Hit What You Aim At Webinar: Point Control for Historical Fencers (1st and/or 2nd August 2026)
Hit What You Aim At: Point Control for Historical Fencers Your sword should go where you want it to. Point control is one of the fundamental skills of historical fencing. Whether you fence with a smallsword, rapier, sidesword, longsword, foil, or any other thrust-oriented weapon, your point should arrive exactly where you intend it to. You owe it to your training partners and fencing opponents. This workshop teaches practical methods for developing that skill through solo training exercises that can be practised almost anywhere, with very little equipment. No training partner is required. The recordings include both live webinar sessions, each covering the same core material from a slightly different perspective, together with over an hour of questions and answers. Because no two classes are ever identical, you’ll benefit from seeing the material explained twice, with different examples and discussions. In this case the first session is more of a survey covering the options, and the second emphasises how to train. You’ll also receive the downloadable workbook, which includes: complete chapter listings for both videos historical examples of point-control practice training theory detailed instructions for building your own wall target instructions for making a hanging target additional reading and resources To follow the practical exercises you’ll need a wall target fixed to a sturdy wall, or another stable target (a “Bob” works very well). In a pinch, a drawing pin in a noticeboard is enough to get started. Although the demonstrations are primarily with the smallsword, the principles apply to any thrusting weapon. Throughout the workshop you’ll see examples using foil, smallsword, rapier, longsword, sabre, and off-hand weapons like the dagger. Whether you’re completely new to historical fencing, an experienced practitioner refining your mechanics, or an instructor looking for better ways to teach accuracy, you’ll leave with practical drills you can incorporate into your regular training immediately. In this workshop you’ll learn How grip and grounding affect point control Fundamental exercises for developing precision Training at every measure Training with either hand Common causes of poor point control—and how to fix them How point-control exercises differ between smallsword, rapier, and longsword Ways to integrate point-control training into your regular practice Pair drills for developing point control (discussion and demonstration) Included with your purchase Two complete webinar recordings (4 hours of instruction and Q&A) Downloadable workbook Chapter markers throughout both videos for easy reference Lifetime access to the recordings Downloadable video files for offline viewing What You’ll Need Something to thrust with Something to thrust at Masking tape and a permanent marker for improvised targets