Seminars Offered - Tom Leoni

I offer both one-day and two-day weekend seminars. I suggest that organizers or group leaders call or email me so that I can get a good picture of what your group is looking for in terms of instruction. For instance, while some groups are more interested in the technical and historical aspects of our styles, others want to focus on drills and tactics that will help their bouting performance. Also, it always helps to know the current level of knowledge and experience of your group, so that we can all make the most of our time together.

Tom Leoni teaches rapier seminars for groups and fencing clubs in US and abroad.

Since several groups in the US and abroad have already had one of my seminars, I have structured the curricula to include "stage II" seminars for those who have already learned and absorbed the fundamentals.

Naturally, we can discuss any variations of these basic formats, as I always try to cater to the individual groups’ needs, and to stay away from one-size-fits-all presentations.

Fees, Contact and Policies. I normally charge $1,000 for a two-day weekend seminar with 25 attendees or fewer, $1,500 for 26 attendees and over--plus travel and accommodation expenses. If you are interested in one of my historical swordsmanship seminars, please contact me several weeks in advance with a proposed topic and a date, as well as a general idea of what you and your group are looking for. After confirming the date, I will send you a class description so that we can be sure that you get exactly what you and your group are looking for. Please note: if you wish to videotape my seminar, I require a 25% surcharge plus the signing of a binding agreement regarding the limitations of its use. Sorry--no exceptions.

Fabris Stage I. This is an advanced two-day introduction to Fabris’ style, in which we learn the fundamentals the master’s single-sword system. We start by analyzing the sword and its parts, then move on to the mechanical and dynamic fundamentals of the style. Tempo, measure and advantage of the sword (called stringere by some masters) are thoroughly explained and demonstrated in a tangible way, so students will remember them and will be able to apply them to any other form of swordsmanship they practice. Lastly, we will delve into some essential fencing repertoire involving feints, invitations, lunges, passes, voids etc.—all from Fabris’ treatise. This is the 25% of the system that, if perfectly mastered, makes a swordsman effective in at least 90% of the times.

Fabris Stage II. This course has as a prerequisite the Stage I seminar, for the basic reason that the material presented in this class depends heavily on a near-perfect grasp of the fundamentals. Here, we will explore the more subtle concepts and complex actions in Fabris’ system as well as some of his more specialized guards. Also some common "practical fencing problems" will be presented, and we will learn together how to solve them using Fabris’ theory and form. This seminar will center heavily on the tactics of the system, and students will be able to see how in Fabris’ system there is an advantageous answer to practically any situation.

Fabris Stage II - Sword and dagger or sword and cape. This course, too, has Stage I as its prerequisite; for, as the great master says, the use of all companion weapons hinges on the understanding of single-sword. In this course we will learn the principal Fabris guards of sword and dagger or cape, the ways in which to gain an advantage over the opponent as well as how to perform offensive and defensive actions with precision and (most importantly) economy of motion. We will also learn how to maximize the defensive use of the sword, which most students seem to dismiss once they reach for a left-handed companion weapon. Lastly, I will present some of the more idiosyncratic of Fabris’ guards and actions of sword and dagger or cape, which are sure to place any opponent in great difficulty.

Tom Leoni gives historical swordsmanship classes at popular WMA events.

Fabris Stage II - Sword and dagger/sword and cape combination. In this course, each of the two days is devoted to a weapon combination.

Fabris Stage III - introduction to Book II techniques. In Book II, Fabris teaches ten rules on how to walk towards the opponent without stopping in guard and score a sure touch regardless of what the opponent does. Sounds difficult? It is. This is the art expressed in its most sublime form - which requires absolute understanding of tempo, measure, strongs and weaks as well as subtlety and finesse in the performance of all actions (especially cavazioni). In order to avoid frustration on the part of the attendees, I strongly prefer to teach this only to very advanced groups who have a near-perfect grasp of the fundamentals.

Baroque Venetian Sword seminar (two days). This seminar centers on the teachings of the great Venetian master Bondi’ di Mazo, and it is ideal for a variety of sword-types from the rapier proper to the Venetian Schiavona. The beauty of this system is that it is highly effective against the opponent while being more forgiving on the learner than any other, since it incorporates a great deal of two-tempi actions as well as actions in contratempo. Moreover, the cut is an integral part of this system, making it fresh, versatile and dynamic. The seminar begins with a thorough exploration of single sword (first day) and then expands on the use of the sword and dagger, sword and cape and sword and square targa. Moreover, this system is an ideal vehicle for understanding 17th-century Italian swordsmanship in general, which is why I heartily recommend it to any interested in pre-Classical fencing.

High-Renaissance Italian polearms. This is proving to be one of my most popular courses. Often forgotten now, but used throughout the Renaissance, weapons such as the partisan, the ronca and the halberd were employed with every bit as much finesse as the sword. In this class, we explore the essential guards and footwork, attacks, parries and hand-exchanges proper of these fascinating weapons. We then use these fundamentals to learn and practice one-on-one phrases straight from the period treatises. Students who do not own polearms can use 7 or 8-foor staffs. I prefer to limit this course to one day - perhaps joined to a single-topic lesson for the other day (see below).

French Smallsword. In this two-day seminar I present the essential elements of this beautiful but deadly style as explained by Maitre J. Olivier in 1771. We start by learning the guards and the parries, the offensive actions and their simple nomenclature. Then, we build a fencing phrase of increasing complexity starting from the very foundations - which means that students will be able to understand what we are doing and why at every step of the way. Everything is done following the techniques and the aesthetics of this style. This has proven to be a very popular course, which beginners and advanced students find enjoyable, dynamic and informative.

Bolognese sword and buckler. This seminar centers upon the teachings of Manciolino, Marozzo, Viggiani and Dall’Agocchie, the great 16th-century cut-and-thrust masters of Bologna. First, you will learn the guards, the cuts, the thrusts, and the essential steps of this dynamic style; then, you will be exposed to a flamboyant (and authentic) solo-form, used as a didactical tool to put together all the elements of the art. The second half of the seminar will be devoted to using the fundamentals already seen to construct actions: we will learn how to provoke the opponent, how to react to his attacks, how to create fencing actions involving feints and (lastly) how to enter into the goico stretto or close play.

Marozzo Spadone (two-handed sword). The great Bolognese master Achille Marozzo left us a valuable and thorough treatise on the use of the 2-handed sword reminiscent of that carried by the Germanic Landsknecht. This sword differs from the longsword in its dimensions (its overall length is around five feet) and in the fact that it has small ricasso-quillons protruding from the middle of the blade’s forte. I structure this seminar similarly to my regular Bolognese course, although the solo-form I teach is an adaptation from a single-handed sequence. For this seminar, regular longswords are an acceptable practical alternative to the spadone for those students who do not own the larger weapon.

Single-topic lessons. Upon request, I gladly accept invitations to teach sessions about individual topics like foot placement, weight distribution, guards, finding the opponent’s sword, the cavazione, the feint, etc. Please contact me for details.

References: I will be more than glad to offer you reference for my past seminars. Please contact me for details.