Come and enjoy a weekend of fencing training and camaraderie in the Australian bush.
The camp will include: technical, tactical, and physical training for fencing with a variety of instructors, lots of sparring, plus dorm accommodation for all and catering too.
The camp is a little more focused on improving everyone’s skills with weapons they are already somewhat familiar with rather than introducing new weapons. Think of it as an opportunity to “level up” and train the when and why to do stuff you already know how to do.
The event will be open to anyone who currently practices or is interested in practising Historical Fencing or HMA. Equipment and experience requirements will vary by training session, however both beginner and advanced students will be catered to.
BOOK HERE
CAMP HANDBOOK & INFO FOR PARTICIPANTS
LOCATION
Gilwell Park Scout Camp
2555 Gembrook-Launching Pl Rd, Gembrook Victoria 3783
CAN YOU HELP?
Would you like to cook? We are seeking a team to assist with catering the event (roughly an 8 hour time commitment, 4 hours of pre-camp planning, and 4 hours cooking time at the camp) itself.
Catering team peeps are vital and deeply appreciated, and so attend the event for free. Any profits from the camp will go towards compensating the catering and instructor teams for their travel costs.
Would you like to instruct? We are looking for a variety of awesome instructors to help improve everyone’s fencing, across one or more of the three streams of classes. If this is you, or you would like to make an instructor recommendation, please send me an email. Instructors will have reduced ticket prices based on the number of classes they teach.
Financial Hardship
If you are having trouble affording the camp please send me an email. We have some solidarity tickets available, and can arrange payment in installments, as well as all of the other assisting options mentioned above.
FURTHER INFO ABOUT THE CAMP
The camp is fully catered by volunteers, and you can choose between dorm style accommodation, or bringing your own tent. The camp is in a new location this year so all the various fencing locations have large undercover spaces with lighting, in case of bad weather.
What does each day at the camp look like?
8:00 Breakfast
9:00 45min Physical training session, led by one of our instructors. May cover strength, mobility, corrective exercise, and/or explosiveness)
10:00 90min Technical classes (practicing how to do various techniques) – 3 classes run concurrently
11:30 60min Coached sparring session, lead by one of the instructors
12:30 Lunch
13:30 75min Tactical/coaching classes (when and why to do techniques you already know) – 3 classes run concurrently
14:45 45min Open training/sparring. Seek out specific people for additional informal training or sparring, or just have a rest. Some of the instructors will be around in case you have specific questions or techniques you wish to work on.
15:30 Afternoon tea
16:15 60min Low gear sparring games/classes/training. This time will include things like: group combat in the woods, classes on wrestling, foil, or dussack, and mini tournaments with unusual rules or with weapon combinations like spear, or dagger.
18:00 Dinner
Last year, after dinner, campers variously enjoyed social time, including some card/board games, and took some time alone to recharge their social batteries, before starting all over at breakfast the next day. We also often play even sillier fencing games, roast marshmallows, or pull out the lightsabres.
When we break into three streams you can expect that there will be 1) two handed , 2) single handed cutty, and 3) single handed thrusty. There is no requirement to stay within any particular stream, if you are interested in different classes, you are welcome to attend those. The streams will also vary between gear levels and assumed knowledge so there should always be a session that interests you.
In summary, each day will include approximately 2 hrs of technical training, 1 hour of tactical training, 2 hours of coached sparring/ fencing games, and at least an hour of dedicated self directed training/sparring time.
Who should go?
Anyone who has trained in historical fencing for 3 months or more.
Will there be loaner gear?
Yes, there will be a variety of weapons available to borrow. However, If you need to borrow PPE you should organise that with your club.
Do you need a lift from the train station?
Lorne is coordinating lifts from Belgrave station, or elsewhere in Melbourne, to the site. If you need a lift send him an email and let him know when you arrive, and when you need to depart, so we can help you.
If you can pick people up from the station or somewhere else in Melbourne please email Lorne to let him know.
lorneawilliams at gmail dot com
What weapons will be taught?
There will be classes, coaching, and sparring with the following weapons: Longsword, Sabre, Rapier, Two Handed Sword, Sidesword, Sword & Buckler, Rapier & Dagger, Knife, Duelling sword, Foil, Wrestling, Messer, Dussack, Spear, Sword & Dagger. If there’s something else you want to fence with bring it, odds are someone else will want to play with it too.
Is there a tournament?
Yes, there is a competition. The winner will be the person who does the most sparring/participates in the most classes over the camp. Yes there is a prize 😉
Who are the instructors?
We have 8 awesome instructors coming to teach a variety of weapons. See the full list here.
There may yet also be one or two surprise instructors teaching one or two classes as well.
Are you having trouble getting there?
If you are keen to attend, but are experiencing financial hardship, there are various options available to ensure you are able to attend, including volunteering for the catering team, and solidarity (i.e. free) tickets. On that note, we are seeking volunteers for the catering team, as well as volunteers to pick attendees up from Belgrave station and drop them to the campsite (about a 30 minute drive each way).
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Camp Admin (Gindi) can be reached on the HFA fb page, or via email to ( historicalfencingaus at gmail dot com ).
I hope to see you there!
PRICING
| Booked Before | 4 days concession | 4 days full | 3 days concession | 3 days full | 4 days Under 16 |
| 6 March 2023 | $270 | $270 | $230 | $230 | $220 |
| 1 April 2023 | $290 | $300 | $250 | $260 | $220 |
| 16 April 2023 | $320 | $340 | $280 | $300 | $220 |
| Solidarity Ticket | $480 | $480 | |||
| Bookings close 16/4/23 |
