Directions

Heritage Lake Park

1 Heritage Dr, Rantoul, IL 61866

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Schedule:

	General	Historic Styles & Context		Coaching and Training	Skill Development
8am	Site Opens
9am
9:30am				Coaching with Master Terrance
10am		Intro to Fabris			Intro to Offhands	Intro to C&T
11am	Lunch Available		Intro to German Longsword	How to Coach	Advanced Footwork for Beginners
Noon			German Dagger Fighting		Theatrics of Fencing	Your Fiercest Opponent
1pm		Spanish Practicum	Quit Messering Around	Fabris Fix-It Corner	Sabre Craft	Book of the Courtier
2pm			Attacking with Meyer	Coaching Corner	Gaining the Blade
3pm		The Fight of George Silver			Spear Craft
4pm			German Longsword in C&T		Acquiring the Violence
4:30pm
5pm
5:15pm	St Jude Tournament
6pm
6:30pm	Potluck Dinner: All Welcome
7pm
8pm	Site Closes

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Time: 9:30am - Noon
Class: Coaching With Master Terrance
Instructor: Master Terrance of Tynedale
Description: 30 minutes of one-on-one, personalized coaching sessions. Sign up sheet for each coaching block is available at the event check in table.

Time: 10:00am - Noon
Class: Introduction to Fabris
Instructor: Warder Katerina die Herrliche
Description: An introduction to the Italian rapier treatise of Salvator Fabris - covering fencing theory on how to use sword alone, sword and dagger, sword and cloak. This class will discuss posture, the core guards, how to hold and use each weapon and defensive object, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

Time: 10:00am - 11:00am
Class: Introduction to Offhands
Instructor: Armiger Magnus raudr gandr
Description: A beginner-friendly class introducing students to dagger, buckler, rigid parry, and soft parry offhands in a style-agnostic overview of how each can be used to improve your fight.

Time: 10:00am - Noon
Class: Introduction to Cut & Thrust Fencing
Instructor: Magister Roland de Sullane
Description: An intro to C&T using Giovanni dall'Agocchie di Bologna manual, "How To Survive a Duel in 30 Days" - This class is appropriate for all skill levels for anyone interested in trying cut and thrust fencing.

Time: 11:00am - Noon
Class: Intro to German longsword (RDL)
Instructor: Miguel Mono de Hierro
Description: An introduction to Ringeck, Danzig, and Lews versions of Liechtenauer's longsword Zettel. Will cover critical common lessons, guards, zornhaw, and krumphaw.

Time: 11:00am - 1:00pm
Class: How to Coach
Instructor: Maestro Raphael di Merisi & Warder Anika Reyse
Description: How To Coach: Do you teach at your local practice? Do you want to find out how our brains actually learn? This is a hands on class exploring the latest sport science research on how we learn. Please bring your full fencing kit.

Time: 11:am - Noon
Class: Advanced Footwork for Beginners
Instructor: Herr Parzival Angist
Description: How to turn basic footwork into natural, fluid movements.

Time: Noon - 1:00pm
Class: Looking Good: The Theatrics of Fencing in the SCA
Instructor: Baron John Inchingham
Description: An overview of rapier combat as a GAME within the Society for Creative Anachronism, this fast-paced class, filled with insight and perspective, has been popular at Fencing Academies and Workshops since before Rapier Combat was a legal Middle Kingdom activity. Students are asked to bring fencing equipment and weapons but NO sparring will take place

Time: Noon - 1:00pm
Class: Advanced German Dagger Fighting aka - Why are Dagger Guards Terrible?
Instructor: Warder Giovanni aus Innsbruck
Description: In this class we look at dagger through standing wrestling to understand why dagger guards and techniques are the way they are. This class is open to all, however it will be taught at an advanced level. The participants need some knowledge of dagger and or wrestling to get the most out of the class. I will not be slowing down to explain terminology unless time permits.

