Historical Western Martial Arts classes at the Brattleboro School of Budo in Vermont.
Open classes are held on Tuesdays at the
7:30 PM to 9:30 PM
Guests and new students welcome!
Classes are also held at Landmark College for Landmark students, staff and faculty on
Thursdays from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
Guests must contact Erik prior to attending.
Classes are taught by Erik Schmitt, proprietor of Winter Tree Crafts and a martial artist of nearly 10 years. Erik has been practicing and later teaching Italian Rapier since 2001. He also holds formal rank in Shorin-ryu Karate, Aiki Jujitsu and Kobudo from Kyoshi Patrick Donahue of the Brattleboro School of Budo. In addition to his Iaido and Kenjitsu practice, Erik also trains under Sifu Scott Rodell in Chinese swordsmanship. Using this background in martial principle, we endeavor to explore the rich martial heritage of Western Europe and have recently begun focusing very heavily on Medieval Longsword.
Our school favors an open minded "big tent" approach where we consider the study of several styles of martial arts or weapons to be beneficial to our practice. While there is remarkable similarity in nearly all martial systems we have come across, each region and weapon has its own distcint flavor which we attempt to delve into with whatever resources are available to us.
As a result, students who train in our classes over time will be exposed to techniques from a number of martial systems. We focus on Italian Rapier and Medieval Longsword and dabble in related arts such as spear and dagger. All of our practices have a strong grappling component and are heavily influenced by eastern Aiki practice. It is our goal, through teaching weapon-specific techniques with an awareness of general martial body mechanics and mental conditioning, to provide each student with a solid foundation in martial principle.
Our classes emphasize solo and two-person drills both in fundamental mechanics as well as specific historical weapon-specific techniques. We practice both in and out of armour and consider sparring to be an essential component of our training with the disclaimer that we beleive sparring should enlighten students about their practice, rather than be the purpose of the practice. Live mat cutting, history lessons and grappling free-play round out our curriculum.
- All necessary equipment is provided. Long-term students are highly encouraged to purchase lacrosse gloves for longsword classes. The purchase of additional equipment such as armour is optional and voluntary.
- Students must be at least 16 years old.
- Tuition is $45 per month which covers the cost to rent our training space, instructor compensation and equipment. Current Landmark College students and Budojo students receive a $20 discount.
- Interested students are welcome to observe and participate in several classes at no charge or obligation. Guests are always welcome and encouraged to visit us to cross blades and share knowledge.
- We are available to run summer camps, PE activities and public demonstrations.
- Private 1 on 1 or group lessons are available in any of our mentioned arts and start at $25 an hour.
For More Information please contact WTC or stop by our Brattleboro class.