Swordfighters martial arts and self defence

We want to recognize achievements of our students at the same time that we emphasize humility and character​.

A good fighter is not necessarily a good teacher or a person of character.  The qualities of good character does not necessarily mean that a person can fight well or lead well.  A good leader or teacher may not be the greatest fighter or even the most impeccable though being a good leader depends on both of the other virtues.

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We can recognize Prowess, Character, and Leadership separately.  We can celebrate people who exemplify each of these qualities and we can especially recognize people who possess all three qualities.  Every once in a while a superlative human being comes along.  They are the Paladins, Warrior Monks, True Knights.  We can all benefit from their presence.  They are worth lauding.  They are simultaneously people who have prowess, character, and who give back.  They are shining examples to the rest of us.

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Experience is worth recognizing and honoring. Age is worth honouring as well.  We do not want to instigate false heirarchies that recognize only whether a person jumps through a hoop.

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The sages say "Everyone has three lives:  their own, their juniors and their seniors."  This suggests a natural heirarchy where we look in three directions.  We look back and remember what it was like to be a beginner and we can respect people for the effort that we know it can take to jump into something new and to persist when others are ahead of you.  We know that we need beginners.  We can look ahead of ourselves and respect the people who have gone before us, for setting an example and for sharing what they know.  We can look within ourselves to see ourselves clearly.  By doing so we can acknowledge the things that we need to work on and also how we have grown.

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Ostentacious humility is not the same as true humility. To see yourself clearly is not to focus on your faults alone.  

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Levels of development

We recognize that people undergo level changes over their lives and we want to recognize this within our group.  These changes are manifested in the physical, in the thoughts, and in the spirit.  (Mind, Body, Spirit).  You can describe level changes in many ways. Below is the scheme that I was taught, borrowed from my Asian teachers, derived from several spiritual sources,  and modified to work in HEMA.

You start out as a beginner:

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The Beginner

"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the experts mind there are few."

To be a beginner means that you have lept into something new.  It means that you are willing to grow and to learn.  You are new, embryonic and full of potential.  

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Making a Commitment:  The Student

You have found your legs, made a commitment, and  you have begun your journey but you have not yet arrived.  There are many paths to travel and its obvious when you are no longer just a beginner.  We can also tell when you are approaching the first level change.  In between the beginner and the first level change is the Scholar.

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The First Level:  Mastering the Basics 

This level is about Physical Awareness.  You are able to demonstrate mastery of the basics of a weapon set.  You are aware of the Fundamentals and you have committed to understanding  these as well.  You are capable of independent study and growth.  We look for a strong connection to the ground,  an understanding of timing and distancing, and eyes that look strongly at the opponent.  At ths point you are capable of independent study and you can begin to teach.  We call the First Level the Free Scholar 

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The Second Level:  Fearlessness

You focus on sparring at this level and you are filled with zealous energy and Instinctive Reaction.  You are sure of yourself and you are capable of reckless abandon as you "throw yourself onto their spear" in an effort to defeat your opponent.  You are dangerous.  We look for competency in free sparring at this level.  When you attain the Second Level you have become a Fighter.

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The Third Level:  Self Control

You have faced something larger than you and lost.  Although shaken to your very core, you do not lose your resolve.  Instead, armed with even greater self awareness, humilty, tenacity, and discipline you learn self control and you develop an Awareness of Intuition.  This allows you to find other ways.  We look for subtlety in swordplay, manifested by a mastery of  close play, of stance, locks, and escapes.  You are more than just a fighter at this point.  We recognise the Third Level by calling you a Knight.

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The Fourth Level:  Community

Your sensitivity and humility expands as you face yourself strictly. Sometimes this level has been likened to "Near Enlightenment". You are onto something bigger than yourself but you are not quite ready to give yourself completely over to it. Instead you choose to give back.   You see yourself reflected in others.  As a result your awareness extends outward to the community and you become a fountainhead.  We look for a mastery of powerful throws and takedowns at this level.  At this point you care for more than just yourself.  That makes you a Champion.

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The Fifth Level:  Spirituality

You begin to realize how vast the martial world is and how little you actually know.  When this realization becomes profound you step into the realm of spirituality.  This is the very beginning of a deeper Enlightenment and is characterized by the threshold of a door.  Standing on the threshold you look outwards and what do you see?  At this level you become a Paladin.

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These levels are not just a made up way to rank people in a martial arts class.  They are levels that people go through in life.  When you practice martial arts change that you undergo get manifested in your training.  This is cool.   We want to recognize such level changes as well as the feats, quests, and vigils that our members achieve.  The level changes above are deep and meaningful.  How do you measure or grade such things?  

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The answer is that a leader can only give their opinion.  Length of time practiced, quality and performance in daily practice, and performance during a test of prowess all give evidence of level.  Its tricky to do this for several reasons.  If recognizing level changes ever gets in the way of human growth or for that matter practice, then it is no longer useful and it ought to be dropped.

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