Noble Science Academy - New Hampshire

02/08/2022

Hi everybody! We have some exciting new developments coming to the Academy that we want to share with you all!

Firstly, we have had a lot of interest over the years about instruction for children and while we cannot offer classes, we do now have opportunities for private lessons for children 10 years or older! These lessons follow the same layout of our usual private lessons but will be geared towards kids.

Second, our Lead Scholar Jacob Burke has started offering classes on Sundays that will be focusing on I.33 arming sword and buckler, and how to interact with the manuscripts that HEMA uses as it's primary sources for learning this unique and beautiful martial art! The class takes place at 4pm in our usual location and is designed to be beginner friendly and fairly low energy. So if you love to learn and have an interest in swords this is a great place to start or pick things up again if you previously stopped!

Lastly, we will eventually be offering “all day” seminars that will be oriented more towards learning a weapon or style, no previous experience needed! These seminars will have plenty to offer for those interested in HEMA, both experienced and new alike! We hope that these seminars will work to draw more people into the wonderful world of HEMA in an environment that is a bit less daunting to beginners!

It is worth mentioning that Academy members do get a discount on the new classes and seminars, so if you are interested and want to save some money, consider becoming a member and joining our usual weekly classes!

If you have any questions about these new opportunities, please visit us at our website at https://www.noblescience.org/contact and fill out the form with any questions you may have!

01/25/2022

Longsword drills to successfully identify and attack an opening.

01/05/2022

Practicing some rapier! If you want to learn how to use one, visit our website and learn more!

05/28/2021

Classes have started again! Last night we did some work with Longsword and Messer.

05/12/2021

Hello everybody! We have some great news today for all those interested in learning the art of the sword! In two weeks time the Noble Science Academy of New Hampshire will be officially reopening after our temporary COVID closure!

Tuesday the 25th of May, classes will resume as they did before we shut down with classes being held every Tuesday and Thursday starting at 6pm and Saturdays starting at 11am!

Face masks will be required for classes as we're still not out of the weeds yet, but at least we'll be able to swing a sword again!

11/11/2020

Attention everyone! We at the Noble Science Academy of New Hampshire would like to share some wonderful news with you!

We have completely changed our pricing model to allow for a much more affordable fee that we are running till the new year (and maybe beyond depending on how it does). We are now charging only $50 A MONTH for UNLIMITED CLASSES!!

That's right, one flat fee of $50 a month and you get access to unlimited classes here at the Academy! If you have ever been on the fence about joining us and learning this wonderful art of Historical European Martial Arts then now is the perfect time to join! And remember, your first class with us is always free!

Please contact us through our website www.noblescience.org or message the page right here through Facebook for more information!

Centuries ago, the science of self-defense was considered the most noble of pursuits, and skill with the sword was the pinnacle of that art.  Today, the members of the Noble Science Academy remain dedicated to the study and practice of those same Historical European Martial Arts.  All of the techn...

07/26/2020

We are back at class and practicing (with additional safety measures). Turns out swords are great for keeping social distancing! Reach out of you would like a lesson, the first class is free!

06/17/2020

Hello everyone! I hope you are all staying safe amidst this pandemic!

Speaking of pandemic we have some great news! We will be reopening the Academy this coming Thursday (6/18) at our normal class times! That being said we will be reopening with some restrictions to keep people safe. These include:

-Maintaining 6ft of distance (social distancing)
-Assigned gear at the start of classes that will be disinfected at the end
-No sparring/freeplay
-We have restricted the weapons to Longsword and Rapier only
-We strongly encourage the use of face masks for everyone's safety

Stay safe everyone!

06/04/2020

Interesting insights on fencing strategy from a historical perspective.

Returning to Giganti’s second book made me appreciate some little info he throws here and there even more. I’d like to share with you some quotes which I find interesting.

On doublehits

„... If someone (who doesn’t know how to do or parry cuts) has to fight with someone who does not know how to use a sword, which today (1608) you will find is a majority, he will need to know how to parry cuts. This is because such people, not knowing otherwise, by natural instincts perform many cuts. “
„If someone who knows how to thrust faces another who does not, even if he lands his point, his opponent will deliver a cut in the same tempo, and so they will both strike each other. No matter how many thrusts he performs, his opponent can deliver just as many cuts, to the head or to the legs, as instructed by nature. “

On the need of practice with unskilled

„the second (type) are natural cuts performed by men who know nothing of this profession. They deliver many extravagant blows which cannot be parried, except by those with great experience in this discipline “
„If you wish to learn how to parry these cuts... you should begin to practice with those who know nothing. Allow them to strike as they will and parry with your sword or dagger as you see fit, so that as they attack you reply where there is an opening. By fencing with a variety of men, you will come to understand how to parry cuts from an untrained opponent. “
„It is therefore little wonder that some good fencers, facing an untutored opponent, are quite often hit. That’s because they have not practiced against those who know nothing and so are ignorant of how to defend against natural blows. “

On two skilled people fighting,

„It is not sufficient to know how to deliver an elegant thrust, a feint, or a pass. You must also use wiles and deceits, and from these understand how to defend yourself when required, since the apogee of this science is distilled into guile and deception. To show that this is the case I will say the following. When two masters fence, they do not exchange thrusts or cuts, but rather wiles and new deceits.

(Translation Piermarco Terminiello, Joshua Pendragon)

What can we take from these?
1. Doublehits and reckless fighting isn’t an artifact of modern fencing (duh)
2. It is important to train outside of your comfort zone to absorb variety
3. Two skilled people fighting doesn’t mean it will be necessarily nice or full of fancy techniques :)

03/19/2020

Hello everybody! Unfortunately the Noble Science Academy will be closing for a few weeks in light of the Covid-19 (corona virus) outbreak. Classes will resume business as usual Tuesday April 7th! We felt that this was a necessary action to take to ensure the safety of everyone at the Academy and the people in their lives.

We are going to try and keep discussion and some element of instruction going through sharing videos that show solo drills and techniques! These will be shared through our email system and perhaps even through this page!

Stay safe out there everyone! We'll see everyone again once classes resume April 7th!

01/16/2020

Hello everyone! Welcome to another yearly post! The point of this post is to try and get some previous students back into the fold! Or at the very least let people know about an opportunity that I would like to give to returning students of the Academy.

I would like to extend the same benefits to returning members that newcomers get, even if you have not been gone for very long. This means that returning members get the first class free, as well as the deal of $95 for two months of unlimited classes.

It is worth noting that things have changed quite a bit at the Academy. Classes are less about checklists and ranks, and more about improving as swordsmen/women. I would really encourage you to come by and check things out! At the very least it would be great to see some familiar faces again!

As always please reach out if you have any questions about anything!


Current class schedule:

Tuesday
5:00 - Advanced Longsword
6:00 - Longsword
7:00 - Rapier/Dagger (alternating)
Thursday:

5:00 - Advanced HEMA
6:00 - Longsword
7:00 - Rapier/Messer (Alternating)
Saturday:
11:00 - Rapier/Longsword (Alternating)
12:00 - Open Floor

09/23/2019

I wonder if she would have felt differently if she'd come to our class and finished with some HIIT?

Yes, my arms and abs ached. But focusing my brain on the task at hand proved to be the most challenging work.