Our main activity as a team, is presenting to the public, the styles and techniques we have practiced and developed.
In this, we hope to educate and entertain, and hopefully give a feeling for how the western martial arts developed during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
Our displays can take a variety of forms. Quite often, we have an instructor/presenter explaining each move that two combatants will demonstrate in slow motion. After the explanations, the combatants will perform the same sequence of moves at full speed, so that the audience can gain a better understanding of the principles behind why and how an attack, parry or counter was performed.
As well as showing the technical side of mortal combat, we have also trained and tested a few techniques for unexpected shots, fancy disarms, and downright dirty blows! All's fair in love and war, and when your life depends on beating the other guy, a quick boot to the groin is just as good.
Since we're having fun developing our techniques, we also like to inject a little humour into the routine - sometimes unintentionally! We are here to entertain, afterall! But all our free-fighters are experienced enough to cater for the unexpected - such as happened at the Shepherds Rest, when one fighter was surprised to find himself disarmed by his opponent's poignard twist, managed to counter the incoming sword with his own poignard, and take the weapon from his enemy! All totally unrehearsed, and testament to the ability of the fighters to react in that situation.
A typical show will consist of a mix of the above styles, and sparring between fighters of varying levels of experience. We can also bring a taste of what it's like in the sparring yard, with the squires being trained by a grim-faced instructor, who will point out their faults and weaknesses, in a non-too-gentle fashion.
Our final type of display is a no-hits-barred tournament. Although a Marshall will nominally oversee the rules of chivalry, many combatants will cross the line in order to gain that vital point. And everyone loves to see a good resounding blow on top of the head!