Explore Class + Smallsword + Tuesday 7:00 - 8:00 PM
A lighter blade, a different education.
Smallsword trades reach and power for precision and tempo. This class is a one-hour deep dive for members who already have fencing fundamentals in hand and want to see what a new weapon — and the systems built around it — asks of them.
Length
60 minutes
Open to
Beginners Course graduates
Runs inside
Tuesday open floor
Who this class is for
Explore classes exist for members already moving through the rank progression — a chance to test a new weapon without leaving your main curriculum behind.
Built for
Members who've graduated the beginners course and are working through their progress ranks. You already have footwork, measure, and guard-work in your body — this class asks you to apply it to a lighter, faster weapon with its own logic.
Not built for
The absolute beginner. This is a focused curriculum that assumes basic fencing knowledge and fundamentals already in place — it isn't a second on-ramp into the art, and it moves faster than the beginners course does.
Inside the hour
Sixty minutes, five parts. Each session moves through the weapon's mechanics in the same order, so the class builds week over week rather than resetting each time.
Footwork
Smallsword footwork is narrower and quicker than longsword or sidesword — this is where every session starts.
Lunge Practice
The lunge is the weapon's signature attack. Drilled on its own before it gets folded into anything else.
Guards
The core guard positions smallsword systems are built around, and how they set up everything that follows.
Attacks
Simple, direct attacks from the guards you've just drilled — timing and point control over power.
Parries
Closing the hour with defense — the parries that make the weapon's fast, close exchanges survivable.
Gear for drilling
Smallsword drills move at close range with a stiff blade, so this class asks for more protective gear than the beginners course does.
Preferred Kit
No Jacket?
Minimum
Mask, gorget, gloves, and a fencing jacket. A plastron (chest protector) as well, if you have one.
You can still drill everything on the syllabus — just without making contact. Mask and gorget stay on regardless.
Mask and gorget are non-negotiable for any partnered drilling in this class.
Don't have full kit yet? Come anyway. The footwork, lunge, guard, and parry work all drill without contact — you'll just hold back the last inch on attacks until you're geared up.
Curious what a lighter blade feels like?
Explore: Smallsword runs every Tuesday from 7:00 to 8:00 PM, inside the regular open floor session. Graduate the beginners course, and you're welcome to drop in.
Explore Class + Smallsword + 60 minutes
Tuesday 7:00 - 8:00 PM