Info Favorites Register Log in
myArmoury.com Discussion Forums

Forum index Memberlist Usergroups Spotlight Topics Search
Forum Index > Off-topic Talk > Fencing Salles and Training Halls Reply to topic
This is a standard topic  
Author Message
Colin F.




Location: Bradford, UK
Joined: 30 Oct 2005
Reading list: 10 books

Posts: 134

PostPosted: Thu 28 Aug, 2008 10:45 am    Post subject: Fencing Salles and Training Halls         Reply with quote

How have these developed over time and what have they looked like? The only ones I have seen are modern fencing halls (essentially gyms) and the one in the James Bond film Die Another Day (looks cool and full of lots of swords).

I've always had the idea that if I won the Euro lottery or something (I need to start playing but that is another matter entirely...) I would build my own, so let's say I have (or indeed, you have). What would it look like and what would you consider essential to have in a fencing hall?

Melchett - "In short, a German spy is giving away every one of our battle plans."
Cpt. Darling - "You look surprised, Blackadder."
Edmund - "I cerainly am, sir. I didn't realise we had any battle plans."
View user's profile Send private message
Steven Reich




Location: Arlington, VA
Joined: 28 Oct 2003

Posts: 237

PostPosted: Thu 28 Aug, 2008 11:11 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Good question. Prevost, in his 1891 fencing treatise has a plate that shows a Salle and a floorplan for another. I'll put them up in a few minutes. The Salle looks like a pricey club.

Steve

Founder of NoVA-Assalto, an affiliate of the HEMA Alliance
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Steven Reich




Location: Arlington, VA
Joined: 28 Oct 2003

Posts: 237

PostPosted: Thu 28 Aug, 2008 11:25 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote




Founder of NoVA-Assalto, an affiliate of the HEMA Alliance
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Eric Myers




Location: Sacramento, CA
Joined: 23 Aug 2003

Posts: 214

PostPosted: Thu 28 Aug, 2008 12:35 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Wow, that's great Steve, I'd *love* to have a place like that...

If I were to win a smaller lottery, and wanted to build a salle, I would include the following: an open space for practice with a seating area for observers that is not in the way of the fencers; a separate space with some comfortable seating and tables to act as a library and lounge; bathrooms; showers; changing areas with lockers, and enough space that people aren't always stepping on other people's equipment; some sort of entry space so that people coming and going don't disturb class; an office space; a lockable storage space.

Unless you've spent a lot of time in a fencing or martial arts club, you may not think about all the people that you should provide amenities to, though this varies with your target audience. For example, if you teach kids, some parents will want to stick around rather than just drop off their kid. If there is a comfortable place for them to sit and read, work, and interact with other parents, then they become involved in your club -- but if they have to sit outside in their car, they are lost to you. If you teach high school students, you may need to provide a place for them to do homework or hang out before or after class, or while waiting for rides. If you teach adults, you will have more luck keeping them as members if they can shower. All of these things together help form a strong community, and that sense of community is one of the biggest selling points for a club of any sort.

I'd be curious to hear what Bill Grandy and Sean Hayes have to say about this too, since they both run salles....

Eric Myers
Sacramento Sword School
ViaHup.com - Wiki di Scherma Italiana
View user's profile Send private message
Eric W. Norenberg





Joined: 18 Jul 2008

Posts: 271

PostPosted: Thu 28 Aug, 2008 12:53 pm    Post subject: Fencing Salles and Training Halls         Reply with quote

I don't suppose anyone out there has a private Salle attached to their residence that they'd like to tell us about? If if won that lottery that I don't play, I'd just be adding my own facility on to my house, just large enough for myself and a handful of friends. And guest quarters for travelling sword masters, naturally.

My mind always turns toward Regency England styles when this fantasy plays - a modest version of one of those assembly rooms one sees in those Jane Austen movies (I, uhhh, only watch them for the sets... and the costuming. Really). High, vaulted ceiling, hardwood floors, colonnaded portico for seating with a small balcony above (for the musicians, for those serious duels, I suppose). Big mirrors. Skylights and chandeliers converted to electric. Dang, now I'm depressed, I want it now.

Seriously, though, I'd love to see photos or hear descriptions of peoples' private halls, if anybody wants to share.

Sincerely,
Eric Norenberg
View user's profile Send private message
Julian Reynolds




Location: United Kingdom
Joined: 30 Mar 2008

Posts: 271

PostPosted: Thu 28 Aug, 2008 2:24 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I'm lucky enough to count amongst my friends the owners of this stately pile (Brancepeth Castle, see below).

