The Small-Sword Academy - New York City

July 12th - 14th, 2019

First Position (before drawing the sword. Danet, Guillaume. L’art des armes. Tome premier. Paris, 1766.
The reverence/salute. Le Perche. L'Exercice Des Armes. circa 1740's.
The parry of seconde on the attack in seconde ancienne. Danet, Guillaume. L’art des armes. Tome premier. Paris, 1766.

A Cultural and Technical Immersion in the French School

We are pleased to announce a three-day intensive small-sword Academy. This will be a cultural and technical immersion into the 18th century French School. To emphasize the socio-cultural context in which this system of small-sword was taught, the focus will be placed on the way masters imparted their knowledge. In addition, a Salon will be hosted where all participants will be encouraged to express their thoughts on the Aesthetics and Harmony of 18th century French culture.

This art teaches to strengthen the body well, gives one grace, liberty, regularity, and swiftness; in fact to feel the balance; in a word, it gives great understanding of the beauty of movements and facilitates the execution there of. Therefore, it is surprising that they neglect these great advantages, and make use of so little time in possessing them. J. De Brye, 1721

The Academy will cover:

  • Wearing and drawing the sword
  • Proper etiquette
  • The salute/reverence
  • One-on-one plastron lessons with the master
  • Tirer au mur exercises designed to develop skills
  • The Principle Abilities: Sentiment du fer/Sentiment d'Epée, Coup d’oeil, Jugement, Précision, Vîtesse, and Sang Froid
  • Le jeu simple (The simple inter-play)
  • Le jeu composé (The compound inter-play)
  • L’Assaut (The Assault)

Salon:

The Salon will be a gathering to exchange ideas and discuss the ideals of harmony and aesthetics. We are following the example of the refined social gatherings of the cultured elite, which was one of the engines of the Enlightenment during the 18th century.

Instructors

Location

TBA

Schedule

  • Friday: 11am - 4pm, dinner break, 6pm - 9pm
  • Saturday: 11am - 6pm, dinner break, Salon 7:30 pm
  • Sunday: 11am - 5pm

Equipment and Weapons Required for the Course

Students must bring their own equipment and come prepared with jackets, 3-weapon fencing masks, groin-protectors for men, breast protection for women, and gloves for both hands. You will need a practice small-sword, small-sword trainer or a lunette (figure-eight) guard foil with a #2 foil blade. A few inexpensive handcrafted practice small-swords are available for purchase. Please contact us directly to inquire.

Cost and Deadlines

Open Registration - $400

After June 10th no refunds will be made under any circumstances.

Late Registration after July 5, 2019 - $475

Class size is limited, so be sure to register early! Once registered you will receive a confirmation email.

All inquiries should be directed to Maestro Jeannette Acosta-Martinez: contact@martinez-destreza.com.
Participants must be 18 years old and over.

Housing

AirBnB works well in this area. Here is how it works: sign up, build a short profile and contact the host of the place you want to stay with the dates of your travel. Payment is made to AirBnB, be advised that they charge a booking fee. However, you don't need to hand over cash or credit card numbers to your hosts. Look nearby in Jersey City, Hoboken, Weehawken, or Union City. www.airbnb.com and hotels at www.hotels.com

Travel

Check fares to all NYC airports as airfares may vary considerably. If you are staying in NYC, flying into LGA (LaGuardia) or JFK (John F. Kennedy) may be more convenient. However, also check EWR (Newark, NJ) as there is bus and train service directly into the city. If you are staying in NJ, flying into Newark airport will be a lot more convenient..

We recommend checking several different services like www.travelocity.com and www.kayak.com.