Workshops and trainers
Everything you need to know about the workshops and trainers!
HIGHLAND BROADSWORD
Benjamin Binzenhöfer
(Historisches Fechten Würzburg e.V., DE)
This year, Benjamin will once again be showing us how to handle the Boadsword, the typical sword of the Highlanders during the 17th and 18th Century, which also played a major role in the development of British Military Swordsmanship. This cut-and-thrust sword with its basket-hilt guard is the center of many historical fencing manuals from various swordsmen, from soldier and duelist Donald McBane to Cpt. Sinclair of the Black Watch Regiment, from Prizefighter James Figg to the famous Angelo dynasty of fencing masters.
Benjamin Binzenhöfer, archaeologist and enthusiastic scotland traveller, will provide the participants with all necessary basics of this fine weapon, like footwork, guards, cuts and more.
HIGHLAND WRESTLING
Zane Grey
(Campbeltown, UK)
Planned for our first event already, this year we finally will have Zane Grey over to teach us the style of Highland Wrestling aka Scottish Backhold, which is one of the oldest folk wrestling styles of Europe and still practiced in Scotland at the Highland Games. Being not only an indigenous wrestling style of Scotland, evidence is already to be found in the 9th century on irish high-crosses and also the stlye of Cumberland / Westmoreland Wrestling is related to it. Highland Wrestling is a fixed-grip style that originates on the battlefield as well as from the Gatherings of the Highland Clans. Many of the techniques can be found also in Highland Broadsword manuals as well as in the old style of Boxing called Pugilism.
Zane Grey is a longtime wrestler and professional merchant seaman, who did several styles like Judo, Sambo and Catch-Wrestling for decades. He started to learn and train under Scottish Backhold Veteran, the late Wullie Baxter and took part in many Highland Wrestling competitions. He will guide us through this exhausting, but also entertaining style of wrestling.
QUARTERSTAFF
Heiko Große
(Triskelion Combat, DE)
This workshop is presented by one of our co-organiser of the event. The Quarterstaff was not only THE English weapon next to the longbow already in medieval times. The sometimes tipped ash staff was considered a simple, but formidable and deadly weapon by the fencing masters of the 16th Century and had a renaissance in the 18th Century Prizefights of the Stage-Gladiators. We will follow sources throughout the centuries with a major focus on the later material from Zachary Wylde, Donald McBane and Archibald MacGregor.
Heiko Große is researching, teaching and training historical and traditional combat styles of Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales since 2009. Being the former Cateran Society president and head-instructor, he authored two books and several articles on the topic and is now involved in a museum research project on Celtic Iron Age combat reconstruction.
PUGILISM
Christoph Reinberger
(Bear-Knuckle-Boxing-Club, DE)
Bareknuckle Boxing or Pugilism was a very popular combat sport in 18th and 19th century England and later also the United States. It is very much related to the swordsmanship of these periods. In public Prizefights legendary gladiators like James Figg and Jack Broughton were the pioneers and later fighters like Daniel Mendoza, Bill Richmond and Tom Cribb held the stage with their bare fists. Later Pugilism became known as the “gentlemanly art of self-defence” and “sweet science”.
We will make a time travel back to foggy London of the 19th Century, when fistfights were partly illegal, but wagers and entertainment were big. Men and women were participating in tough fights. The boxing style was done gloved as well as bare-knuckle. We will train the most important techniques of offense and defense and also some “dirty tricks”. And if you thought Pugilism was stopping after the clinch, you will be happy to learn some wrestling too.
Christoph startet HEMA at Ochs e.V. in 2003 and after training various weapons, he became an instructor himself in 2011. Since 2015 he found like-minded people to research, train and teach old bareknuckle Boxing.
DOUBLE-SWORD
Jan Gosewinkel
(Montantero Bonn, DE)
To be honest, this workshop is a little bit of a fun experiment, basing on various historical accounts of two swords being used at the same time in the fighting context of Scotland and Ireland. We will be using well-described material from other European sword-styles and adapting this to traditional Whisk(e)y-nations and their martial culture. So make yourself ready for an exciting special workshop.
Jan Gosewinkel practices martial arts since 33 years, started with sword fencing 19 years ago and teaches Greatsword for 16 years. Within his club Montantero-Bonn, the focus is on Montante and any other Greatsword related topics like Spadone, Schlachtschwert, Flail and Doublesword.
You can find information about the rest of the supporting programme, such as tasting or castle tour, under "Supporting programme".
Patronage
