WELCOME TO THE ACADEMY OF ARMS LOS ANGELES
We are an all-volunteer, non-profit western martial arts school serving the greater Los Angeles area. Our primary focus is historical fencing. Most of our curriculum is devoted to medieval sword classes but we are not exclusively a sword school. In addition to sword training, we teach a wide array of weapons used by the European knights of the Holy Roman Empire, including dagger, hand-to-hand fighting, poleaxe, spear and halfsword. We are currently accepting students for evening classes at our indoor studio.
Please note: we are a martial arts school and do not teach stage combat or respond to casting inquiries.
OUR POLICY ON BOUTING
Bouting, also known as "sparring" is a very important part of many martial arts, especially historical swordsmanship. Unscripted exchanges in a charged environment are an extremely valuable way of testing interpretations and gauging your mastery of the material. We bout virtually every week. Be advised, however, that there are a host of safety requirements you must follow. You must have achieved the rank of Apprentice and have earned a free play certification. You must have the required safety gear for the weapon with which you are bouting. And finally, you must be supervised by an Instructor.
Becoming an Apprentice and earning your free play certification takes 1-1.5 years, depending on your level of discipline. It is important to wait for this landmark in your training before doing full-out bouting, both for safety and for proper form. However, long before that, there are a series of aggressive drills, both scripted and unscripted, that prepare you for all-out bouting. Essentially, you will learn the various pieces of the fight individually, and then put them all together when you begin bouting. The drills that prepare you for bouting are intense enough to satisfy most students' thirst for adventure, but only a disciplined student who attends class regularly will ever reach that level of training. Anyone can grab a stick and go fight, but without proper training, it won't be a very artful display! So be patient, disciplined, and most of all, do the work.
Because of the safety and liability risks, and to help ensure quality standards, we must be very strict with regard to bouting. Any AoA student who engages in unsupervised bouting, or bouts without a free play certification, faces suspension and/or expulsion. Some exceptions can be made (if, for instance, you are playing with foam weapons). If you have questions or require clarification, please check with an Instructor prior to engaging in any extracurricular activities.
OUR POLICY ON CUTTING WITH SHARP WEAPONS
Cutting a mat or any other object with sharp weapons should never be attempted until you have had the proper training! Besides the obvious hazards, it is important to learn how to cut properly. We never, ever, bout with sharp weapons. However, once a student has reached the rank of Scholar Prep (meaning they have completed some of the requirements for Scholar), we do teach proper cutting technique using tatami mats. This training is carefully monitored for safety. Only after a student has passed this training are they allowed to practice cutting on their own. Any AoA student who deviates from these rules faces suspension and/or expulsion. Safety is something we take very seriously.
OUR POLICY ON SHARING THE ART WITH OTHERS
One of our duties as a school is to teach the world about our art. We must educate others in a careful and organized manner in order to help dispel the prevalent myths and misinformation that plague our field. It takes years of study before any of us are in a position to properly introduce the outside world to this discipline. For that reason, until a student becomes an AoA Instructor, they are to refrain from teaching this art to others outside of our training sessions. Also, it's very important to direct any questions received from the media or content creators to a school Instructor.
We are happy to help people discover their passion for this art, but not everyone is on a personal mission of learning. Being located in Los Angeles, we have had many inquiries from filmmakers, game creators and the like who are looking to pad their own creations with cherry-picked techniques from our classes. We have also had people who wanted to take a couple weeks of classes so they could list themselves as "fencers" on their resumes. This is an affront to an art which takes years of disciplined training to even begin to comprehend. Students of AoA cannot in good conscience contribute to these endeavors.
In order for us to maintain our school standards and honor our art, we must insist that students refrain from using anything they have learned at the school in any personal or professional projects without school authorization. This includes contributions to the media and content creators. It is only in this manner that we can ensure that the flow of information from our school is coherent, accurate, and directed at those who have a true passion for learning. Thank you for understanding our desire to preserve high standards and protect our art!
OUR COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
| Children of the Night is our school charity and we work with them to help provide a better life for their kids. Please do what you can to help! |
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OUR SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Click here to apply for our Martial Studies Scholarship.
OUR MEMBERS
Click here to check the roster of our active students and their certifications. Anyone absent from this list is not a member of our organization.
Dr. Forgeng and AoA at the 2011 Tournament of the Phoenix. Photo by Amanda Mielke.
