The primary source and focus of the Ottawa School of Western Martial Arts is an interpretation of the works of Fiore dei Liberi, an Italian master of arms, who developed his system during the 14th century. It presents a very complete and cohesive combat system that was used for self-defense, for war and for judicial duels, as well as for fighting in the lists.
It includes techniques of wrestling, dagger, sword used in one and in two hands, pole axe and spear, as well as various unorthodox (some downright dirty) techniques and even improvised weapons. This system was developed to be used with and without armor, as well as from horseback.
There is a vast amount of surviving written material on the western martial tradition in addition to Fiore’s works. As complete as Fiore’s work is, it is not without ‘gaps’, for lack of a better word. When these gaps are encountered, we turn to Fiore’s contemporaries (roughly speaking – perhaps a hundred and fifty years either way) to fill in these gaps. By studying these contemporaries, we are able to round out the system of combat we practice and have some serious fun while we’re at it. I mean, honestly, who doesn’t want to fight with scythes?
The primary function of the school is to allow the founder, Nick Conway (that’s me), to pursue the practical study, reconstruction and practice of western martial arts beyond the single vision of the Flos Duellatorum. Therefore....
Two other lines of study that will be pursued as time permits and as skill levels increase and both of these will be approached using our study of Fiore’s system as the core:
The first additional line of study is the Colonial (I’m Canadian…) Combat Arts, which includes the musket and bayonet of the colonial infantry, the saber of the cavalry, and the bowie and tomahawk of the frontier, as well as the unarmed techniques of wrestling and boxing. This line also allows for brief yet enjoyable forays into things like Spanish Navaja combat, Icelandic wrestling, Irish shillelagh or any other European art that may have come across the sea with settlers.
Military Combatives is the second additional line of study. From surviving copies of 19th and 20th century military manuals (while using Fiore’s methods as a base) we will develop and practice the home guard and front-line soldier and commando skills, many of which are still taught and used today.
Not all of these techniques are going to be exactly the same as what many other instructors out there are teaching. They aren’t supposed to be. Our goal is to develop some interesting ways of taking Fiore’s concepts and applying them throughout the evolution of Western martial arts. They allow us to practice Fiore’s core system while keeping the learning process engaging and fun.
