We now have the opportunity to do some outdoor HEMA training on Sunday afternoons, until we can get back into the hall for our regular indoor training (most likely in May).
The focus of these outdoor sessions will be “moving gently”: we need to take care with how we ease ourselves back into physical activity again, after so many breaks over the last year. The sessions will be quite gentle and the intention is to “warm up” again so that our bodies remember how to move when we are allowed to re-open our indoor sessions again.
Day and time: Sunday afternoons, from 1-2pm. Please make sure you arrive in advance so that we are ready to begin at 1pm sharp. We only have one hour, so we want to make the most of it!
Venue: The venue is the Liverpool College, as usual, and for the outdoor training we will be using the outdoor pitch nearest the usual gym – probably the pitch right in front of the car parking area.
Covid safety: All the exercises will be socially-distanced, non-contact, and outdoor. Liverpool College will have an NHS Test and Trace poster with a QR code, if you want to check in. We will be keeping detailed attendance records in any case. DCMS no longer requires that we wear face masks during training. Please do still bring a face mask, in case there is a need to go indoors (to use the toilet, for example), but while we are outdoors there should not be a need to wear it. Needless to say, if you have any symptoms of Covid, if you suspect that you might have it, or if you are supposed to be self-isolating, please stay at home.
Price: For those Liverpool HEMA members who pay monthly, these outdoor sessions will be covered within that payment you are already making, along with the weekly online sessions. For everyone else, the price will be £7 for the hour. This can be paid on the day in cash, or in advance through our website.
Equipment: Please do bring your own longsword if you have one. The club has plenty of loaner swords that can be borrowed. Since all our exercises must remain non-contact for now, there will be no need for protective equipment such as fencing masks or padded gloves. Please make sure you bring a bottle of water and any long-sleeves or sun-hats or sun-cream that you might need to protect yourself from the weather.
Are beginners welcome? Yes, beginners are welcome, although please be aware that these outdoor sessions will not be particularly representative of how we normally train in the hall. We can help you pick up some of the basic movements so that they don’t come as a surprise to you when more normal training is able to resume.
Questions: If you have any questions, please do ask, and we’ll do our best to answer them for you!
