The Duelling Weapons Symposium is a celebration of elegant and deadly fencing with the civilian weapons of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. This is an era where even a lethal encounter has a social aspect, where winning a sword fight can mean ostracism and financial ruin. This year’s event focusses on the point oriented sword duel (Rapiers, Sideswords, Smallswords), and what happens when these swords meet a military weapon

Duelling Weapons Symposium is all about elegance, panache and skilled fencing, encapsulating the finer aspects of what we do. There will be classes on how to survive and win a duel as well as the finer technical aspects of the duelling weapons. These are followed by afternoon tea and a chance to show off to onlookers in a series of exhibition bouts. In the evening there will be a gala dinner, at which finery and ostentation are positively encouraged.

In essence, our intent is to showcase what historical fencing can be, and perhaps what it should be. We will explore the nuances of the one-on-one confrontation, where rough-housing to a bloody and marginal victory is not enough. Instead, we will explore how to deliver a thrust that is not only deadly, but one that is talked about for years afterward. To this end we will present ideas on how to train and how to approach free fencing alongside technical nuances that are often overlooked in the rush to land a scoring hit.

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