Time: Noon - 1:00pm
Class: Training for Your Fiercest Opponent – How to be a Great Youth Authorized Sparring Fencer
Instructor: Warder Anna Jokinen
Description: Join Warder Anna Jokinen along with a few special TAs for this class that covers the basics of what it means to be a Youth Authorized Sparring Fencer (i.e. – allowed to fight the most ferocious combatants in the kingdom). Class will cover the requirements to be a YASF (no background check required!), some basic developmental information about youth across the three age divisions, and some advice from experts in the field. Bring gear for sparring, an open mind, and your sense of fun!

Time: 1:00pm - 2:000pm
Class: Fabris Fix-It Corner
Instructor: Warder Katerina die Herrliche
Description: Drop by with any questions you have about Fabris - posture, guards, technique, structure, or whatever else you might need a hand to figure out or might need a Fabris buddy to work through!

Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Class: Quit Messering Around: An Intro to Leuchener's Messer Fechtbuch.
Instructor: Miguel Mono de Hierro
Description: An brief Introduction to the messer, its use, and place in the German Fencing tradition. This class will focus on common lessons, guards, and initial zornhaw plays.

Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Class: Spanish Fencing Practicum
Instructor: Master Kai Tseng
Description: Come with any concerns or questions you have about your Destreza game for a hands-on coaching session and practical experience.

Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Class: The Book of the Courtier, Renisance Humanism, The Great Chain of Being, and the SCA: A Picnic Chat
Instructor: Magister Roland de Sullane
Description: The Book of the Courtier was published in 1526 by Baadassare Castiglione and translated into English in 1561 by Thomas Hoby. The work focused on the education, behavior and Qualities of the ideal courtier. Christine de Pisan's work The Treasure of the City of Ladies published in 1420 discussed this as well but specifically regarding women. We will discuss the qualities of the courtier, how this was applied to the philosophy of the time and how it applies and can be used in the SCA. Bring your lunch.

Time: 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Class: Attacking with Meyer: How to Offend with German
Instructor: Tiarna Eochad Ó Madadhan
Description: In the context of the rapier, explore Joachim Meyer’s three actions; Provoking, Taking, and Hitting, as presented in the Dussack section of his 1570 treatise. Class will focus on drilling to learn concepts. Mask and sword required.

Time: 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Class: Gaining the Blade
Instructor: Warder Rashid al-Sanna
Description: A walkthrough on controlling your opponent’s weapon by taking a defensive position with your own weapon.

Time: 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Class: Carbonari Coaching Corner
Instructor: The Carbonari
Description: Do you have something you're working on? Is there a topic you would like feedback on? Here's the time for organized one on one coaching brought to you by The Carbonari, a group within the SCA dedicated to pulling from period manuals and using that to excel as fighters.

Time: 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Class: Saber Craft
Instructor: Warder Diego Matias Vargas
Description: Come live your best false edge life. A look at utilizing saber in both C&T (cut and thrust) and Rapier. From this disABLED Fencer to you. All inclusive, all welcome, beginner to advance. Bring what you feel comfortable wearing

Time: 3:00pm - 4:30pm
Class: The Fight of George Silver
Instructor: Master AElfred of Chester
Description: George Silver was an English gentleman who was born about 1555. He is probably best known for his rant against Italian rapier instructors who came to London at the end of end of the 16th C. Silver wrote and published his rant, “Paradoxes of Defence” against the English learning to use and carry a rapier in 1599. Silver argued instead that the English should train and carry what he called a short sword as one of his arguments against a rapier was that they were too long. After writing his book Paradoxes of Defence Silver went on to write “Brief Instructions Upon My Paradoxes of Defence.” However, this book was not printed while Silver was still alive and a hand written draft was found in the British Museum in the late 19th Century. In this class we will be working from Silver’s “Instructions” and “English Swordsmanship” by Stephen Hand a modern text on using Silver’s works. We will concentrate on the use of the single sword. If at all possible please bring a sword and gear for C&T combat to the class.

