Classes and Training
More classes are always in the works, and we also do workshops by request.
Reach out if you don’t see what you’re looking for!
Summer Foundations 2026
July 5 thru Aug 2, 2026
9:00am - 12:00noon
Herndon, VA
$35 registration per class • All classes 14+
Noble Blades host an annual Summer Foundation series. Perfect for beginners, as a refresher class, or just back to basics fundamentals. Over the course of five classes, we’ll cover many of the basics of stage combat. From Unarmed, to Swordplay, to even Theatrical Firearms.
Sword & Shield SPT
Sundays, Aug 30 thru Nov 15, 2026
9:00am - 12:00noon
Herndon, VA
$395 registration • Skills Proficiency Test Class • Ages 18+
In this 30 hour Skills Proficiency Test class, we will delve into history, techniques and the smash-n-bang style of fighting with a sword and a shield, possibly the most physically demanding discipline in the "canon" of staged combat.
This class will run 11 weeks followed by an performance in front of a Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD) Adjudicator.
Poetry in Motion
Monday, Nov 9, 2026
7:00pm - 9:00pm EST
on ZOOM
$25 registration • Intermediate • Ages 18+
This class will explore using poetic meter as a foundation for creating interesting soundscapes in choreography and, from there, choreography itself. The primary objective of this course is to give students another “in” to creating choreography.
Write the Good Fight
Monday, Nov 9, 2026
7:00pm - 9:00pm EST
on ZOOM
$25 registration • Open • Ages 16+
A strong fight starts on the page. A good one leaps to its feet. In this class, we’ll explore various methods to develop effective written violence for stage.
Acting for the Fighter
Sunday, Dec 6, 2027
10:00am - 12:00noon
Herndon, VA
$35 registration • Open • Ages 14+
Acting is a mandatory part of stage combat, but so often you’re expected to already know how to do it! We’ll learn some Acting 101 and how to apply it to a fight.
Highland Broadsword for Stage Combatants
Sunday, Dec 13, 2027
9:00am - 12:00noon
Herndon, VA
$35 registration • Open • Ages 14+
This class will focus on using partner plays from multiple Broadsword treaties to give students a solid understanding of dynamic actions that can be used in staging realistic and entertaining stage fights.
Not the Face! Contact Striking for Stage Combat
Sunday, Jan 10, 2027
10:00am - 12:00noon
Herndon, VA
$35 registration • Intermediate • Ages 18+
Raise the stakes of your fight by exploring techniques to create impact between you and your scene partner. Where can human’s take impact and contact safely, and how to make the audience feel each hit.
High Falls from Low Places
Sunday, Jan 17, 2027
9:00am - 12:00noon
Herndon, VA
$35 registration • Intermediate/Advanced • Ages 18+
High Falls are not just for action films! Although to be fair, most live theatre "high falls" occur at under ten feet, which is still quite a way to go!
Playing Pain, Pain-Free!
Sunday, Jan 31, 2027
10:00am - 12:00noon
Herndon, VA
$35 registration • Open • Ages 14+
When people experience pain, fear, and rage in real life, they contract their necks, strain their voices, and pull muscles. And yet, when we as actors play character experiencing pain, fear, and rage, we need to stay long, release our voices and protect our muscles!
Your Body is a Temple… and it’s Broken!
Sunday, Feb 7, 2027
9:30am - 12:00noon
Herndon, VA
$35 registration • Open • Ages 14+
Through sword work and partnering, we’ll find ways to help ease our bodies and advocate for ourselves.
Your Brain on Stage Combat
Monday, March 8, 2027
7:00pm - 9:00pm EST
on ZOOM
$25 registration • Ages 16+
This class will serve as an introduction to some of the neuroscientific principles most relevant to stage combat. Have you ever wondered how audience members’ eyes and ears process the illusions we use on stage? Or how we, as actor/combatants, physically learn new techniques and choreography?
Previous Class Seasons
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• Knife SPT – Robb Hunter
• She Kills Monsters Pre-Production Workshop – Ian Claar and Katie Warner
• Shadowboxing Biomechanics and Solo Training – Justin M. Krall
• Surviving the Fight – Justin Rustle
• Northern Virginia Burn Lab – Sweet Spot of the Flame
• Prop-rioception – Katie Warner
• Not Throwin’ Away My Shot – Josh Coslar
• Case of Blades – Casey Kaleba
• Intro to BJJ - Robb Hunter
• Next. Level. Intimacy! – Bess Kaye
• Fight Direction, Prepare for Battle – Mason Tyer
• Smallsword SPT – Robb Hunter
• Break the Drill, Kali as Choreography – Mason Tyer
• SAFD Theatrical Firearms Safety – Robb Hunter -
• Unarmed SPT – Robb Hunter
• Working with Disabled and Chronically Ill Performers – Monty Davis
• Fierce Knife Fighting for Beginners – Bess Kaye
• Feeling Strong with Sword and Shield – Melissa Freilich
• Theatrical Intimacy in the Real World – Bess Kaye
• Rapier and…WTF??? – J. Tyler Jones
• Rope Dart – Chase Whitehurst
• Swashbuckling! – Jon Beal
• O, I am Slain! – Bess Kaye
• Remembering Fight Posture – Gerrad Taylor
• Attention to Intention – Joe Wright
• Sword, with a side of Bolognese Sauce – Joe Wright
• Wing Chun Kung Fu, Deny the Defence – Jan Pan
• Got it? Do it. Learning Fast – Jan Pan
• CORE-terstaff – Jenny Male
• Two-Hand Sword SPT – Casey Kaleba
• How we got There from Here, A History – Brian Guidry LeTraunik
• Making a Better Website – Jen Pan -
• Is It Real? Safety and Story of Visceral Contact Technique – Bess Kaye
• Single Sword SPT – Robb Hunter
• Practical Blood Effects – Casey Kaleba
• Combat Dance: Bar Brawl – Jenny Male
• Combat Dance: Rhythm and Blades – Jenny Male
• Fighting Messy – Melissa Freilich
• Intro to Pro Wrestling – Jonathan Ezra Rubin
• SAFD Theatrical Firearms Safety – Robb Hunter
• Rapier and Dagger SPT – Casey Kaleba
• Rehearsing the Fight – J. Tyler Jones
• Intro to Gore Makeup for the Stage – Celia Konowe
• Fighting on the Spectrum – Hannah Roccisano
• I Feel Very Attacked! – Hannah Roccisano -
• Smallsword SPT – Robb Hunter
• Fighting Backwards in High Heels – Melissa Freilich
• That’s Not a Knife…Or is it!? – Jonathan Ezra Rubin
• How to Fight Like a Pirate – Mallory Shear
• Sword and Shield SPT – Robb Hunter
• Johannes Wick: Medieval Close Quarters Dagger – Casey Kaleba
• High Falls from Low Places – Robb Hunter -
• Unarmed SPT – Robb Hunter
• T.I.E. Consent and Boundaries – Kailey Azure Green
• Rapier Basics – Adam Konowe
• Zero Budget Blood Effects – Casey Kaleba
• Acting the Fight with Alexander Technique – Melissa Freilich
• Knife SPT – Robb Hunter
• SAFD Theatrical Firearms Safety – Robb Hunter
• Maintaining the Actors’ Body – Ian Claar -
• Rapier and Dagger Foundations
• Partnering and Physicality
• Unarmed Foundations
• Blades of Shakespeare