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Today, we are celebrating the 4 year anniversary of the Vanguard Centre! We opened our doors on the 11th of September 2015, and so today marks four full years of being open. The last year has been a whirlwind of activity, but the main theme has been one of increasing success.

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Today, we received some good news at the Vanguard Centre. Our landlord, Network Rail, had sent out a premises inspection team to make sure we are looking after the venue and have the necessary health and safety policies and fire precautions in place, and we passed our inspection with flying colours. The inspector even remarked that he was impressed with us and that none of the other properties he had inspected recently came close to us in terms of preparation and readiness for a visit on short notice.

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Welcome to August at The Vanguard Centre!

Summer special offers!

There’s still time to book for our summer specials! Until August 13th, we have some special deals on group bookings for archery or sword fighting lessons. Sessions can be booked Tuesdays to Fridays from 1pm until 4pm. Contact us for more details.

SUMMER ARCHERY DEALS

Number of people	Length of session	Price
Up to 4 people	60 mins	£35
Up to 6 people	60 mins	£45
Up to 8 people	90 mins	£65
Up to 10 people	90 mins	£75

These sessions are available to book between Tuesdays and Friday, from 1pm until 4pm, subject to availability.

All bookings must be paid for at the time of booking.

Sessions are suitable from ages 8 years +

Summer Sword Lessons

Number of people	Length of session	Price
Up to 4 people	90 mins	£45
Up to 6 people	90 mins	£55
Up to 8 people	90 mins	£75
Up to 10 people	90 mins	£85

These sessions are available to book Tuesdays to Friday from 1pm until 4pm, subject to availability.

All bookings must be paid for at the time of booking.

Sessions are suitable from ages 12 years +

To arrange a booking, please email us at contact@vanguardcentre.com

Or give us a call on 07477234020.

Saturday Sparring

Beginning on Saturday the 24th of August, we will be hosting weekly sparring sessions! These sessions will be 2 hours long, from 2pm until 4pm. Cost of these sessions is £10 per person or a tick off your session pass. Come along and and challenge your sword skills. Sessions are open to all Vanguardians and other HEMA enthusiasts!

Blacksmithing at The Vanguard Forge

As always, Paul is busy in the forge. If you fancy trying your hand and some forging then we have plenty of options for you to choose from. Come along and make your own pendants, coat hooks, fire strikers, to name but a few of the courses we have on offer. Full details can be found here.

Scottish Fighting Arts

 

Medieval Street Fighting in Scottish Fighting Arts Classes

In August we move onto a different system of fighting in our Tuesday night classes – rather than looking at the sources or techniques of one particular weapon, we will instead be practising fighting in a very different environment. In historical context, fighting was only rarely one-on-one duelling, more often commited in gangs or small units of combatants beyond the battlefield or even in civilian streets, so for a bit of fun in August we will be trying to recreate the feeling and the fury of armed self-defence and turf warfare of the 14th and 15th centuries. 
These lessons will be less strict about individual performance and mechanics, although those will always be helpful and will be coached as necessary, and the classes will instead look at the tactics and method of fighting in groups – there are considerations of movement, footwork and angles of attack that are more or less helpful in a multi-directional fight, and better or worse still in a confined space! Learn how to cover or rescue your friends in a brawl, stand alone against multiple foes, fight back to back when surrounded by your enemies, and the most useful of all, how to do the bare minimum to run away!
These classes will make use of common weapons of the period such as single sword or messer (fighting knife), sword and buckler, and the two-handed longsword. Anyone with at least some experience in these systems is welcome to give them a try in these stressful group situations. 
We will also take the opportunity to practise some rarer forms of engagment like escort duty, bodyguarding, snatch-and-grab a prize, and the infamous tavern brawl…
Team Deathmatch, Last Man Standing, Domination, Capture The Flag, Juggernaut, and other game modes available!

Medieval Street Fighting will be hosted on Tuesday nights through August at 8.00pm

That’s all for August! For regular updates on classes and activities at the Vanguard Centre, follow us on Facebook.

Summer Archery Sessions

Summer holidays are here! On Mondays, throughout the summer, we will be hosting archery sessions. These sessions will be 90 minutes long, full instruction and all equipment will be provided. Sessions are 1pm-2.30pm, 2.30pm – 4pm and 4pm until 5.30pm as well as our regular evening sessions.

On Saturdays, starting 6th of July, we will also be hosting an additional archery session from 12 noon until 1.30pm. Lots of time on the range for our archery enthusiasts!

Due to our archery sessions being so busy we are limiting spaces to 9 per class and these can be booked through our shop on the website.

https://www.vanguardcentre.com/shop/attendance/archery/

Beginners Broadsword Course

Fulfil your fantasies of being a flourishing fighter, and realise those dreams of dashing duels!

