Style & Training

Polaris practices HEMA – Historical European Martial Arts.  We are continually adding to our knowledge base — both through the continued study of historical sources and new modern understandings of weapons and movement.

Sources of material includes – familial tradition, historical manuals, and modern martial arts manuals.

Weapons Styles

Our curriculum covers a variety of western European weapons including the core weapons of – Target Shield, Cut and thrust Sword, Sword and Main Gauche, Hand and a Half Sword, Pole-arms, Open Hand Techniques, and Knife. All of these weapons are trained in both a 1 on 1 sparring and melee situations.

Students at Polaris study these weapons through sparring, drill, forms, research, and discussion.

Training Weapons

Polaris trains with a variety of types of weapons. For safety, our primary sparring weapons are padded weapons. Polairs’ padded weapons are aerodynamic and weighted to as closely resemble the steel weapons as possible.

We also use wooden and plastic wasters, and blunted steel for a variety of drills. Drilling with wasters and blunt steel helps us to better understand force transfer and points of percussion with all of our training tools.

Holistic Curriculum

Polaris’s curriculum focuses on more than weapons training – including self defense, awareness & focus, interpersonal skills, and tactics.

We recognize the student as an individual, encouraging individualistic approaches to the material and the development of personal styles within the material.

Students are encouraged to set and pursue individual goals throughout their learning. At higher belt levels, students complete independent research and synthesis projects to help them deepen their understanding of the material and gain a sense of ownership of their knowledge.