|
| Introduction |
Legacy Sword Arts (referred to hereafter as LSA or Legacy) is a multi-discipline training and practice facility. Its purpose is to study and propagate weapons-based martial arts and their derived sports. These various disciplines are substantially diverse in terms of history, development, style, culture, and era, but undeniably share an underlying set of common concepts and fundamental skills.
[Return to Contents]
|
|
|
| Disciplines (Styles) |
Currently, only modern fencing and renaissance martial arts (longsword, rapier, and staff) are regularly practiced at LSA (see the schedule), but Kenjutsu/Kendo and Escrima classes will be formed in the future, based on demand, and cudgels (single-sticks) are occassionally and informally fought during open practices.
[Return to Contents]
|
|
|
| Modern Fencing's Role at Legacy |
/HPIM0917%20(processed)%20(reduced).jpg) | | Team LSA at a Cincinnati Tourney, 2008 |
|
Modern fencing (also known as Western fencing, Olympic fencing, sport fencing, and competitive fencing) is the most commonly practiced sword art world-wide, and undisputedly the most dominant discipline in the US. It's safe, provides equal opportunity to both genders, and can be learned early and practiced for a lifetime.
Like any martial art, modern fencing offers both a continuous path to personal growth and unlimited challenge. Of course, most people find fencing tremendous fun, uniquely enjoyable, and simply "a rush." For these reasons, among others, modern fencing is Legacy's premiere sword art.
[Return to Contents]
|
|
|
| Who Can Fence? |
Men, women, girls, boys; the very young and the very old; the towering and the diminutive; the fit, and those on the journey to fitness. Fencing is a gender-agnostic, equal-opportunity, life-long pursuit, and – for many – the adventure of a lifetime.
[Return to Contents]
|
|
|
| Why Fence? |
/HPIM0399%20(Enhanced,%20Cropped,%20Reduced).jpg) | LSA Students Quickly Acclimate to Growl-when-Fighting,
Hug-when-Not Fencing Culture |
|
We fence because of what we call "the flash of the blade." It's simply the allure of the swashbuckler, the romanticism of the honor-bound knight, the feeling we get when we cheer big-screen swashbucklers or lose ourselves in Dumas. Though a few take up fencing to learn a new sport, most of us just want to feel like we're sword-fighting.
There's also a barrage of more practical reasons to fence, and even more specifically, to encourage children to fence: Fencing is inclusive. It requires the student to learn and exercise discipline and self-control; critical thinking and problem-solving. Fencing is as cerebral as it is physical – there's hundreds of years of codified, evolved (sometimes conflicting) fencing theory to be studied, criticized, practiced, and internalized.
Fighting with swords is all about analyzing your opponent, predicting his actions, punishing his mistakes, and setting traps to capitalize on his weaknesses and leverage your own strengths. Thus, fencing is often defined as "chess at ninety miles an hour." In fact, as chess is universally known as "the game of kings," fencing is sometimes called (with apologies to horse racing) "the sport of kings."
Fencing teaches the virtues of most any sport or discipline: Perseverance, diligence, emotional balance, and mental preparation. In some regards, it does so better than others are able: Fencing teaches how to fight through pain, how to overcome intense adversity, how to handle frustration and anger (both that of your own and others), how to dissect and learn from a loss, how to find the courage to fight a vastly more skilled and experienced adversary, and – in all these points – how to do so alone. In fencing, there are no teammates to join the fight, no one to come alongside you to absorb the pressure, bear the responsibility, or deflect the blame. Fencing is just you and someone who's trying to hit you. Fencing is discipline, art, sport, science.
[Return to Contents]
|
|
|
| Is it Safe? |
Fencing is safer than most sports. The last fencing death occurred over twenty-five years ago, and enjoys a vastly superior safety record to cheerleading, baseball, football, and basketball, among many others. The aforementioned 1980 fencing death occurred on the world stage, and thus birthed a fervent reaction within the fencing community that resulted in highly-enhanced equipment standards and safety-centric rule changes.
The most common fencing injuries, in approximate order of predominance, are: Contusions (bruises and whelps), muscle strains, ligament sprains, tendinitis, heat-exhaustion, torn muscles and tendons, lacerations, and punctures. Together, lacerations and punctures account for only 8-12% of injuries, and are nearly always very minor – scratches and flesh wounds.
