Today (6/29/25) was rather sparsely attended, likely due to folks attending Pride. It was thus decided to have another Stump the Instructor session, rather than continue what we were working on previously.

We started with some light review of the Gather Step and its application. It was mostly a discussion on incorporating it into one’s natural movements so that it need not be actively considered when fighting, and so can be used without hesitation.

Next was a review of the Zirkel, its definition and execution, followed by practice of the example in the text. Lots of it comes down to angles being right, so keep that pommel high, friends!

The meat of today was about the Rose. A text in itself could be written about the history of its study and debate in modern HEMA alone, but today was mostly about detailed explanation, followed by practice examples. The teardrop-like shape can be hard to spot in other techniques, but it does occur. Keep an eye out for it if you want to add the Rose to your repertoire.

That’s all for this session! Text references are available below.

Zirkel: 1570 [F], Pg. 65, 1.20V; Example of the Rose: 1570 [F], Pgs. 85-86, 1.41r.4