Photo Gallery

To celebrate the 2014 holiday season, the Rocky Mountain Swordplay Guild invited its members to attend a day of cutting practice using sharp blades against foam targets supplied by Sword Fodder (TM). Swords and knives of many kinds were used, allowing students to experience what cutting through an actual target requires, and helping to hone the necessary mechanics.

Bringing the RMSG’s practice into the 21st century, instructor Mike Janich of Martial Blade Concepts gave a seminar to the Guild and members of the local martial community in modern knife fighting. The day-long class included offensive and defensive techniques with the folding knife and open hand, focusing on practical application. The RMSG is grateful to instructor Janich and Guild Scholar Thayne Alexander for the chance to hold this intense and informative event.

The RMSG is always glad to welcome members from the wider Western Martial Arts community. In September 2014 we were pleased to host two guests – “Exeil” (伊塞爾), a practitioner from Taiwan making a national circuit of HEMA schools, and Ben Floyd, instructor at Kriegschule, recently relocated to Denver. Exeil joined the Guild for a Novice and senior class, and Ben for some sparring following classes. (Photos by Eris Chen).

On two occasions in 2014 the RMSG was proud to host seminars training with the legendary Bowie knife. Made famous by James “Jim” Bowie in the historic Sandbar Duel of 1827, the Bowie knife became an icon of the American South and Western Frontier. Guild Scholar Thayne Alexander, also an instructor of the Martial Blade Concepts system of defense, took members and friends of the Guild through the various techniques of this useful and deadly tool.

Our friends at a'Plaisance once again staged a great jousting event in Leander, Texas, where knights gathered to test their mettle across the tilt and through a course of skills at arms. Prior to competing in the tournament, RMSG head instructor Douglas Wagner offered a clinic in mounted combat, teaching techniques with the sword, lance and grappling on horseback. He worked with Jeffrey Basham of the Lonestar Swordplay Guild, a member of the CSG family of Armizare schools, and Steve Hemphill of a’Plaisance (Photos by Kyli Ring).

The Quarterstaff is an iconic weapon made famous by the English, but fitting squarely within the wider practice of Historical European Martial Arts. In his Paradoxes of Defense of 1599 George Silver called the short staff “the best weapon against all manner of weapons.” In May 2014 The RMSG traveled south to visit our friends Ben Holman and Ben Roberts, instructors of the Black Falcon School of Arms in Colorado Springs, where we learned the basics of this simple yet effective weapon.

As a daughter school of the Chicago Swordplay Guild, the RMSG was pleased to attend the inaugural Family Gathering event in 2014 - an opportunity to refine the group’s core curriculum, and to share ideas with related schools and study groups. Guild members took classes, sparred at fight night, and RMSG instructor Douglas Wagner offered a lecture and class on mounted combat’s place in the wider practice of Western Martial Arts.

Scholars of the RMSG offered a demonstration of Armizare to students of the Italian language program at CU Boulder to illustrate the differences between historical fighting techniques and the way they might appear when interpreted for stage combat.

Thanks to Jeffrey Basham, HEMA practitioner and Jouster, Douglas Wagner and Theresa Wendland were invited to give a lecture and demonstration of cognate techniques of foot and mounted combat at Schwert am Schwert\'s Fechtschule America event in Houston, Texas. Photos thanks to Thomas Belloma.

On January 26th, 2013 instructors and members of the Chicago Swordplay Guild, the Black Falcon School of Arms and the Rocky Mountain Swordplay Guild convened in Denver to test Alan Orlikoski who, after much training and study, successfully Played his Prize for promotion to the rank of Scholar in the RMSG.

The RMSG offered a demonstration of Armizare to the attendees of MileHiCon 44, \"the Largest Science-Fiction Fantasy Literary Convention in the Rocky Mountain Region.\" Presenting a range of techniques practiced by the Guild, the demonstration and accompanying historical lecture reached many reenactors, authors and enthusiasts interested in the methods of the historical man-at-arms.

Continuing in the tradition of their \"600\" commemorative event, the Chicago Swordplay Guild hosted their second bi-annual event in honor of Maestro Fiore and his art, inviting members of selected Historical European Martial Arts schools to study, train, and compete in this martial tradition. The RMSG was honored to participate in this fantastic event.

Lysts on the Lakes/Chivalric Martial Arts International is the largest competitive jousting tournament in the world today where the top ranked men and women jousters come to test their skills against their peers in the hardest hitting sport in the world! Only the finest equestrians, trained in the medieval martial arts of jousting, melee and skill-at-arms are part of this prestigious event. Members of the RMSG and our parent guild, the CSG, competed in this event. All pictures in this gallery are the work of Pam Morgan.

The Western Martial Arts Workshop is the premier North American event for hands-on study of Historical European and American Martial Arts.

The RMSG presented a hands-on demonstration as part of Littleton Museum\'s A Double-Edged Weapon: The Sword as Icon and Artifact from the Higgins Armory Museum.

In 1410, Fiore dei Liberi, an aging condottiero and master-at-arms to some of Italy’s most renowned warriors, presented a book to the bellicose Niccolò III d’Este, Marchese of Ferrara (1383-1441) containing the sum of four decades of knowledge won in the training hall, siege, battle and five duels with rival masters. He named this work Il Fior di Battaglia, the Flower of Battle, composed so that the “art might not be forgotten”. Six hundred years later, a small gathering of martial artists from around the world proved that his art is not forgotten! The Chicago Swordplay Guild hosted this invitational, three day event in honor of Maestro Fiore and his Art.

Chivalric Weekend is the largest outdoor European Medieval Fighting Arts event in the United States.

The Western Martial Arts Workshop is the premier North American event for hands-on study of Historical European and American Martial Arts.