing fencing while traveling is the third way of making driving to California fun. This way is based on visiting selected WMA schools along the way. During my trip through Colorado already some time ago, I visited the Rocky Mountains Swordplay Guild, also known as The Spartans of Roger Siggs.

Since I visited the Australian school Finesse (see report) soon after that, I can tell it really "is all the the name." Just think and feel: "Finesse" versus "Rocky Mountain" "Spartans." Indeed, after practicing within Finesse long enough, you will not only never again worry about your balance during fencing, you could quite conceivably get a job as a performer walking the high rope, or actually fencing on it. After practicing long enough with The Spartans, you will never again worry about your strength; in fact you could easily help with jobs otherwise performed by heavy machinery :-). After the famous Spartan warm-ups and some knife work, Bolognese drilling and then bouting was on the program during my visit.     

During my most recent trip, in addition to visiting some old as well as new friends and conducting further research for my dissertation along the way as well, I visited with Chris Holzman, a USFCA certified Moniteur d'Armes leading a fencing school in Wichita, KS. The time with Chris, and his "better half" Katie, was a wholesome experience. I trained with them for two days, stayed with them, and they even prepared a special dinner for the one evening of my visit. For the cooking, they used old Northern Italian recipes (to match the Radaellian tradition, right? :-). Needless to say the Osso Buco was darn good, together with the Risotto alla Milanese, for which Tom Leoni provided the traditional recipe (passed down through his mother and maid). Subsequently, of course after some wine, and limoncello, we proceeded to tasting slivovica (Americans would call it hard alcohol, but it is really quite tasty traditional Czech "medicine" made of plums) and Unicum NEXT (which is on what classical fencers of the Hungarian lineage grow up :-). As the last picture proves, these drinks have the effect of making you ready to fence again first time next morning, and you cannot even wait to get out of your kitchen to the gym :-). (Or is it rather me making people do "crazy" things like that? :-)

Chris approached our training systematically as well. First of all, he wrote to Maestri Puck (Curtis) and John (Sullins), inquiring what they taught me concerning Classical Fencing so that he can proceed the best way in his follow-up teaching. Since epee is the favorite of Katie, I have gotten my first ever in life epee lesson from her. With Chris, we did also some foil, although most of our time was spent on guess what--sabre :-). Chris was demonstrating the development of the system, thus we begun with the purely Radaellian material, and then worked its later variants. The practice sabres Chris let me use then matched the material--from older to contemporary. 

Should I have a kid to be sent off to a fencing school, he/she would be going right to Chris, as I would be sure the kid would get away with no bad fencing habits whatsoever. And remember how I was carried away by the fact that in "fencing heaven," you get a handout each night? Chris bested even that. He has made video-recordings of all our lessons, with even his comments audible.