SERFO 2022 Workshop Instructor and Invitational Sabre tournament

Workshop Instructor

This year we are happy to announce that our Instructor is Maestro Charles Dobbs.

Maestro Dobbs acquired a love for learning fencing and teaching fencers from Moniteur Alexis La Joie in the Classical Fencing Society at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, starting with the French foil in the Fall semester of 2002. Thanks to the leadership of David Achilleus who (among many other things) sought out and brought in Maestro Sean Hayes for intensive seminars, at St Louis University in 2006, and at the Oakeshott Institute in 2008, leaving an unforgettable first impression, Dobbs took the first steps on a path that led west to Sonoma State University’s Fencing Masters Program for the following ten years. His historical interests centered around the sword and sabre in 19th century Italy, in light of the writings of Dr. William Gaugler, and applying newly accessible texts and training weapons. Lately, Maestro Dobbs has enjoyed making the best of unusual circumstances for individual lessons outdoors, and renewed studies supported by keen student demand for ongoing training with swords of the 17th-18th century.

Invitational Sabre Tournament

This year SERFO is proud to announce our first ever Sabre tournament. The tournament shall be a little experimental in form for HEMA Sabre tournaments. Due to this we are having a somewhat strict requirement for entering the tournament along with making it a smaller event. We hope in coming years to make it a regular tournament as a part of SERFO.

We are looking to promote a type of tournament with late 19th/early 20th century Sabre in mind. And as such we are looked at the rules found around then. We have taken our main inspiration from the translation by Chris Holzman of 1910 Italian Fencing Federation's tournament rule set. A cliff notes version of the rules are as follows:

• 3 minute bouts

• Victory will be attributed to the fencer, who in the allotted time, has given a greater number of blows to the opponent

• The incontro, save for the case of same-tempos, will be charged to the one who promotes it. A fencer who, in a single bout, will be the cause of three incontri, will be excluded from the competition.

  • Incontro is essentially a double hit with fault. The ruleset attributed fault to one of the fencers if it is obvious they did not seek to defend themselves where they could have attempted a parry

  • True double hits, i,e, both fencers attacked simultaneously, are not punished but rather the exchange is thrown out

• All clear blows of the point, edge, or false edge, capable of producing a wound, are valid. Attacks are only valid above the waist.

• In the event of a disarm, the blow is valid only when it immediately follows the action that produced it.

We hope to be able to provide the Sabres in the tournament. Should we not be able to then the sabre weight shall be limited to 750g. Preferably with a full hilt. Should you have a Stirrup hilt a heavy glove shall be required.

The goal for the tournament is to promote clean and technical Sabre with an eye to how Sabre was fenced in the late 19th century.

If this is of interest to you please let me know. The space for the tournament is limited and so we may not be able to accept you this year. The 2022 tournament is as much an experiment for us to see if we can run a Sabre tournament as we would like. So such we will be looking for experienced fencers above newer fencers. Thank you for your understanding in this. We hope to open it up in the next iterations.

Please look for more information as we publish it. We hope to be able to tape the event also for all to see later.