Drills

Drills are the repeatable units of martial practice, what the boys actually do on the training floor. Each entry below names the technique, the skills it trains, the virtue it forms, and where it fits in the rank progression.

Weapon Families

The program uses two primary weapon families, paired with the two civilizations of the Great Books curriculum.

Greek (spear, shield, javelin). Paired with the Iliad, Herodotus, and the phalanx-era texts. Emphasizes group coordination, formation discipline, and the subordination of individual action to the line.

Medieval (sword, shield). Paired with the Song of Roland, Malory, Arthurian romance, and the medieval fighting manuals. Emphasizes individual technique, paired combat, and chivalric virtue.

The Greek material is the more developed curriculum and the natural starting point. Sword material develops as the instructor's skills grow and as boys advance in rank.

Spear Drills

Coordinated Spear Pinning

• Format. Linear, repeatable. Two spearmen vs. one fighter with sword and shield.
• Sequence. First spear pins or pushes the shield out of position. Second spear strikes the now-exposed fighter.
• Skills trained. Spear aim, timing, coordination between two fighters.
• Virtue. Teamwork. Neither spearman can succeed alone. The first creates the opening, the second exploits it.
• Rank notes. Shield-and-sword fighter is the harder role (Squire/Bachelor Knight). Spearmen can be Pages learning cooperative fighting.
• Textual connection. Phalanx tactics in Herodotus, the coordinated fighting of the Iliad.

Spear Thrust Aim Drill (Boxing Pads)

• Format. Paired. Target man wearing boxing hand pads stands just out of range of a spearman. Target man holds pads out at random intervals at varying heights. Spearman makes a single-step attack to land the thrust on the pad.
• Skills trained. Thrust accuracy, commitment to the lunge, distance judgment. The single-step requirement prevents creeping forward to cheat the distance.
• Scaling. Target man controls difficulty completely:
  • Page level: stationary pads at chest height
  • Squire level: moving pads at varying heights
  • Bachelor Knight level: quick flashes that disappear if you hesitate
• Rank notes. Same drill across all ranks, infinite scaling through the target man's choices.

Shield Wall Drills

Shield Wall Hold

• Format. Group formation. Line of shield-bearers interlocking shields against a charging force.
• Technique. Lower center of gravity, interlock shields, absorb impact as a unit.
• Skills trained. Bracing, formation discipline, trust in the man beside you.
• Virtue. Fortitude: enduring a charge without breaking. The primary aspect of fortitude per Aquinas (ST II-II Q.123).
• Textual connection. Thermopylae, the phalanx as mutual obligation.
• Feast day connection. St. Sebastian, absorbing pressure without retaliation.

Shield Wall Breach

• Format. Group formation. Attacking force identifies and pours through a gap in the shield wall.
• Technique. Quickly exploiting an opening, moving as a unit through the breach.
• Skills trained. Decisive action, speed, reading the field for weakness.
• Virtue. Fortitude: the secondary aspect, attacking rightly. The counterpart to the Hold drill.
• Textual connection. Paired with Shield Wall Hold to teach both aspects of fortitude in one session.

Sword Techniques

Ox (Ochs)

• Type. Guard and thrust.
• Description. High guard position, point threatening the opponent's face or chest. Defensive posture that threatens attack.
• Skills trained. Guard discipline, threat projection, thrusting accuracy.
• Rank notes. Page-level fundamental.

Moulinet

• Type. Wheeling cut.
• Description. Circular cutting motion using the momentum of the blade.
• Skills trained. Cutting technique, blade control, power generation.
• Rank notes. Page-level fundamental.

Constraint Sparring (Thrust vs. Cut)

• Format. Paired. One fighter restricted to thrusts only, the other to cuts only. Swap after five minutes.
• Skills trained. Honing each mode independently, understanding the strengths and limitations of each.
• Virtue. The swap is the key. It builds empathy for the opponent's position and an understanding of what you are doing to the person across from you. Adaptability: fighting with what you are given rather than what you prefer.
• Rank notes. Page/Squire level.

Sword Drills

Pell Shield Discipline Drill

• Format. Linear, repeatable. One swordsman with shield strikes a pell. Behind the pell, a spearman thrusts at a set rhythm.
• Sequence. Swordsman strikes the pell while keeping shield up. If the shield drops during the attack, the spear pokes him. Self-correcting; the body learns faster from a poke than from an instruction.
• Skills trained. Swordsman: maintaining shield discipline while attacking, the most common beginner mistake. Spearman: thrust timing practice.
• Virtue. Discipline under pressure. Attacking without exposing yourself.
• Rank notes. Page-level fundamental. A boy who cannot keep his shield up while attacking is not ready for sparring.

Spacing Game (Your Turn, My Turn)

• Format. Paired, turn-based. On your turn you may move three steps. When your three steps are used, it becomes your opponent's turn.
• Skills trained. Distance management, angles, positioning, reading your opponent's movement.
• Virtue. Prudence. Every step counts. You cannot rely on reflexes or athleticism. Forces deliberate tactical thinking.
• Rank notes. All ranks. Stays interesting because it is competitive.

Shield-on-Shield Pin (the Kolbe Drill)

• Format. Linear, repeatable. Two attackers with swords and shields vs. one defender.
• Sequence. First attacker closes shield-to-shield and pins, accepting that he will be struck. Second attacker strikes through the opening created by the sacrifice.
• Skills trained. Closing distance under pressure, committing fully, exploiting a created opening.
• Virtue. Self-sacrifice: the first fighter gives himself so the second can succeed. Nobody wants to be the one who dies. That resistance is the lesson.
• Feast day connection. St. Maximilian Kolbe (August 14), who volunteered to die in another man's place.
• Textual connection. Kolbe's martyrdom, the Round Table ethic of mutual sacrifice.
• Rank notes. Squire and above. Requires trust and willingness.

Mixed Weapon Drills

Archer and Dagger Engagement

• Format. Paired. One archer, one dagger fighter. Start at distance. Dagger fighter must close and tag the archer before being shot.
• Skills trained. Speed, agility, distance judgment, timing the approach.
• Virtue. Prudence. Close too early and you are shot, hesitate too long and you are also shot. The body makes the judgment, not the intellect.
• Rank notes. All ranks. Individual drill: the only one in the current inventory that does not require teamwork.

Spear Retreat / Sword Advance (Parry and Beat)

• Format. Paired. One spear, one sword. Spear fighter practices parrying and retreating to maintain distance. Sword fighter practices beating the spear aside and advancing to close. Swap after a set period.
• Skills trained. Spear: distance management, parrying under pressure, disciplined retreat. Sword: closing distance, beat technique, aggressive advance.
• Virtue. Each weapon practices its natural tactical logic. The spear learns that giving ground is strength, not weakness. The sword learns that closing requires commitment. The swap teaches both sides.
• Practical note. Solves equipment shortage. Works when you only have spears for half the students. Drill design compensates for procurement reality.
• Rank notes. All ranks. Fundamental drill for both weapon families.