Newcomer Information

Diamond Rose Renaissance Fencing

The information here regarding the Diamond Rose is an overview of the class. There is a wealth of information on historical fencing, renaissance life and times, fencing equipment, sportsmanship, fencing articles, old time fencing masters and renaissance attire on the website.

Why renaissance fencing? - The Diamond Rose teaches historical fencing, meaning a style of fencing that has been taught since the mid 1500's. Students are instructed in the methods of fencing that were considered an art and a way of life during the age of the Renaissance. The art of fencing is very different from the sport of fencing or sport fencing that you see at the Olympics. The most obvious difference is watching a bout between two white jacketed fencers attached by a wire to a scoring machine bouting each other on a little strip of gymnasium using thin metal foils or watching a bout between two noble gentlemen clad in renaissance finery outside in a grassy fencing area dueling to the bitter end using long bladed weapons in a struggle over a point of honor. In renaissance life, fencing was very important.
Why learn the art of historical fencing? - Any fencing school can teach competitive sport fencing but there are very few schools that teach the art of renaissance fencing. During the renaissance, fencing was an important part of a well-rounded education, just as much as any other subject. Your personal honor and your family's honor were paramount during this era. Your honor might be challenged or your honorable reputation disputed at any time and regardless of the validity or outcome this could not go unanswered. Gentlemen and ladies learned the art of fencing and knew that someone well versed with a blade or sword was not one to be trifled with. Students learn that historical fencing requires discipline, practice and dedication to become mastered and most of all it is safe, fun and fosters camaraderie between classmates and opponents. Maestro Chris teaches "Honor above all". Fencers learn this within the context of renaissance fencing and are expected to conduct themselves in an honorable fashion at all times in the classroom and on and off the field.
Clothing - The clothing requirements in the classroom are simple. All skin must be covered when bouting. At larger competitions with other historical fencing schools or with other fencing organizations there are stricter requirements, but as a general rule the clothing must be close to what was worn during the time period of the renaissance. That means wearing "garb".
Competitions in class - Parents and friends are encouraged to come and enjoy the courteous and friendly atmosphere during class competitions (tournaments). Students are very proud of the level of skill they have achieved through practice and dedication and their instructors are proud of them as well. There will be a class announcement the week prior to a class tournament, while bigger competitions at Renaissance faires are planned months in advance and can be found on the Diamond Rose website.
Competitions with other groups - Our school and other groups are invited to attend renaissance faires and revels and that is where our students can compete in a friendly atmosphere with other fencing students. Competition with other groups assists the student and teacher to assess the student's progress in skill and technique and is the best way to focus future fencing lessons. Understanding the necessity of these fun competitions is essential for the student to have a complete master of the art of fencing, because practice alone will never challenge the student's skill.
Traveling - Competitions are held in cities near and not so near to Auburn. Each event has a coordinator for putting students on lists that are submitted to other groups that are hosting renaissance faires or revels. A "gate list" is how you sign up to attend a faire. Competitions are held on a few select weekends during the year.
Renaissance faires and revels - Renaissance faires and revels are groups of people gathering together to entertain the public by recreating a small piece of Renaissance history. We and other groups of fencers sometimes play host at renaissance faires, which means that a group is given a small area at the faire with which to decorate in renaissance fashion and all students and volunteers who come to the faire for fencing competition must dress in the fashion of the time period also.
Volunteering and commitment - Volunteers are needed for these events and there are many ways to help out before the event, during the event and after the event. We only ask that you help out where and when and however you can, as any and all help will be greatly appreciated. Even if a few hours is all you can assist. Before the event volunteers are needed for preparation work in setting up and decorating the day before. During the event, hospitality is the word of the day as we make sure that our fencers stay hydrated and we need to make sure that only fencers and their guests are in the area marked for us. Post event help definitely needed for taking down the pavilions and cleaning the area after the event. What we want avoid is having a few dedicated volunteers doing all of the work.

Honor Above All

                                         What part does honor and responsibility play in being a fencer?
    The important thing to remember is this: fencers acquire the habit of being honest, gracious and, above all, self-responsible. The presence of a marshal during bouting does not relieve the fencer of his/her obligation of honour. A fencer considers it elementary, in fact, that nothing and no one can absolve you from personal responsibility for your own actions.
         In our present national climate in which, apparently, no one is responsible for anything, our everyday people could stand a giant helping of being responsible and honorable. A good fencer places honour above all, even when it might cost him/her a touch, or a bout or a tournament title. It is equally vital that fencing students come to appreciate the difference between "ego" and "honour." Ego says "Whatever I do is right." Honour says "Whatever is right, I will do."
       Another lesson fencers learn early on is to accept their adversary on his/her own merits, without bias or prejudice. In a fight, after all, it matters little whether your opponent is male or female, young or old, black or white, Christian or Muslim- Earthling or Martian, for that matter. All that really counts is how skillful that adversary is with a sword. It should be no surprise that fencers the world over are noted for a camaraderie that transcends nation, religion or race.
         When crossing blades with a worthy adversary, there is a three-stage process a fencer learns to use to solve the living, breathing tactical and strategic puzzle facing him/her. It consists of gathering information, making a decision and taking action. Each action results in more information, upon which is based another decision for another action, which in turn brings more information and so on.
          A fencing match, therefore, is nothing if not an exercise in critical thinking- carried on at a rather quick pace too. The fencer soon develops a keen ability to sort out truth from appearances- and to do so under somewhat adverse and rapidly changing conditions. I consider this ability of immense importance off the fencing area as well as on it.
      The premise of a fencing contest is "to touch without being touched" that is, to theoretically wound the opponent without yourself being wounded. After you've crossed blades with a few good opponents you unavoidably come to the realization that this task is decidedly difficult to accomplish. Not quite impossible, but very tricky indeed.
      Conduct yourself honorably and graciously and fence efficiently using all your skill and knowledge. Do not let doubt of your abilities come into your mind or you will have already lost the bout. The most difficult fencer you will face is yourself.