When I joined my WMA club last year, my first task was to get them out of the uninspiring school gym hall they were in, and set them up in a location more appropriate for the study of historical swordfighting techniques. We moved to the banqueting hall of the Castle, complete with massive stone fireplaces at either end, a hammerbeam ceiling, quartersawn oak floor and large stained glass tracery windows, and a grand porche-cloche tower over our main entrance.

The perfect setting for a salle.



 Attachment: 48.31 KB
Brancepeth Castle 1.jpg


 Attachment: 33.33 KB
Brancepeth Castle 3.jpg

View user's profile Send private message
Don Stanko




Location: ohio
Joined: 27 Apr 2004
Likes: 1 page
Reading list: 482 books

Posts: 255

PostPosted: Fri 29 Aug, 2008 5:21 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

The setting for the Fencing Club I run is definitely a budget example. We occupy a poorly lit, rather narrow High School Balcony with an oversized closet functioning as our armoury. It may not be much but we are actually happy to have a place to fence. Although a bit cramped for 50 students, we make the 100 ft. long 20 ft. wide space work with three full strips, one for each weapon.

Now, if I could design the perfect salle, it would have three things. Lots of space, plenty of light, and room to organize all of our equipment! And if it happened to be located in a castle, I definitely wouldn't complain. You can color me green with envy!
View user's profile Send private message
Colin F.




Location: Bradford, UK
Joined: 30 Oct 2005
Reading list: 10 books

Posts: 134

PostPosted: Fri 29 Aug, 2008 9:40 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Julian Reynolds wrote:
I'm lucky enough to count amongst my friends the owners of this stately pile (Brancepeth Castle, see below).


I am lucky enough to train at the Royal Armouries in Leeds, but seriously, now I'm jealous!

Melchett - "In short, a German spy is giving away every one of our battle plans."
Cpt. Darling - "You look surprised, Blackadder."
Edmund - "I cerainly am, sir. I didn't realise we had any battle plans."
View user's profile Send private message
Bill Grandy
myArmoury Team


myArmoury Team

Location: Northern VA,USA
Joined: 25 Aug 2003
Reading list: 43 books

Spotlight topics: 2
Posts: 4,194

PostPosted: Fri 29 Aug, 2008 2:21 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Julian,
I am ridiculously jealous! That would be my dream practice hall! Happy

Eric Myers wrote:
I'd be curious to hear what Bill Grandy and Sean Hayes have to say about this too, since they both run salles....


Oh, I don't run my academy. The owner/head coach is Alex Ryjik. I'm the head director of our historical swordsmanship program. But that said, I did and do have a large say in what goes on there, and when we moved into our current building, we had a lot of ideas on how to put it together.

Basically, we have the "public" area: You walk in the door, and there's a front desk person who can greet you and help with questions for newcomers, or help members with any business matters. To the right is a large seating area for observers, parents, etc. Right by this area is also the school store, where we stock basic gear. To the left is a side room with a couple of vending machines and tables. This is a place where parents can go if they're waiting for kids but are working on their laptop and want privacy, or where parents with extra little ones might go, or anything along those lines. There are also the restrooms that have showers and changing facilities.

The seating area overlooks the main fencing floor, which is a slightly raised wooden floor with shock supports underneath, as well as electric reels mounted on pillars. The pillars are also wrapped with red carpet-material (was sounds gaudy, but looks good) which allow them to be used as targets as well as pells for the longsword guys. Along the walls are targets for practice. The ceilings are high enough for longsword practice. Beyond the fencing floor is the student area, where there are benches and a warm-up area. The warm-up area consists of padded mats on the floor for stretching, as well as a place to store medicine balls, jump ropes, etc. The students can leave their gear on the benches. There are also a couple water coolers as well.

Beyond that is the private coaches area, where the instructors have shelves and such to store their own gear and teaching tools.

We also have a storage room for all of our cleaning supplies and such, as well as the business office. I know there's more, but I can't think of anything else off the top of my head. As you say, Eric, there's a lot of things you need that you just don't think of until you have a school to take care of! Our old place was in a converted limo garage, and when we bought the new building, we gutted it and had contractors build it from the ground up to be more-or-less exactly what we needed.

HistoricalHandcrafts.com
-Inspired by History, Crafted by Hand


"For practice is better than artfulness. Your exercise can do well without artfulness, but artfulness is not much good without the exercise.” -anonymous 15th century fencing master, MS 3227a
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website


Display posts from previous:   
Forum Index > Off-topic Talk > Fencing Salles and Training Halls
Page 1 of 1 Reply to topic
All times are GMT - 8 Hours

View previous topic :: View next topic
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum






All contents © Copyright 2003-2024 myArmoury.com — All rights reserved
Discussion forums powered by phpBB © The phpBB Group
Switch to the Basic Low-bandwidth Version of the forum