KNIGHT SCHOOL - Full Weekend

Become a medieval knight and learn how to fight with a broadsword, shield and lance. Have a go at Jousting at the tilt!

This course is suitable for riding novices and includes over night B&B.

FILM FIGHTS - Full Weekend

Pick the movie theme of your choice for your day of action adventure, from James Bond to Pirates of The Caribbean.

You name it, we’ll show you how to be it! Day one: scene choice, choreography. Day two: filming your heroic action sequence

GUN HO - Full day or 2hrs

Learn Gun Fu (fantasy martial arts with a replica gun) inspired from the film Equilibrium. Then move on to the movies favorite: Blank firing guns.

Learn the does and don’ts, inc UK Law and have a go firing of a Wild West Peacemaker Revolver and Modern Semi Auto, Police style, Glock. Replica and Blank firing pistols.

FOOLING ABOUT - Full day or 2hrs

A chance to explore the physical tricks and turns of being a Clown! Emulate the greats such as Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy or the more modern comics such as Lee Evans and Jim Carey. As we start off small with a stumble and gradually escalate throughout the day into full Slapstick and knockabout routines. You can have as many trips, falls, eye pokes and custard pies as you like! Controlled supervision and Safety Mats will be provided.

UNARMED FIGHTS - Full day or 2hrs

Learn the basic illusions and skilful tricks that make Unarmed Stage Combat fighting safe but convincing. From barroom brawls (with breakables) to Matrix fights. Explore a number of techniques used from slaps and punches to hair pulls and falls. The workshop is taught through a mixture of games and practical techniques.

SWASHBUCKLING - Full day or 2hrs

Learn how to ‘Swash your Buckle’ without being ‘cut down to size! In true Errol Flynn style, from Robin Hood to Highway Men. Broadswords and Quarterstaffs.

First learn the basic of Swordmanship and then create your own fight scene to be performed at the end of the day.

PRO WRESTLING - 2hrs

OTT fights, rolls, hooks and slams! Learn how to ride the Hook and sell the pain!

Have a go at some of the fun theatrical techniques to make the fight look spontaneous but remain totally within your control. Close contact work involved.

BARTITSU - 2hrs

Have a go at the secret Martial Art of Sherlock Holmes and the forerunner to martial arts, particularly Jujitsu, becoming popular in this country.

Learn to fight with walking sticks, boaters and penny farthings!

THAI BOXING - 2hrs

Learn about all the tradition and cultural background of the deadliest Martial art including the ritual before the fights the create your own ritual and learn how to fight safe Thai style.

FOUND WEAPONS - 2hrs

This workshop is lots of fun and looks at using everyday objects as weapons. Students are asked to bring an object with them to class for example a coat hanger or a feather duster. It is helpful if the students have a basic understanding of stage combat disciplines. The workshop concludes with a devising a fight with their found weapon.

S’BLOOD & GUTS! - 2hrs

Blood bags, Blood knives, Knives through arms, Blood capsules and brains! Messy but fun Blood FX. Get to grips with the gorier side of fights and mock injuries. Ever wondered how they get the right amount of blood to the right place at the right time?

Now is your chance to get stuck in! Remember to bring a change of clothes because you will get messy.

HARRY POTTER - 1-2hrs

Magical mayhem and fantasy fighting illusions. Learn how to dodge from the blast of a magic wand, learn the low down dirty tricks of Draco Malfoy and fight back magician style.

Safe, close contact stage combat and slapstick techniques to create the illusion of magical fights.

BREAKABLES - 2hrs

Create your own scenes either a Barroom Brawl or domestic Soap Opera scene.

Learn how to punch like Hollywood Heroes John Wayne and Clint Eastwood. Or slap like a Fowler. Surprisingly, it’s much harder than you think being hit over the head with a fake bottle and it hurts too! But the hardest thing is making the break look realistic without everything just shattering into smithereens!

CUTTHROATS & CUTLASSES - Full day or 2hrs

Adrift, amidst a sea adventure: Clever acts of ‘Daring do’ with a generous helping of down right dirty tricks. Pirateering and ‘Slitting of Gizzards’ a must. Cutlasses and Cavalry Saber’s.

First learn how to act and talk like a pirate, then how to look like one and then how to fight like one!

ACTION in the FIGHT and FIGHT into the ACTION - 2hrs

Whilst performing you need to be able to communicate with your fight partner in a non verbal way.

This class allows you to explore ways of physical combat communication and spurs you keep the spontaneity of reaction, within a choreographed scene. So the fight is an entertaining piece of Action not just a piece of Choreography.

KNIFE FIGHT - 2hrs

Through games, play and analysis we discover the terrible realities and inherent dangers of carrying and attempting to fight with a knife. This is a great way to create organic feeling fight choreography.

NASTY GROUP BRAWLS - 2hrs

How do you build up into a full on, no holds barred nasty and realistic looking fight. How to messy up your choreography and keep several fighters interacting convincingly. From street fight to extreme fight.

FANTASY FIGHTS - 2hrs

Creating your own fully rounded Fantasy Creature, the universe it inhabits and then its own fight sequence. Characters can be from well known literature, film, computer game or graphic novel or completely unique and inspired by your own imagination.

FORUM FIGHTING - 1-2hrs

A fight demonstration which is then deconstructed with notes on the use of the weapon the fighting technique the historical and geographical context and amusing anecdotes relating to your weapon of choice.

WEAPON CHOICE: Broadsword, 18th Century Small Sword, Quarter Staff, Rapier and companion weapon, Knife or Unarmed.

FORUM FIGHT - 1-2hrs

The Audience/students create their own fight using the Performers as their Guinea Pigs. They choice the date time and place. Who the fighter are, why they are fighting and then tell the performers what to do next i.e. A Real life Tekken Full fight performance of their fight at the end of the session.

WEAPON CHOICE: Broadsword, 18th Century Small Sword, Quarter Staff, Rapier and companion weapon, Unarmed, Fantasy weapon.

WARRIOR WORKSHOPS - 1-2hrs

Learn how to use your weapon of choice in a fun one hour introductory class, with optional show of your work in progress at the end.

WEAPON & WORKSHOP CHOICE: Slapstick comedy fighting. Pirate Fights, Bartitsu.

BATTLING THE BARD - 2hrs to a full day

Examining a selected Shakespeare text which includes the words…’they fight…’ explore how to stay true to Shakespeare, character, period and setting while creating your fight. Heighten the dramatic action with script analysis and fight choreography.