Workshop BSS 2024: Berlin School

The „Berliner Schule“ has it’s origins in the Napoleonic wars and was practiced for around 60 years. Its founder is Friedrich Friesen, but E. W. B. Eiselen brought it to paper in his „Das Deutsche Hiebfechten der Berliner Turnschule“ in 1818 and was then adapted by E. F. Seidler in 1843 for the prussian cavalry. Characteristics of the „Berliner Schule“ are it’s so called „flache Lage“ and offline lunges. In the workshop we will show basic stances, cuts, parries and the lunge, including important techniques in sabre-dynamics. All this will be trained with solo and partner exercises. The ideal sabre for this workshop would have a broader blade and knuckleguard, for example 1796 pattern sabres, three bar-hilts or polish/hungarian cavalry sabres. Sabres with narrow blades and bowl-guards will not give you the right feeling to execute the techniques properly. Steel blunts and nylon wasters can be used. There will be some sabres for loan in limited quantities.