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Summer
Knights Newsletter – October/November 2001 Unto
the populace of Summer Knights patrons
doth Lord Magnus, Lady Branwyn and
the Master Knights send greetings! Once again we send forth this
missive informing the populace of deeds both great and small and
Knightly-News concerning the Summer Knights program.
As usual, we extend an invitation to all whom are interested in
our program to send us their email address and, for those of you who
already receive the newsletter, forward it to others; let others know
about Summer Knights!
A
Salute to Knightly Heroism: First
and foremost, Lord Magnus, Lady Branwyn and the Master Knights wish to
extend their sympathies to the families and friends of all of those who
lost their lives in New York and Washington on September 11th,
2001; they will not be forgotten. The
pain of their deaths is a pain shared by every Knight around the world.
However, “from the ashes of disaster grow the roses of
success!” There is much
that we as Americans have learned from these tragic events and much of
it is directly related to the teachings and fundamental goals of the
Summer Knights: honor, courage, tenacity, leadership, strength,
generosity, loyalty – in a word, Chivalry.
Thus, we as knights must rise to the challenge set before us and
help this noble cause in any way we know how.
In the financial sense, we have had a link on our website since
September 11th that offers ways to give to the relief effort,
click on the link below for more information. (http://www.summerknights.com/Disaster%20Relief.htm) Furthermore,
we must follow the examples set by the many, many people that have
exemplified Chivalry in Action. It
has been the contention of many in the academic world (especially Lord
Magnus) that the world needs a rebirth of the heroic as an example for
mankind. It is the goal of
Summer Knights to engender young people, through the trials and
teachings of Knighthood and Chivalry, with the requisite skills to be
leaders (heroes) for society. Thus,
now that we have seen what it takes, in a very real setting, we as
Knights can use the lead set by the many stories of strength and courage
from these times of trouble, and work even harder at being Knights on
the path of Chivalry in every deed, in every action on every day.
The
Summer Knights Corporate Round Table
Summer
Knights is in serious need of sponsors for the 2001-2002 year.
Without sponsorship, Summer Knights cannot offer the noble
program at a reasonable cost to make it accessible to all who have the
heart of a knight, but not necessarily the financial means of one!
Last year, we made our modest corporate sponsorship dollars
stretch to aid in lowering the cost of the program by $52!
Thus, we have shown that we can make the most of our sponsorship
funds, all we need the noble sponsors to make it happen again this year!
Our Summer Knights Corporate Round Table offers Sponsorship
packages that allow businesses and individuals to sponsor a single
knight, an archer corps or even a whole kingdom. Regardless of how much
a sponsor can afford to contribute, we can make sure they are recognized
for their Chivalrous deed! As
a consequence, these sponsorship dollars translate into a partnership
with Chivalry. With their
sponsorship, our sponsors receive special recognition in our
newsletters, space on our website to define Chivalry and logo space on
our brochures at large community service events and even the Italian
Renaissance Faire; last year we reached over 5000 people at the faire
alone! These events,
newsletters and web presence allow our sponsors to connect with the most
chivalrous group on earth, the Masters of Knightly virtue, the Summer
Knights! This connection
allows the world community know what kind of special business they must
be, and shows how their business must be Chivalrous as well!
For
information please contact us at: 305-609-6048 or email us at: The
Summer Knights Website is Bursting with New Pictures! If
you have not been to the Summer Knights website lately we strongly urge
you to check it out! Over
the last two months we have the monumental task of preparing over 1000
pictures for the website detailing the diverse events (not to mention
the ULTRA-FUN times) that make up a summer with the Chivalry!
This year, as we were able to borrow a high-quality digital
camera from one of our sponsors (Thanks to Rafael Ross sr.), we had the
opportunity to keep everything digital and the results are clearly
evident in the beauty (and quantity) of the 2001 pictures.
If you would like to see the multitude of Chivalrous photos you
can click on “The Arts of Knighthood” and see each section at your
leisure or you can jump directly to the page by clicking the following
the link. http://www.summerknights.com/Arts%20of%20Knighthood/The%20Arts%20of%20Knighthood.htm
Stunning Swords from Toledo, Spain now available though Summer Knights Over
the years Summer Knights has chosen to sell a select few items of
Knightly interest that have a quality that we can be proud to represent.