That said, on extremely rare occasion, a blade will break, and momentum and/or recoil will drive the jagged stub into or through the arm/leg of a fencer. The phrase extremely rare should be translated almost never heard-of, never mind experienced.
[Return to Contents]
|
|
|
| Does it Hurt? |
/Tasha%20Bg%20Fixed.jpg) | Jason's Daughter, Natasha, in 2007 at Age 6
|
|
In a perfect world, opponents would always maintain proper distance, never attack simultaneously or with excessive force, never hit an unintended target, and always abort the attack if the opponent commits a distance/timing error or a blade breaks. In other words, fencing wouldn't hurt.
In the real world, fencing is still a combat discipline and a combat sport. Sometimes, it just hurts; but if eight-year-old girls and boys can take it (and they do), so can you.
[Return to Contents]
|
|
|
| The Instructors |
/scan0001%20(processed,%20cropped,%20reduced).jpg) | Jason and 4-Month-Old Daughter, Natasha,
at a 2001 Competition
|
|
Jason Purcell is a former competitive fencer, and has held national ratings in all three modern weapons. He studied under the watchful eye and steady hand of Murray State University (MSU) Fencing Instructor Tim Elder and the critical scowl and heavy blows of the fencing club's "best man," Jim Phillips. Once Jason had acquired a repertoire of skills sufficient to compete with the majority of US fencers, he endeavored, with Tim, to dissect modern systems of fencing, grafting in long-discarded classical concepts whenever they proved useful in combat, and even developing and integrating a small subset of original theory. Jason assisted Tim in his collegiate classes for two years. When Tim left Kentucky in 1996, he passed the mantle of MSU fencing instructor to Jason, who held that post until the program was eliminated due to budget cuts in 2008.
Jason taught private lessons 2000-2002, but eventually chose to discontinue that practice until permanent facilities and proper equipment could be secured. In 2007, LSA opened, and private lessons resumed.
In addition to considerable classical and modern fencing experience, Jason practices Renaissance martial arts (including longsword, rapier, quarterstaff, and other weapons), and has previously acquired skills in cudgels, the Asian sword arts of kenjutsu and kendo, and even theatrical fencing. Jason has a profound passion for swordplay, and is always eager to share the benefits of his studies and experiences with others.
In addition to LSA/MSU assistant coaches, Legacy sometimes employs the services of other qualified instructors specializing in the various disciplines taught at the facility.
[Return to Contents]
|
|
|
| Teaching Philosophy |
Modern fencing is nearly always taught and practiced as nothing more than pure sport. While the sport of fencing is a worthy endeavor, studying modern fencing in isolation from similar arts and in the absence of historical context ignores its notable roots as a serious combat discipline. Worse, those who disregard the historical aspects of fencing also tend to ignore the contributions of physics, geometry, and anatomy to sword theory. As both a student and a lover of fencing, Jason believes it deserves a more broad and thorough examination.
Legacy teaches sword arts through a measured, tailored progression of traditional physical training and associated academic studies. We employ a comprehensive, structured approach to the acquisition of blade combat skills. Thus, students will learn to exercise patience, practice diligence, and embrace and enjoy every phase of their education. All of this, of course, demands time: Fencing is not a McDiscipline.
[Return to Contents]
|
|
|
|
|
|
Membership Benefits
|
Membership Costs *
|
- No registration fee, No floor fees
- 1 1½-hour group lesson per week. Small class sizes (4-8) ensure individual attention
- 1-2 open practices per week – Fence students from other classes, MSU, and elsewhere
- Equipment provided free, though every fencer will eventually want his or her own
[Return to Contents]
|
|
- $60/year US Fencing Association fee
- $50 per student per month for the first student in a family or group
$30 per student per month for the first student in a family or group
$20 per student per month for each additional student in a family or group
* LSA reserves the right to alter fees each semester, but pledges every reasonable effort to avoid substantial changes.
[Return to Contents]
|
|
|
/HPIM0399%20(Enhanced,%20Cropped,%20Resized).png)
/'Fencers%20on%20Black'%20(Cropped,%20Reduced).png)