Hello friends and fans of The Vanguard Centre! We have a month of fun, forging and fencing planned in February.
Saturday morning archery
It might have been a bit quiet last month, but now we are making more noise about our fourth drop-in archery session every week – now a regular feature on Saturday mornings! Between 10.30am and 12.00 noon you can get the same experience of indoor target shooting that we host on Mondays and Thursdays. This session is perfect for people who have busy work schedules that do not allow for evening activities, or for those that can only make it into the city on the weekend.
Try coming along for a round of shooting before your Saturday shopping spree or lunch in town with friends. Better yet, bring your friends along too!
February open sparring day
Once again, we bring back a full day-long sparring session for every HEMA fighter that wants a bout or two, or twenty! The sparring will be hosted in the afternoon of Saturday 23rd. Along with the same plan as our monthly sparring meets last year, we will provide plenty of play space, some equipment, coaching and reinforcement for those who wish it, and all the tea and biscuits you can consume to assist your training! Tickets will be available in our shop for pre-purchase. If you are part of another HEMA club around Scotland, why not gang together and bring your tournament team over for some fun with us and the other Glasgow fighters?
Sparring day, 1.00pm onwards, Saturday 23rd February.
Regimental broadsword beginners course
Following the success of our beginners course in the fundamentals of German longsword, we are hosting a similar six week course for Scottish basket hilt broadsword throughout March and April.
The course will begin on Saturday March 9th at 1.00pm and run until April 13th. As part of the course participants will be provided with a copy of The Art Of Defence On Foot by Charles Roworth, a key historical source in the study of Scottish swordsmanship. The course will feature lessons in the cuts and guards of the system, footwork, tactics and training games from the period, culminating with sparring matches, antique handling of real swords from the era, and even cutting with a sharp sword!
Places for this course are limited due to hall space and we expect it to be quite popular, so get in quick!
Scottish fighting arts classes
In February our Tuesday night class, studying the weapon systems and military tactics prominent in Scottish history, will move back to the fan favourite Highland Broadsword and Targe! This combination of small shield and sturdy cut-and-thrust sword allows for a lot of flexibility compared to the military doctrine of regimental broadsword. Being able to defend and attack at the same time, as well as transfer mechanics from one hand to the other, makes this fighting style wonderfully dynamic, but prone to clumsy pitfalls that make it a lot harder than it seems!
The four Tuesday night classes through February aim to give fighters a basic understanding of using this weapon pairing and learning some tricks a wily highlander would use against a less canny swordsman!
Highland Sword and Targe, 8.00pm on Tuesday nights.
Blacksmithing lessons and membership
We run blacksmithing classes by arrangement, so you can schedule a class or even a full beginners course at your convenience. After completing the beginners course, there are options for joining our team of hobby blacksmiths and working on your own metal projects around the anvil – it’s worth it for the camaraderie and spirit of the forge alone! We recommend getting in touch via the contact form on this website and planning your lessons early!
Other opportunities
We are available for private bookings seven days a week – whether it be for solo private tuition, or an exclusive group training session, we can sort it out for you.
Private tuition or coaching for HEMA, archery or smithing can be made weekdays between 10.00am and 5.30pm with enough advanced notice, and weekends up to 10.00pm after scheduled classes have finished for the day. Get in touch via the contact form and let us know what you want!