Among our Knightly Needs are: A
limited set of knightly clothing (garb) that is hand-made for us and is
worn by all of the Master Knights. A
series of Archery Gear, including the very popular “Archer’s
Package”, that has been tested again and again over many summers of
abuse. And A set of dueling swords that we have used for the last few years and has stood up to hundreds of hours of Rapier fighting. All of these can be found at: http://www.summerknights.com/Knightly%20Needs/knightly_needs.htm But
finally we have a collection of what we are most asked
about: Medieval SWORDS! Lord
Magnus has, in his personal collection, more swords than any person
should own. The bulk of his
swords and daggers are made in the Mecca of Sword making, Toledo, Spain.
As far as historical weapons are concerned, Toledo, Spain
produces the most beautiful and accurate collectables on Earth. However,
seeing is believing! Click
on the link below to find out more about these gorgeous medieval works
of art now available through Summer Knights! http://www.spanishsteel.com/summerknights
As promised, CD-ROMS
with over a thousand pictures from this summer’s multitude of
activities are now available! Now you can own your own copy of
memories from the 2001 summer. These CD’s include pictures not
available on the website and have individual shots of Knights with their
shield and a sword. To order, simply email us your request at admin@summerknights.com
with the words “SK 2001 CD-ROM” for more details! (Limited
Quantities Available)
Believe or not Summer
Knights has been receiving registrations since September! It seems
many have seen the website and are ready to discover the fun of
Knighthood for themselves. Many of our Knightly Alumni have
already called or emailed to ensure they have a space amongst the
Chivalry. So, if you want to make sure you are in the Household of
Noble Knights in 2002, register for Summer Knights early as space, as
always, is limited! (See http://www.summerknights.com/registration_information_links.htm
for details and http://www.summerknights.com/Forms%20and%20Registration/registra.htm
for registration.
What
Art Thou Reading? This month Lord Magnus
and Lady Branwyn are reading: 1)
1066: The Year of the Conquest By David Howarth 2)
The Martial Arts of Renaissance Europe By Sydney Anglo 1066: the Year of
the Conquest is (not surprisingly) all about the Battle of
Hastings and the Norman Conquest of, then Saxon, England. David
Howarth brings together a wealth of information about arguably the most
important battle in western European history. Chronicling the
events of the entire year from January to December, Mr. Howarth brings
elements of the well-known battle and the significant political
maneuvering by King Edward the Confessor, King Harold, Duke William of
Normandy and Hararld Hardrada to life. Although a short book, it
captures the very essence of what occurred in the battle of 1066 and why
it came to pass that one battle would be so decisive in the conquering
of England. For those of us with a more than passing interest in
history this is a must read. The Martial Arts
of Renaissance Europe is a swordsman’s dream come true.
Dr. Sydney Anglo has lovingly and expertly amassed volumes of
information from the greatest sword masters (and their sword fighting
manuals) and has consolidated an in-depth study of the history of
swordsmanship in a stunning achievement of a book. From Camillo
Agrippa to Girard Thibault, Dr. Anglo covers the scientific and
mathematical angles of swordsmanship to the mystical depths of its
masters and practitioners. From our perspective, as Summer Knights
is a Knight’s Training School, we feel it is more than an excellent
resource for those attempting to learns the ways of the sword masters of
old. In addition to the well-written and captivating style of the
text is a treasure of magnificent illustrations from an incredibly vast
array of artists that make the book a perfect addition to any
swordsman’s collection. If you are reading
something about Knighthood, Chivalry, Swordsmanship, Archery, Armouring,
Heraldry, History of the Middle Ages or the Renaissance or any other
book you think knights would find valuable, please email
us with the book title and your review; we would love to share your find
with the rest of the Chivalry.
Alas,
the summer is more than over, but our noble work is never done!
The lingering summer rains have put a damper on swordsmanship
training but each of the Master Knights have done their best to continue
their sword work on their own. Lord
Magnus has been doing a tremendous amount of sword training on the pell
and working on footwork, two-sword and great sword.
However, there is (as Lord Eric eloquently stated) an itch we
just can’t scratch without a sword…and that itch is Knightly Combat!
