Making a dream come true
Published: Wed, 01/31/18
I am having a push on promoting the camp I am arranging for the beginning of June. I have further updated the website, I have added some video to my page and done my best to explain why the HEMA Diversity Camp will be different from any other camp taking place this year. If I want people to come all the way to darkest, deepest, North Norfolk. Camp out for three nights and train for three days. And pay for the privilege, not an extortionate amount considering what we are offering, but there are cheaper events certainly. I have to make the event stand out.
We do have a beautiful place to camp and train. But that is a bonus rather than a reason to come. If you are going to come then it will be for the quality of the training and the teaching. Also for the company and fellowship of training with, and getting to know, fellow martial artists. Most of the people you meet at martial arts events are pretty sound human beings. I am pretty sure that anyone who does come to the HDC will be a particularly special kind of person. I am intending that the kind of person who would support HDC will be someone with intelligence, curiosity and discernment. If you are not sure if that is you then don’t worry, if HDC appeals to you then you almost certainly are.
So, what about the quality of the teaching? HDC is kind of my dream martial arts camp which I why I have invited three other very special teachers. I have not done the usual thing of inviting a lot of people to just teach one session each. There is nothing wrong with that approach as far as it goes. It can provide a great showcase for lots of different teachers and lots of different martial arts. It works very well at Fightcamp for example. My intention for HDC was to have a more immersive experience with each teacher showing what they can really deliver. There will be a real opportunity to learn something to take away, not just a taste of this and a taste of that. Will this approach have enough appeal to fill the places? That remains to be seen.
Allen Reed will be teaching a seminar on the reality of law enforcement. How does an officer of the law actually confront, control and detain a potentially dangerous criminal? Yes, we have all seen it on TV, but is that realistic? Allen has 30 years experience behind him, nearly 25 of those as a US Marshal, and he will be sharing the reality of such confrontations. Allen will also teach Bowie and tomahawk.
Fox Walters teaches a wide variety of martial skills, however he has done some particularly serious research on the WW2 commando dagger. The resulting workshop is simple, deadly and to the point. Fox is also pretty handy with the longsword which will be the subject of his other workshops.
Milo Thurston has made the small sword as described in the works of Sir William Hope one of his main subjects of martial arts research. The small sword was used for practical self-defence as well as being appropriate for dueling and fencing. Milo’s amd Fox’s workshops will provide a contrast between the two extremes of the sword as a weapon, as in longsword and small sword. Train with these two and make your own comparison.
I will be showing how Stav training teaches the essential principles of combat. The staff to learn coordinated action, intention and movement. The axe to teach how to move within the web for attack and defence and how to cut on the lines. I will also explore the five principles of Stav using the five principles knife defence.
I have updated the website and my page has some video showing the basics of staff training embedded which you might find interesting. Here is the link to the updated index page, then explore from there http://hdc.stavcamp.org/
regards
Graham
PS You don’t have to wait until June to do some training. I will be teaching Five principles knife defence as well as dagger/tein training for learning body mechanics on the 11th of February in Beverley http://iceandfire.org.uk/train.html