Rather fail with honor than succeed by fraud - Sophocles

What kind of gear do I need to purchase?
      One of the most frequent early questions asked is, "What kind of gear do I need to purchase"? While the number of items you'll need to have might seem like a long list at first, there are a few basic items that are a must for a historical fencer. These items are a mask, a gorget and gloves (gauntlets).
      Having these three items is very important. While you don't have to have these things from day one, if you don't have them, you will continually have to borrow them from other students once you reach a point early on where you need a mask, gorget and gloves. Within a few weeks you will be gaining knowledge in swordplay and will need these three items most of all while you are bouting or doing drills. You can bout without having renaissance clothes but you cannot bout without having renaissance safety gear. Lastly, as a hygiene note to think about, your mask, gorget, and gloves are worn next to the skin and during fencing bouts they can absorb a great deal of sweat and moisture from the wearer. Since these are very personal items you can understand the need to have your own mask, gorget and gloves early on.
Clothing - Clothing in class is your everyday "mundane" wear but for bouting, all skin must be covered for safety. For faires the clothing must be "period" costume or what was worn during the late 1500's. As a general rule it's easier to recreate a person of lower status rather than a person of nobility. Peasant garb is loose fitting and easier to wear while noble garb is tight and stiff and is very expensive to make.
     "Period" garb is particular in that it comes from a certain time period, what was worn during the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I from the late 1500's to the early to mid 1600's. Garb is not medieval King Arthur wear, not fantasy clothes, no elves, vampires, dungeon masters or wizards, no neon, no zippers. The closer your garb is to the proper time period the more compliments you will get and you will definitely get compliments and lots of them.
Mask - Masks come in just a few sizes, a small size would fit a small woman or a young teen while the extra large size will fit a large man. These masks can be found at just about any sport fencing supply store in town or online and also through eBay. The cost be anywhere from $35.00 to $60.00 for the average mask and some are priced even higher. It would be to your advantage to comparison shop. Your mask is necessary but it is not from the renaissance period. There are ways to improve this by making it unique on the outside.
Coif - Coifs fit snugly over your head and are basically made out of t-shirts that are a solid color with no design on them and turned inside out and sewn in the shape and size of the person's head. Instead of a coif you can use a skullcap or "do-rag" or you can use a bandana.
Gorget - Gorgets can be difficult to find. You may ask around and see if some of the students in class are making gorgets at home. There are many different types of gorgets, some have two metal plates to go around the neck, some have lobster tails (metal plates that extend down the back of the neck), some are made of simple metal and some can be quite elaborate in metal and detail. Therefore the cost can vary quite a bit but the average cost can be $30.00 to $55.00 on up depending on the material and where it is purchased. A small gorget does not show through when worn properly during bouting because it is worn beneath the bib of the fencing mask.
Renaissance Shirt - As long as you have your arms covered during bouting in class that will suffice. But for faire you will have to wear a shirt of the period. For men it may be a simple as a peasant shirt made of a muslin type fabric with puffy sleeves or can be quite stylish depending on your preference. It is worn loosely or tucked in or tied around the waist with a period belt. The color is a white or beige.
Blouse or Chemise - A chemise can be of three differing lengths. A chemise is constructed basically like a full shirt. One type ends at the waist, the next is thigh length chemise, and lastly, the full-length chemise that looks very much like a nightgown. The bonus to purchasing a full-length chemise is that it can be used as your underskirt, which saves you the time the money of purchasing or making two skirts.
Overdress or Skirt - Peasant women wear two skirts (or one, if your chemise reaches your ankles) The top skirt is pulled up slightly and tucked into the waistband to keep the hem of it from getting dirty. Skirts are made from a wide variety of materials, including linen, wool, or any solid color natural fiber fabric that approximates the "look", including cotton broadcloth, lawn, chamois cloth, flannel, or bubble gauze. These skirts are very simple to make. Gored skirts look much more flattering than skirts made with a simple drawstring.                                                                                                                                       Gloves or Gauntlets - Gloves for class can be anything that is acceptable but for faire your gloves should be plain leather. Black is the standard color and it must reach three inches beyond your wrist. Buying in person may be better when buying gloves because of the variance in the size and shape of the individual's hand you may want to try them on first. There is a great deal of price difference in gloves due to the types of leather used to make gloves or the store, but an average price is $20.00 to $50.00.
Belt - If you choose to use a belt it must be period, which is a simple piece of leather with a ring on the end, and you tie a simple looping knot at the end to fasten it. There are no decorations or adornments, no studs, just plain as would have been worn back then.
Pants - Pants should be made of simple fabric, black looks the best, loose fitting. Jeans are okay for class, but for faire you will need something period. Men wear pants of varying lengths. Some stop below the knee while some are full length. Pants are made from a wide variety of materials including linen, wool or any solid color natural fiber fabric that approximates the "look".
Footwear - Tennis shoes are great for the classroom but not for renaissance competitions it must be boots or Renaissance type shoes. Boots are quite an investment and the cost can vary greatly.