Unfortunately, that itch is going to have to wait until the
weather clears or until you have an armored sparring partner. But
all is not lost! You may
ask yourself “So what can I, as a knight, do on my own to train in the
off-season?” Lord Magnus
is here to answer your question! Herein
Lord Magnus will offer a series of tips for training those sword muscles
and keeping in shape. Training
Series #1: Getting
Started Swordsmanship,
like any other area in your life in which you wish to excel at, requires
practice and dedication. Cross-training
can help many areas of your skills but the most effective training for
swordsmanship is (you guessed it) swordsmanship!
Thus, herein will we begin with a training regimen that will help
you sharpen you skills and make you a force to be reckoned with when the
summer comes around again. First,
you need to get a practice sword. Although
you can use a variety of practice weapons, the easiest to obtain (and
replace if they break) is a wooden dowel.
Wooden dowels are round pieces of wood found at virtually any
hardware store. Your wooden
dowel should be a minimum of 1” diameter and should be 3’ long to
replicate a single sword; a long sword or two-handed weapon can be made
with the same dowel only opt for a larger diameter (about 1 ¼’) and
between 4’ and 5’ in length. You
can wrap your weapon in tape (duct is OK) and even simulate a grip with
black electrical tape or, if you want to spend a few extra bucks, use
bat tape with a cushion lining. Next,
you’ll need a pell or target to practice upon.
Pells are as old as sword fighting and there are even documents
showing Roman fighters (Legionnaires and Gladiators alike) practicing
diligently on the pell; at that time, a pell was just a pole stuck in
the ground and attacked from every angle.
Preferably you want to have a soft target to practice on as a
hard target can damage your joints and even your bones.
Anyone who has been through the program knows we use a large
punching bag on a stand as our pell.
A pell does not have to be expensive, we have acquired pells
from garage sales and from donations to Summer Knights.
Sometimes, just asking friends and family you may come across
someone who has an old punching bag that they would love to part with,
but you have to ask! If all
else fails you may have to purchase one.
Sir Emilio Gomez showed us his and it seems perfect for the task
at hand. His has an
adjustable bag that has a water filled base; it runs for about $100 at
sports authority. However,
many different things will work equally well.
Our own Ulfkell uses an old mattress wrapped around a wall for
his pell! Even trees
(although the trees and your neighbors won’t like it) can be used for
a pell in a pinch. Once
you have a practice weapon and pell it is important to mark your pell in
order to maximize your targeting abilities.
Although any hash marks made with tape or paint will do, we use a
standard “clock” set up that represents “the eight cuts”.
The Eight Cuts are a standard set of cuts that most masters from
the middle ages used to train swordsmen.
If practiced consistently, the eight cuts can become fluid and
ingrained in muscle memory so that each cut is effective and deadly.
Lord Magnus has made a graphic using the Italian names for each
cut (based upon the “Flos Duellatorum” by German trained Italian
Master, Fiore de Liberi) and can be found at http://www.summerknights.com/fiores%20eight%20cuts.htm
The
same “Practice Wheel” can be abbreviated as simply numbers 1 through
8; a copy of the Eight Cuts using numbers can also be found at the same
web page. http://www.summerknights.com/fiores%20eight%20cuts.htm
With
your practice weapon and accurately marked pell you can now begin a
training regimen. Although
our following installment will offer a more precise pell work-out, Lord
Magnus suggests a varied series of combination attacks concentrating on
returning to a defensive position (your fighting stance).
Every swordsman trains differently when working out on the pell;
Lord Ulfkell suggest 200 hits on the pell per day.
But the best is the method that challenges you the most and keeps
things interesting. Try
working your way around the clock or combos from right to left or left
to right. In any case, warm
up slowly and build up your routine to a minimum of 45 minutes, we’re
sure you’ll start seeing results soon!
Now
that you have a practice weapon and an adequate pell you can begin your
year-round training in swordsmanship and develop the skills that can
make you absolutely peerless on the field of battle. Next
issue…pell practice routines and footwork!
Until
next time M’Lords and M’Ladies. Yours
in Chivalry, Lord
Magnus and Lady Branwyn
305-609-6048
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