Time: 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Class: Spear Craft
Instructor: Warder Diego Matias Vargas
Description: An adaptive breakdown on how to be successful fighting with a spear. From this disABLED Fencer to you. All inclusive, all welcome, beginner to advance. Bring what you feel comfortable wearing

Time: 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Class: Making German Longsword Work for You: Application of German longsword techniques to Cut and Thrust in the SCA
Instructor: Miguel Mono de Hierro
Description: Focus of this class will be on distilling Lichtenauer's zettel (RDL) into SCA C&T tourneys.

Time: 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Class: Acquiring the Violence
Instructor: Warder Giovanni aus Innsbruck
Description: This is an advanced class for breaking through mental barriers in fencing. Due to the interpersonal way this class is taught the class limit is 3 to 5 students. Please find Warder Giovanni aus Innsbruck for sign up.

Tournament of St. Jude

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The Company of Saint Jude invites all who practice the Art of Defense to present themselves to the tournament list for a display of their scholarship, prowess and knowledge for the Company and attending populace.

Start Time: 5:15pm

Fencers will gain points for the following:

• Attempting to emulate a period style or treatise during a bout
• Maintaining their declared style throughout the bout
• Killing blows

Tournament format will be chosen based upon the number of participants.

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Thorbjorn's Favor

At the next Midlands Academy of Defense (September 6th, 2025) hosted by the Shire of Caer Gwyn, fencers will be asked to elect a new bearer of Thorbjorn's Favor. The current bearer is Master Roland de Sullane.

Thorbjorn's Favor is a traveling honor, created in remembrance of Master Thorbjorn the Greysides, awarded once a year to an attendee of the Midlands Academy of Defense. Citizens of the Middle Kingdom and of the kingdoms of Northshield, Ealdormere and Calontir are eligible. Those gentles who have already borne the favor (see list below) are not eligible to bear it again. The bearer is chosen each year by a vote of those fencers in attendance. Tie votes are decided by the previous bearer. The new bearer is asked to wear the favor until the next MAD, and to have their name added to the favor before passing it on to the new bearer.

BEARERS OF THORBJORN'S FAVOR:

1. Master John Inchingham the Fool, OL, OP;
2. Master Fritz von Bare, OL;
3. Sir Guillaume LaFort, KSCA;
4. Master Adam Comyn, MOD;
5. Master Alexander de Seton, OP;
6. Master Christian de Fournier, OL, MOD;
7. Master Mateo Montero de Madrid, MOD;
8. Warder Gallien le Cavalier de L'lle;
9. Master Philippe de Leon, OL, OP;
10. Mistress Moira MacGillavrey, OP;
11. Master Anton du Marais, MOD, OP;
12. Master Terrance of Tynedale, MOD, OL;
13. Master Kai Tseng, MOD;
14. Master Adhamh MacAoidh, MOD;
15. The Honorable Lord Liam Martini;
16. Defender Cecil DuPont, MOD;
17. Master Peter Grau von Bremen, MOD;
18. Defender Adam CarMychel, MOD;
19. Maestra Anna Reimer von Wolfenbuttel, MOD;
20. Mistress Azriel le Fey, MOD;
21. Sir Lucas Otto Gustav Oswald Stephan von Schnecke (called "Logos"), KSCA, OP, MOD, OL;
22. Master Gerard Montague, MOD;
23. Master Gwynneth verch Ieuan, MOD;
24. Maestro Raphael di Merisi, MOD;
25. The Honorable Lord Lucius Antonius Ursus;
26. Magister Roland de Sullane, MOD

Lunch

A lunch option is available on-site from 11am-2pm.

Cost: Free (Donation optional)

Menu

• Ham, Turkey, or peanut butter sandwiches
• Selection of chips
• Apple, Banana, or oranges.
• Chocolate chip, white macadamia, or oatmeal rasin cookie

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Dinner

There will be a potluck picnic dinner starting at 6:30 pm

Pickup lists remain open as mouths get filled - and friends laugh together as the evening draws on. It truly is a magical part of the event, and we invite you all to join us for it.

Disposable plates, forks, and cups will be provided. If you'd like to bring a dish, feel free to sign up HERE