NYHFA is splitting from Selohaar
The New York Historical Fencing Association is no longer a chapter of Selohaar Fechtschule. Although I am very grateful to Christian Tobler for his work in translating and interpreting the sources that we have worked from, we have for a very long time gone in different directions, both in terms of curriculum and Christian’s emphasis on chivalric virtues and their place in HEMA.

This is an amicable split, so no hard feelings. I have the greatest respect for Christian and the work he has done and is doing, and I would not be where I am today without it.

NYHFA started as an autonomous group, and so it will continue to be from this day forward.
Thank you Mike for the kind words. And certainly, the Selohaar Fechtschule has learned from its experiences with you and NYHFA.

Good luck to you, and safe training!

Christian
Why don't your organizations remain together in a larger organization with your respective associations being branches. Sort of a confederation. Frankly, I hate to see splintering like this. An organization is more effective with larger membership numbers. Being members of the parent organization your branches can work together on common issues more closely and harmoniously with oversight and help from the parent org. As for an issue effecting an individual branch, it could be delt with by that branch alone or with help from the parent org. if needed.

Anyway, just a suggestion for consideration.

Luck to both of your associations.

Harry
Harry J. Fletcher wrote:
Why don't your organizations remain together in a larger organization with your respective associations being branches. Sort of a confederation. Frankly, I hate to see splintering like this. An organization is more effective with larger membership numbers. Being members of the parent organization your branches can work together on common issues more closely and harmoniously with oversight and help from the parent org. As for an issue effecting an individual branch, it could be delt with by that branch alone or with help from the parent org. if needed.

Anyway, just a suggestion for consideration.

Luck to both of your associations.

Harry


Well different approaches are not necessarily a bad thing as different groups may arrive at different interpretations and learn from each other and maybe arrive at even other interpretations when they compare notes.

If training approaches are different they may be too different for one group to be considered a branch of a single " School ": Someone joining would expect some uniformity of approach with the larger group and if they differ it causes confusion or mistaken expectations.

Friendly exchanges of views or meeting to compare techniques is certainly desirable. ;) :cool:
Harry-

I think Jean nailed it. A single school is expected to have identical approaches to the material, and sometimes that is not possible or desirable by the parties involved.

That said, I fully expect and anticipate continuing to work with NYHFA in the future. For instance, NYHFA is presenting cutting classes at the Chivalric Weekend along with instructors from MEMAG, VAF, CSG and others.

Hope this puts your mind at rest, Harry.
Jessica
Hi Harry,

Jess and Jean pretty much answered for me. Indepent schools with different curriculums, philosophies and approaches working together wouldn't really be a parent school/chapter model like the kind Christian has in Selohaar.

Someone who joins NYHFA is going to receive very different training than someone who joins Selohaar Fechtschule or one of its chapters, with different approaches, interpretations, testing standards, etc., and that just wouldn't be right if we were a branch school.

As Jess said, there will still be an exchange of ideas flowing, so in that respect the positive aspects of the association will be preserved. But such an exchange takes place in the HEMA community on a regular basis regardless of association, which is one of the great things about that community.
Harry J Fletcher wrote:
Why don't your organizations remain together in a larger organization with your respective associations being branches. Sort of a confederation. Frankly, I hate to see splintering like this. An organization is more effective with larger membership numbers


Hi Harry,

If I may add to the last points made by Jean, Jess and Michael:

I run the historical swordsmanship program at VAF. VAF isn't affiliated with Selohaar or NYHFA, and yet I am friends with Christian and Mike, as well as many of the members of their organizations, and we share ideas and even meet up on occassion (though the distance makes the last part harder than I would ideally like). This is also true of members of our respective groups. We do this without being officially part of the same organization. In fact, there are many reason why it just isn't feasible for VAF to be part of Selohaar, but that doesn't preclude us from still working together and having very positive relationships because of it. I don't see any reason that NYHFA going their own path needs to be a negative thing unless if people make it into a negative thing. :)
Hello All,

I really think the point on this separation has been made. After starting with Christian's curriculum, NYHFA has been building a different curriculum than that taught at the Selohaar Fechtschule branch schools and study groups.

Michael has a clear vision of what he's working towards and this change frees him and his students to do so. As Bill said it so well it's not a " negative thing unless if people make it into a negative thing."

I look forward to seeing the developments that should come out of Michael 's curriculum now that he free to pursue his dreams.I also look forward to training with Michael on test cutting at CW2010.

Cheers,

David Teague

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