Springeck 2016: Coming together to train!

Shenanigans at Springeck 2016.

Springeck 2016 wrapped up on Sunday, April 24th and I couldn't be more pleased with the result. 11 clubs from 6 states gathered to train, learn, fence, and grow. It's clear that tournaments are a vibrant part of the HEMA community, but Springeck strives to bring historical fencing clubs together in order to train and learn from one another in a non-competitive atmosphere. The philosophy of Springeck is simple--expand your horizons as a fencer by training with others who you don't usually train with. This perspective shift helps fencers to understand our Art from different angles, oftentimes angles they've never considered.

Take for example Katy Lehman's workshop on Saturday afternoon. Katy, an instructor from the Wisconsin Historical Fencing Association, demonstrated that one's goals (whatever they might be), actually colors one's behaviors and actions in a drill. If your goal is to increase your physical fitness, for example, you'll attack the drill with energy and a lot of movement. If your goal is more technique-oriented, you may slow down the drill, analyzing footwork, blade angles, and the pressure/leverage in a bind. Katy's point, as I understood it, is that all of these objectives are valid. We just need to recognize that these goals affect our mindset as we perform a drill.

This was eye opening to me. I never thought of drills in this fashion and never understood that drills could sometimes fall apart because two practitioners were approaching the drill from wholly different points of view. As an instructor, this information is incredibly helpful now that I know to look for these perspectives.

This is the type of eureka moment that Springeck is geared towards. In a sense, we all have the possibility to experience such a moment when we branch out and train with others whose point of view differs from the approach that we're used to or comfortable with. Springeck brings the necessary elements together to allow that possibility to foment.

Sparring during the open free play session.

So what else happened at Springeck? A lot. Open free play, lightning rounds, coached free play (thanks to Axel Pettersson's fantastic seminar at Longpoint 2014), workshops for direct instruction, balloon wars, and a prize play.

What the heck is a prize play? Oh, this is where it gets really good.

A prizing is when a student decides to demonstrate their skill by fencing anyone who will face them. Historically, it was performed in and around London in Elizabethan England as a means for a student to attain the rank of free scholar--a student who was liberated or freed from the possibility of tyranny and oppression because of their ability to fight and resist that oppression.

Many schools have adopted that rank structure, but the Historical Fencing Affiliates (HFA) is an international martial arts federation of autonomous fencing clubs that share a common rank structure based on the historical English system. The HFA has added a few additional ranks to the historical English system, and has also adopted the use of prizing in order to denote the rank of Senior Free Scholar. This year, Ben Lehman of the Wisconsin Historical Fencing Association (another HFA club) played his prize.

One of the great images that sticks in my mind is the start of the prizing. The challengers--all those at Springeck-- lined up to form a corridor leading to the ring, their swords extended high in a vaulted archway. Amidst a percussive slow clapping, Ben entered to cheers and calls. This was his moment, but we were there to push him in order to help him excel. This wasn't going to be a cakewalk for him, and he didn't want it to be.

A single ring was outlined by cones in the center of the gym. Ben stood in one corner flanked by his second, his wife Katy Lehman. Katy was to act as Ben's coach during the prizing. Beforehand, the participants at Springeck were prepped by HFA Provost Aaron Pynenberg of the Wisconsin Historical Fencing Association (WHFA) on what to expect. He explained that he would send in fighters from amongst the group in order to test Ben's skill. Fighters could use a manner of weapons against Ben--daggers, spears, longswords, rapiers, swords and bucklers, messers, etc. were all used. Ben chose to play his prize with the longsword.

Ben Lehman fighting during his prize play for Senior Free Scholar.

Ben fought 119 bouts in over forty minutes. With few breaks, Ben demonstrated his skill again and again as he racked up an impressive 88 wins with a 74% win percentage. The HFA rules dictate that a contestant for Senior Free Scholar must pass with at least a 70% win percentage. Ben hurtled over that bar in a continual flourish of strong binds, superior winding, well-placed thrusts, and superb weapon control. Afterwards, everyone clapped and cheered for him in a sincere gush of enthusiasm for what he had demonstrated. The Springeck spirit pulsed; we all threw what we could at Ben in order to help him bring out his best fighting, and he rose to the occasion, demonstrating a strong skill set in our Art.

Overall, as an HFA event, Springeck encapsulates just one component of the martial journey that we take in this Art. Training is vital to what we do, but that training is not often celebrated with others. Competition surely is, and has its own place among the many facets of expression in this Art, but training, learning, and growing together needs to become a focus too. I hope that the HEMA community finds value in this type of event and begins to sponsor more events like Springeck. Tournaments and competitions are well established; let's do the same for martial training.

For more on the HFA rank structure, take a look at its charter. The rank structure is article 3. http://the-hfa.com/index.php/our-charter