Retour sur la visite de Mark Gilbert à Calimacil
- Par Brice Jourdain
- Feb 23
- 0 commentaires
On Thursday, February 15, 2024, we were honored to welcome Mark Gilbert, one of the world's leading swordfighting instructors, to Calimacil!
For almost an hour and a half, Mark Gilbert explained his vision of combat and gave invaluable advice to the participants who came to take part in this unique event!
Here's a look back at an incredible masterclass with a master of his discipline!
Many thanks to Alexandre Girard of the Ordre du Combat Récréatif, without whom having Mark Gilbert would have been impossible!
Many thanks to Alexandre Girard of the Ordre du Combat Récréatif, without whom having Mark Gilbert would have been impossible!
Who is Mark Gilbert?
Mark Gilbert is a renowned swordfighting instructor, tournament competitor and manufacturer of custom LARP weapons for over three decades. He also made a name for himself by founding Riddle of Steel in 1996, with affiliated clubs in Belgium and France.
What sets Mark apart from the rest is his holistic approach to swordfighting. Indeed, his method emphasizes martial arts principles, and he is more concerned with developing creative fighters who can adapt quickly and effectively.
As a professional mentor to both children and adults, he works closely with students in their development, frequently helping them to build self-confidence and break down mental barriers.
Beyond his teaching role, Mark has a formidable tournament record across a range of weapon categories, winning 68 tournaments in total, including numerous gold medals at Fight Camp, the UK's premier HEMA event, and in LARP competitions at all major UK events.
Its workshops offer a playful approach, enhancing the learning experience. Mark's vast expertise and innovative methods make him a fixture in the HEMA and recreational fighting communities.
Before the masterclass
During the day, Mark had the opportunity to visit the factory and put himself in the shoes of the Calimacil artists!
Mark was able to discover all the specifics of making a Calimacil weapon, while having the opportunity to create his own sword with Patrick!
Under the expert guidance of our CEO, Mark molded his own hilt and blade to create the sword of his dreams!
The result lived up to our expectations, to say the least!
This afternoon of exchange, laughter and discovery was a great way to unwind before the masterclass!
The masterclass
After welcoming participants from 5pm to 5:30pm, the masterclass finally got underway! A packed program awaited the participants! Here are the topics Mark covered during this hour and a half
• Distance: Why are you standing so close to me? → Exploring different distances.
• Defence: What makes a good on-guard position? → Analysing stance and body position to optimise initial on-guard.
The problem with Parries → Introducing the flexible mindset and the principles of a dynamic defence.
• Attack: Speed multipliers in sword fighting → Exploring the multitude of factors that influence the speed of an attack.
Forms of attack → Investigating the different categories of attack delivery
• Mastery of self: Why are patterns so bad and how can we reduce them?
Understanding and dealing with stress.
Positive Mindset → Turning a negative into a positive and the practice of acceptance.
• Manipulation of others: Why are patterns so bad and how can we reduce them?
Effective feints → Understanding the elements that make a good feint, including the application of one time feints.
Opponent performance erosion → What can you do to make your opponent fight worse?
• Melee Games: Twenty plus team games developed over the last 30 years, designed to be fun while improving awareness and understanding of group combat dynamics.
• Graded Fights (OCR): Introducing OCR's approach to tracking the evolution of a fighter: graded combat.
The masterclass ended with a 30-minute exchange with the participants, which was extremely instructive and enjoyable!
Interview with the master
Mark played along with us by taking part in a quick interview that allowed us to learn more about him, his future projects and his vision of things in general!
One thing's for sure: we can't wait to welcome him back!
Je fabrique des armes de GN depuis le début des années 90 et j'étais donc très intéressé par différents fabricants d'armes. J'ai vu certaines armes Calimacil il y a des années. Je les ai étudiés ces dernières années en essayant de trouver des armes correspondant à ce que je voulais.
Arts martiaux européens historiques. Reconstruction d'arts martiaux à partir de manuels historiques. Beaucoup plus axé sur le combat et les techniques de combat que le GN. LARP vit et contribue à la création d’un monde dynamique.
Rencontrer de nouvelles personnes, trouver de nouvelles méthodes qui me donneront un avantage et enseigner et concourir à un niveau élevé.
Enseigner aux gens ce que j'ai appris, créer des étudiants qui me mettront à l'épreuve.
Les combats en GN sont beaucoup plus variés que ceux en HEMA, avec de nombreuses armes, mêlées et batailles différentes, ainsi que de nombreux environnements différents. Le combat n’existe pas seulement en tête-à-tête dans une salle. J'ai appris un certain nombre de concepts martiaux grâce aux HEMA que j'ai ensuite utilisés en GN. J'essaie toujours de chercher de nouveaux angles pour améliorer mes combats. Un pourcentage plus élevé de combattants HEMA souhaitent sérieusement améliorer leurs combats que dans les GN. Il y a donc plus de personnes avec qui partager des idées et apprendre.
J'ai fait les trois et je ne change pas vraiment ma perspective globale. Il existe cependant quelques différences essentielles.
Enseigner à un certain nombre d'étudiants qui ont remporté des médailles d'or au Fightcamp et remporté des tournois majeurs lors des plus grands événements de GN au Royaume-Uni.
Combattez autant de personnes différentes que possible dans des situations de pression. Travaillez sur la force mentale, la pensée positive, l’acceptation.
Je travaille sur un jeu de cartes de combat à l'épée et un jeu de société. Je crée une entreprise de mentorat HEMA.
- Le choix d'une sélection entraîne une actualisation complète de la page.