Starting on Saturday 6th of July 2019 and continuing every Saturday for 6 weeks, The Vanguard Centre will be teaching a course on the basics of using a basket hilted broadsword in the Scottish style from the late 18th century. The sessions run from 2pm-4pm each Saturday.

If you want a live a life of daring adventure under the flash of cold steel, this course is for you!

There is a lot of written material about sword fighting from this era, from the Jacobite Rebellions, to the Napoleonic Wars, with a recognisably modern method of instruction in the textbooks and army manuals of the day. This makes the system we teach accessible to new martial artists and very mechanically effective even with only a rudimentary understanding. Studying and practising this system of swordplay will be an athletic and tactical challenge, which results in exciting combat!

This course is intended for those with little to no martial arts experience, and for those who may have a grounding in other fighting arts but have not yet investigated European traditions or weapons of any kind. It will also be and interesting comparison to modern sport fencing with foil or epee, to see one of the earlier forms of sword use where lethal efficiency was prioritised over athletic prowess and keeping score!

Full safety equipment will be provided by The Vanguard Centre as part of the course, but suitable clothing and footwear must be provided by participants.

Through the 6 lessons, participants will get a basic understanding of the history, terminology, mechanics and tactics of using the Scottish broadsword in a safe and social environment. Each week we will add to the pool of knowledge and practical application, including a small amount of coached sparring between participants and also a handling session with authentic swords from the period.This course will also be ideal stepping off point into further study and practise of Historical European Martial Arts, including the foundation needed to attend our regular Regimental Broadsword and Military Sabre drop-in sessions at the Centre.

The course will cost £70 for 6 lessons over 6 weeks, with passes available for purchase through our online shop. This also includes a facsimile of the period source book, The Art Of Defence On Foot.

Please make your payment in person at the venue (we accept both cash and card) or through our online shop (we can accept debit card and PayPal).  

New Wednesday Class

Our assistant coaches, Ben Hamilton and Victoria Clow, will be running a class teaching correct body mechanics for broadsword.  

This class will focus on fine tuning of body mechanics for the purpose of training in broadsword. The first lesson will focus on correct posture and the use of the lunge to increase a fencers stability and power generation.

This new Bodymechanics Workshop will start at 6.00pm-7.30pm on Wednesday 3rd of July and will be priced at £5 per person.

The Bodymechanics Workshop will be a great add-on to skills learned in the regular HEMA classes for all practitioners, so as well as the Wednesday night Broadsword and Sabre students coming in early, we encourage the Scottish Fighting Arts and German Longsword students to give this a try as well! 

Scottish Fighting Arts

18th Century Quarterstaff of Zachary Wylde

By popular demand, the Scottish Fighting Arts classes on Tuesday nights in July will feature a return of quarterstaff fighting – every one seems to like a big stick every once in a while!

As a change to our previous staff and polearm classes we will be drawing our material from the English fencing master Zachary Wylde, who published his Master Of Defence manual in 1711. In his own words, his art “perfectly demonstrated how the Blow, Strokes, Chops, Throws, Flirts, Slips and Darts are performed with the true Method of Traversing“… and we think it’s pretty fun too!

We are quite excited to bring this different approach to staff fighting to the Centre, with lessons beginning on Tuesday 2nd of July at 8.00pm and every following Tuesday in July. 

Blacksmithing at the Vanguard Forge

Our resident blacksmith, Paul Clarke, is here to teach you how to manipulate metal. We have several options for forging sessions, including our fire striker course. If you would like to try your hand at some metal work, give us a call or email us to get booked in. More information about our available courses can be found here:

https://www.vanguardcentre.com/classes/blacksmithing-in-glasgow/courses-workshops/

The Rapier workbook series by Guy Windsor

Take a beginners’ course with world-renowned swordsmanship instructor Dr. Guy Windsor, through this innovative workbook format.

With this 70+ page workbook you can learn the basics of rapier fencing. The book is illustrated with extracts from historical sources, and supported by over twenty video clips, linked to in the text. All you need is a training partner, a smartphone, tablet, or computer, and a couple of practice rapiers and fencing masks.

We have all three workbooks in left and right handed versions for sale in person at the Centre, or for purchase online through Fallen Rook Publishing. 

Summer special offers!

From July 2nd until August 13th, we have some special deals on group bookings for archery or sword fighting lessons. Sessions can be booked Tuesdays to Fridays from 1pm until 4pm. Contact us for more details.

That’s all for July, don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates on classes, courses, and Vanguard shenanigans!