MKdF Run Events
In addition to running classes at our Top Tier location, Maryland KdF members
like to get involved with the wider HEMA community. The primary way of doing achieving
this task is through running events and tournaments.
Pinchpoint
Pinchpoint is a rookie/beginner's-only tournament held in May. Currently, it is only offered for longsword. This tournament pairs new students with experienced mentors who stay with them throughout the course of the tournament. One mentor will receive 4-7 fighters to coach, encourage, and cheer for as the fighters move through their pool fights. Additionally, all rookies receive some judge training as well. All fighters are put into rotation to judge each other with their mentor as the ultimate authority.
This tournament teaches coaching skills, how to fight in a real tournament, how to deal with everything that happens in a tournament, judging, and camaraderie. It also exposes newer fighters to key figures and instructors in the wider HEMA community.
DanceFight
DanceFight is a workshop-based event focused on biomechanics and movement patterns. This event typically occurs in August and lasts two days. There are two types of classes: movement classes related to dance pedagogy for swords and cultural dance classes that either come from a martial tradition or led to one or are beneficial for movement learning.
Participants don't need any dance experience - just an open mind and an empty cup to learn more about movement than you ever thought possible!
AutumnFecht
AutumnFecht is our longest running annual event. It is a workshop based event that occurs on the first Saturday in November. AutumnFecht is a cheap, single-day get together for regional HEMA practitioners to train, get together, educate staff, and share ideas.
The event features: informative classes from local instructors, time set aside for one-on-one or small group instruction, and dedicated open floor space all day long. Classes can be wildly varied from Egyptian stick fighting to juggling to two swords to anything else you can think of!
Atlantic Renaissance Fighting League (ARFL)
Lastly is the newest of the Maryland KdF run events - ARFL. ARFL was created for one purpose: easy access to tournaments featuring all sorts of weapons. ARFL provides several tournaments across the year - each tournament features a different weapon - longsword, saber, rapier, two swords, sword and buckler, smallsword, you name it. All tournaments are run, managed, judged, and refereed by people living in the Delaware-Maryland-Virginia-Pennsylvania region.
