We are glad you have found your way to the new, the latest and, in our opinion, the greatest incarnation of marozzo.com.
The site is currently in beta. This means that our focus for now is on getting all the necessary site features and all the things behind the scenes working correctly. While we work on these details here is a brief overview of what has already changed (and what you can expect in the future).
Historical fencing for the modern fencer
We are working with a bunch of texts written 500 years ago, which means that our source material is limited and constant. However, the world in which it was written, was very different from ours, and the final expression of the techniques and plays described has always, and will always be personal to each individual.
This unique combination promises us with infinite ways of practising and bringing these writings to life, from reconstructing them to the letter, to drawing inspiration from them, applying the techniques in friendly fencing practice. Even more, it can motivate us to look after our physique and to inspire and challenge our minds with the inevitable mysteries they present.
We believe that the greatest gift of these fencing texts for us today is precisely this inspiration and motivation to better ourselves that they can give us. While it is never good to obsess on anything, there is no harm looking at things in life from a certain historical fencing perspective. Do things effortlessly, but with focus and attention. Carry yourself well and with confidence. Move well, with precision and efficiency, timing your actions to perfection. Use judgement, but be brave.
How you choose the material – the source material and the one presented here – is up to you. If you are a casual practitioner, use it to help you in your training. If you fence for sport, then look for the practical advice but maybe pay less attention to recreating things just for the sake of recreating them – you can let others do that work and let them distil information to you. If you are an instructor and are looking for material for your classes, again you're in the right place. Whoever you are and whatever your ambitions and goals are, use the material and make it your own.
The Marozzo.com model
We do not own the source material, and we want to lessen the barrier of entry and the burden of learning it. We love creating material for you and sharing it. But the catch is that the making of and hosting of it has some costs.
To cover these costs we have created a subscription plan that gives you some perks over just reading the articles posted on the blog. By subscribing to our monthly or yearly plan you will get access to all of our premium courses on top of all the freely accessible material. You also get to participate in discussions on all the posts and course pages, with us and your peer members ready to answer your questions.
You will also get access to some of the material that will eventually be made free before it happens – but most of all you will be the one making all of it possible by helping us cover the costs.
The road ahead
One of the main reasons for this upgrade of marozzo.com was that we wanted to be able to concentrate on creating content for you to learn from, and hopefully even be entertained by. Not so much fiddling with tech, or concentrating on maximising sales on a very niche market. The subscription model with the new simplified, mobile-optimised site should provide you with the best experience and us with the ability to create great courses and videos and to share them with ease.
Right now we are uploading all the previous content we had, and then move on to new material. If you had previously owned our Fundamentals of Bolognese Fencing course, you should be able to log in already and enjoy a complimentary subscription to all the content.
If you had previously purchased access to the Footwork and Guards of Achille Marozzo course, or the Techniques of Anonimo Bolognese course, both of these will be made freely accessible so you can still enjoy them without a need to subscribe. But of course, if you want more we welcome you to subscribe at any time.
You will be noticing more material and site features as you keep checking back. We will also notify of major updates with new blog posts, and please also follow us on Facebook and YouTube.
PS. Here is a picture from the exact moment the new site went live. One of the two was maybe a bit more stressed out. 🙂
