Category: General

Monday classes

Monday class 18:00-19:90 will be open for all Freefencer level students. There will be no formal teaching, it is rather a study group for advanced students of all arts where we train as a group according to wishes, needs and ideas of participants.

Since there is no forman teacher on mondays, participants need to sign up for the class in advance, sunday 16:00 at the latest. This way we can make sure that there will be someone to open Salle doors. If no-one signs up in advance, there is a possibility that doors stay closed.

To join Monday class, you have to meet some requirements:

  • You have participated in preparing for freeplay class or seminar*.
  • You can read your manual sufficiently to support your training.
  • You can express your wishes for the class and an idea how to train it.
  • You can execute your idea safely and in a way that is beneficial to all.

*Prep for freeplay is fiore Tuesday schedule class 8, so it repeats every 8  weeks. It covers basics of safe free fencing and enables safe freefencing with suitable intensity and kit. Alternatively you can ask class leader if you have enough experience in free fencing so you are allowed to skip this class.

Beginners’ Course Autumn 2023

Luiskatie 8, Helsinki. Entrance is behind the building. Price includes SHMS membership fee for 2023

Suomen Historiallisen Miekkailun Seura offers basic courses in historical fencing between 5 September and 15 October 2023.

We offer beginner courses in Longsword, Rapier, Sabre and Sword & Buckler

The fee allows you to join all classes. You can join the classes even if you miss first week. If you want to start after the second week, please contact SHMS via email (info@miekkakoulu.fi).

Longsword beginners course on Tuesdays 18:00-19:30

Longsword course teaches Italian longsword- and dagger fighting basics, as Fiore dei Liberi demonstrates in his book: Il Fiore De Battaglia (1410).

Rapier beginners course on on Wednesdays 18:00-19:30.

On Rapier Beginner’s Course you will learn the basics of Italian Rapier according to Grand Simulacra, written by Ridofo Capo Ferro in 1610.

Sabre beginners course on Thursdays 19:30-20:30.

On the beginners’ course you will learn the basics of military sabre according to Charles Roworth’s The Art of Defence on Foot with Broad Sword and Sabre (1804).

Sword and Buckler beginners’ course on Sundays 12:00-14:00.

Sword and Buckler beginners’ course teaches the basics of fighting with sword and buckler. This includes basic stances, footwork, attacking and defending with side sword and buckler. The course includes drills from Royal Armory Manuscript I.33 (c.a. 1300 – 1320) and will prepare students to progress into sparring and freeplay.

Limited spots available, so sign up in time.

After signing up, course invoice it sent to your email. Due date 1 September. If you have to cancel your participation, please contact SHMS before due date. After due date participation and invoice can be cancelled only in special cases.

If you have to drop out due sickness, paid course fees are valid for next beginners courses.

You will need out/indoor sports attire and it is advisable to have a water bottle. We’ll provide all other necessary equipment. Classes are in Finnish or English, depending on participants needs.

If myclub asks what groups to join, select “Suomen Historiallisen Miekkailun Seura SHMS ry” and “Alkeiskurssi syksy 2023”

Autumn bulletin 2022

Training schedule change

The club is returning to its normal training schedule starting 1.8.2022, so monday and tuesday training will be resuming.

We are happy to get Joeli Takala running our thursday Fiore practise for August and September. During this practise there will be more than usual wrestling, which we have been neglecting during the pandemic. The tatami mats we have acquired for the club will help with wrestling practise.

Autumn block starting

The training card valid from August to December is being sold now. Remember to also make sure you have paid the club membership fee of 2022. If you participated in the beginners’ course in 2022, the course fee already included your membership fee.

Beginners’ courses

Starting 6.9 we are organizing beginners’ courses for all weapons. The courses will last for 6 weeks, and especially for the first sessions we are expecting lots of attendees. During this time it is recommended to attend either the thursday Fiore classes, or the monday 1-handed weapon classes, which are expected to have fewer attendees.

Named loaner masks

The named loaner masks will be returned back to common use starting from September, and only new beginners’ course attendees will receive named loaners. Others are encouraged to acquire their own masks, or to use un-named loaners.

For basic use (pair drills and light and slow sparring) any 350 newton fencing mask will suffice. For sparring it is however recommended that you get at least an 800 newton mask which is intended for HEMA use. HEMA masks are also recommended for normal practise.

Feel free to ask in Whasapp, email or during practise for recommendations on what type of mask to get.

You can also get masks from e.g. the following places:

https://www.miekkailutarvike.fi/index.php?cPath=136_182_168&language=en

If you order from here, set your fencing club as SHMS

https://irongatearmory.com/product-category/modern-era/modern-times-armor/

The club has access to a 10% discount code at Rautaportti. Ask more about this during e.g. practise.

The steering committee for 2023

Our club runs on the efforts of volunteers, and the steering committee requires active members. If you are interested in administrative club activities, your help is very welcome. Let your interest be known by Tero, Rasmus, Henry, Aleksi, Harri or Tuomas.

Covid Notice 31.1.2022

The regional state administrative agency of southern finland decreed on 31.1.2022 that the restrictions on exercise facilities are to be lessened. Shut down facilities may resume usage starting from 1.2.2022.

https://avi.fi/tiedote/-/tiedote/69931099

SHMS ry resumes training per the usual schedule starting from tuesday 1.2.2022. One must still follow restrictions regarding infection risk during close quarters contact. For this reason we will adhere to the following restrictions:

  • Participant count is restricted to 20 people.
    • Those wishing to join are requested to pre-register using MyClub.
    • Those who pre-register via MyClub take priority, if the participant count exceeds the limit.
    • Use of MyClub is also recommended for pre-registration, because the practise session may be canceled if there are no participants.
  • Wrestling and other close quarters techniques are forbidden for now.
  • Practise good hand hygiene at the salle.
  • Do not come to the salle if you have any symptoms of infection.
  • Use of a face mask is recommended.
  • Unnecessary stay at the salle outside of practise should be avoided.

Because of the current snow situation, the salle parking lot is partially out of use, and in the worst case scenario your car may get stuck. Those arriving to practise using a car should reserve extra time for finding parking.

December classes and coronavirus notice

December classes

There are no classes on independence day December 6th and between 24 December 2021 and 1 January 2022.

Coronavirus situation

Authorities have set new restrictions on sports, effective 4-31 December 2021. It is mandatory, that there is enough room to avoid physical contact.

SHMS board has decided to place the following restrictions, effective untill 31 December:

  • Classes are limited to 20 persons. If the limit is reached, those enrolled in advance via MyClub have the right of way.
  • Cleaning of surfaces and loaner gear is enhanced.
  • To avoid close contact, wrestling and dagger are prohibited. Other techniques that require close contact are prohibited also.
  • Minimize your stay indoors

SHMS will not require COVID-19 passport yet. The board will monitor the development of the situation.

It is recommended to

  • Wear a face mask
  • Stay home if you have been exposed to covid or have any symptoms of illness
  • Follow general guidlines for hand hygiene

Site renovation

We have renovated the SHMS website to be easier to maintain and hopefully also a bit less confusing. We also removed a bunch of out-of-date information while we were at it.

The site will be a bit less graphical for now, until we restore some of the old graphics and find a bunch of new graphics to put in their appropriate places.

If you still find obsolete information or othsomewhere, please let us know about it at e.g. the club’s Facebook page or by emailing us at info@miekkakoulu.fi.