I have taken a bit of time over winter to consider the approach, and the European Defensive Arts School (EDAS) has provided feedback on the training program proposed, with additional reviews from specialists and critics.
To this end, the regime will change somewhat over the coming weeks. Further, as we progress into Spring and the winter exercise apathy sheds itself from our cold muscles, we shall have more updates and progress reports, with photos.
EDAS is planning on running 80 minute to 40 minute alternating sessions between a primary and secondary focus. The focus areas will be calisthenics, sword, longsword, rapier, cane, and unarmed/transition with a Bartitsu or neo-Bartitsu flavour.
The difference between the primary and secondary focus is that everyone trains in the primary focus, while the secondary focus later in the evening is more fluid, can be changed and does not need the entire group to participate; they may choose to break off into combat lab teams in any of these, or other, focus areas.
As the needs of EDAS evolve, I suspect this structure will remain with the primary focus being dictated by the needs of the group. For example, should there be an event in rapier, then we would likely focus on that for fortnightly sessions while interspersing the rest of the focus areas. There has been a call for more unarmed to bring people up to a basic competency, so this will be the fortnightly focus for the next month or so.
I'm looking forward to it.
