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Introduction:

This document is meant to be a brief guide for those undertaking initial training of new members in Grey Company. It is by no means comprehensive and trainers need to draw on their own experience to ensure the novice is given the best basic training we can manage. This on-line version may be of interest to similar groups.

Before training begins with a new novice make sure they have:

• Signed a waiver and paid membership.
• Read the Introductory information so they understand what kind of club they have joined.

The Aim: As a trainer you need to remember that the main aim of Grey Company training is to produce a safe fighter. This must be your priority. Creating a walking death machine can wait a while. Ultimately a new fighter must have:

• Weapon control. This includes knowing where your weapon or shield is, how to move them and deliver blows safely.
• Self control. This means knowing the limits of your speed and skill. It also means being able to control the competitive urge to stay within good safety limits. It means don’t lose your temper on field. It means "think before you hit".

What to Teach? We recommend that the following areas must be covered in basic training.

• How to hold a Sword.
• Combat safety.
• Five basic attacks and parries.
• Body Hit Locations
• Pulling blows.
• How to hit an opponent and how to receive blows.
• Basic body movement and footwork.
• Etiquette on the field.

Other points may be covered at your discretion.

Holding a sword: Think about how you hold your sword for both single and two handed use. The grip used should be comfortable and allow normal swings of the weapon as well as parry positions.

Combat Safety: Make sure the novice understands:

• All combat is simulated.
• The cry of "Hold" and "Resume".
• Minimum armour (and weapon) requirements.
• Not to enter a combat/training area without a helmet on (even if just passing through).
• All combat is voluntary and they can refuse to fight anyone at any time.

Fives: See the images below. Pay careful attention to the 2 & 3 since most novices tend to bring these in flat at neck level. The 1 comes straight down and all other blows are diagonal cuts. Make sure they know how these blows travel and where they are supposed to connect with the target (pulled blow of course).

Hit Locations: Where the blows land and what effect this has in competitive (and performance) combat. Make sure they know where they are allowed hit and where not to hit. Make sure they understand that the only viable targets are the crown of head, the torso and the upper limbs. Tell them why.

The novice must also know how the hit location rules are modified for dagger (duelling) combat.

Pulling blows: make sure they learn how to "pull" the force out of a blow when striking an opponent. Make sure they understand that all blows must be controlled

Delivering and Receiving blows: Learning to hit another person is often very hard for a new fighter. Learning to get hit is often just as hard. Teach the novice how to deliver a controlled strike to a target from all the basic angles. Make sure they get used to hitting a person in a safe manner. This means you must let them hit you occasionally. You also need to teach them how to parry safely and how to safely receive a blow when a parry is missed. This means teaching them not to duck into a blow or block with their hands. Make sure the novice knows that they need to speak up if they think they are being hit too hard.

Impeded blows will need some explaining. Use examples and make sure the novice is clear about what we mean by "impeded".

You will need to make sure the new fighter knows how to fight safely from the kneeling position (when they lose a leg) and how to fight safely when one arm is lost; this is crucial for longsword.

Make sure the novice understands the need for every fighter to be fair about acknowledging hits.

Basic body movement and footwork: Keep this simple. The novice needs to be able to keep their balance when moving in combat. A good basic stance to teach is with the feet shoulder width apart with one foot slightly forward.

Make sure the new fighter can walk and attack (or defend) at the same time. Make sure the novice can deliver a safe blow when taking a step.

Etiquette: Make sure the novice understands the need to be courteous. Good manners is very important for both social and combat reasons. Here are some important points:

• Always ask before you borrow equipment. Return gear in good condition and say "Thankyou".
• Never strike an opponent from behind unless you are POSITIVE they are aware of your presence. If you are unsure move to where they can see you.
• It is considered good manners to strike an opponent with the flat of your blade.
• If you land a blow on your target, give them time to acknowledge the wound. If you press on regardless, they are entitled to ignore the wound until they have a free moment.
• If an opponent is in the process of acknowledging a wound, or more importantly in the act of "dying", be careful how you press any further blows. When prone or falling, many helmets slip and expose bits they shouldn’t.

Always check your weapon for burrs even in between bouts with your sparring partner.

• If you have an opponent down on their knees, or in fact prone, do them a courtesy and attack from one direction only. Circling them is easy- show some skill and take them the hard way.
• Be gentle with smaller or less experienced fighters. Bowling people over is easy for big fighters, but is very poor etiquette.
• If your favourite blow is causing discomfort or even injury to an opponent, just stop doing it. Some techniques work well on some people, but just cause injuries to others.
• Use common sense and try not to annoy or injure your opponents. You can’t have a fight without them.

Illustrations with Sammy the Stunt Saxon