Time:
Wednesdays 7-9pm
Location:
- Summer (April – September) – Outdoor class – A local park in Farmington, Mi
- Winter (October-March) – Indoor class – A church hall in Novi, Mi
Contact us for more specific location information and to join us for class.
Class Cost:
- Drop-in rate: $25/class
- Monthly rate: $85/month (around 4 classes)
Polaris accepts cash, checks, and Zelle. Checks should be made out to “Polaris Fellowship of Weapons Study.”
Class Format
All adult classes are mixed levels and weapons. Each student will get an individual lesson or focus based on their skill level, but they may be working with students at the same level or who are at a different level. Training with students of all levels, allows for students to broaden their range of experience and knowledge.
While there are some variations, each class generally follows the same format:
- Group Warm-ups: Instructors take students through gentle exercises for all the major muscle groups to prevent strain and injury during sparring and lessons.
- Independent Warm-up and Training: Students work independently on the pell (training target) or with each other with their weapons to practice skills, review recent lessons, and prepare themselves for sparring.
- Sparring: One-on-one practice duels in which students choose different weapons to practice trained skills in action. Students may choose to focus on a specific weapon or skill or not. Students are encouraged to communicate with each other about observations, safety concerns, and learning throughout the sparring time.
- Individual Lessons: Instructors will give each student a lesson appropriate to their skill level. The lesson may be one-on-one with an instructor, paired with another student, or an independent activity. Lessons include physical, mental, and interpersonal topics and may include drills, sparing, or discussions. Activities are always adapted to the needs of students, including working around injury, physical/mental limitations, and individual needs.
- Group discussion and Stretching: Students and instructors gather at the end of lessons to discuss observations and thoughts about lessons and sparing. We encourage students to stretch and cool-down to prevent soreness and injury.
New Students
Students just starting out begin as a white belt. In white belt, students will learn the basics of stance, grounding, and stepping. White Belt students will start by learning knife drill and building up to sparring. After knife, they will be introduced to the sword and shield and build up to sparring with that weapons set as well. To complete the full white belt curriculum takes about 1 year of regularly attending weekly classes (Alternatively, our white belt curriculum can be completed in a 5 day intensive at our Summer Weapons Retreat).
New Students will be provided with training weapons and safety goggles to start out, but if they wish to continue, they will have to purchase and build their own gear. The materials to build your first set of weapons are provided by Polaris if you are attending classes regularly. Safety goggles can cost anywhere between $20-$200+, depending on the type you buy and whether you need prescription glasses.
You must have filled out and sign a Registration Form, Waiver, and Media Waver prior to participating in class. You can print them at home and bring it with you, or we will have copies.
If you are interested in experiencing or observing one of our classes, contact us about setting up a free visit!