Welcome
Sword School Wichita is a traditional Italian fencing school located in Wichita, KS.
We teach the three typical fencing weapons of foil, spada (épée) and sabre, as well as late 17th-19th century spada, and Radaellian sabre.
Please visit and like our page on Facebook.
Recent Updates and Announcements
Registration is open for Spring 2020 beginner and intermediate classes offered through Parks and Rec at the Edgemoor facility.
Beginner class is Thursday nights 3/26-5/21/20 from 6:30-7:30pm. Beginner class is focused on introducing fundamentals of Italian fencing and is group instruction based.
Intermediate class is Friday nights 3/27-5/22/20 from 6:30-8pm. The intermediate class is self direction study and individual lesson based, and may include Italian foil, epee, sabre, sword and dagger, and military sabre.
All equipment is provided for beginners. Please wear athletic clothing and shoes. No jeans please.
Intermediates must have completed the beginner class (or have prior experience and chat with me about it) and must have their own mask, jacket and glove.
Ages 13+
Registration link is here: web2.vermontsystems.com/wbwsc/kswichitawt.wsc/splash.html
There is a saying that a failure to plan is a plan to fail. Sometimes, particularly when we deal with actions on the blade, we must plan to fail (but not by failing to plan).
This is especially the case when learning to use oblique footwork.
First, we work an action in tempo, then we learn to work with it in contratempo (countertime). While we *could* perform inquartata or intagliata from immobility in our own choice of tempo against an opponent's engagement, it tends to feel very artificial in drills and lessons; as a result, they simply work better and feel more natural from a learning point of view, when used as tempo or contratempo actions.
In the first instance as an action in tempo, for example, we might engage the blade in 4th (inside), and when the opponent performs a cavazione (disengage) to the outside, we perform intagliata. When engaging in 3rd (outside) the opponent performs a cavazione to the inside, we perform inquartata.
Once we have a grasp on the action in tempo, we can work on the action as an example of countertime, where our attempt to engage fails because the opponent performs a cavazione in tempo. In this case, the instant we fail to feel the opponent's blade, we know that a cavazione has taken place, and we immediately perform intagliata or inquartata depending on the side we attempted to engage in.
Learning the action in tempo before learning it in contratempo helps make learning it easier overall. This is the same reason we learn to make a parry and riposte as separate actions first, as we start to learn to judge distance and measure, before going on to blend those together as a time thrust.
FYI: Next Friday (1/17/20) Patrick Bratton from Sala Della Spada in Carlisle PA will be in town and at our Intermediate class (6:30pm - 8pm). There will likely be a distinct sabre and rapier focus. If anyone outside the club is interested in coming in, they're welcome. There is a small floor fee to be paid to parks and rec staff.
As far as I am aware, we are still having our intermediate parks and rec class tonight. I'll update if I hear otherwise.
Reminder: our winter session for beginners starts Thursday, intermediate on Friday.
If you’ve not yet registered and would like to do so, please get signed up ASAP so we can be sure we will meet the minimum number of students to have a class. Sign up link is here:
secure.rec1.com/KS/wichita-parks-recreation/catalog/group/487/64469/2a81bb24116b83d97e526c4d9998380c
Yes - women can use swords. From an instructional seminar a couple of years ago at La Torre events venue in Inman, KS.
Although the infinite wisdom from The Daily Wire is that women can’t use swords, we disagree.
Ladies, we’d love to have you sign up for our introductory class through Parks and Rec.
First class is this Thursday at 6:30 at the Edgemoor facility.
Got one last private lesson in for the decade. A nice way to finish things out.
Remember that classes start back up in a couple of weeks, but if anyone wants a lesson between now and then, please let me know and we can schedule something.
The last intermediate class for fall session is this Friday. Fencers wanting individual lessons between now and the start of the Winter session, please feel free to send us a message here or an email.
Registration for Winter session classes is now active.
If you are new to fencing and would like try it out, please register for the beginner class. All necessary equipment is provided. Please wear athletic clothing, no jeans please.
If you've completed the beginner class (or have prior experience) and have your own mask, jacket, and glove, you can register for the Intermediate class.
secure.rec1.com/KS/wichita-parks-recreation/catalog/index/51f50fc65f67a2fb0e7221ef6fcd6df8?filter...
Additional Italian sabre models, from left: an antique Radaelli hilt suitable for 20mm or 16mm blades, an 1870s-80s Neapolitan model similar to a Parise, but strongly asymmetrical, an unnamed model by the Giuseppe Perez Co. with a 15mm blade probably from the 1890s to 1910 or so, and finally a rather rare Bruno model from around 1890-1920.