Forteza Fitness

From the Blog

Knight Camp — Summer Adventure

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Welcome to an authentic “knight school” for youth (ages 8 – 12) where medieval martial arts and chivalric virtues are taught in an engaging and safe environment by trained instructors!

Each summer, Forteza offers a series of unique, two-week camps that combine physical fitness training and swordplay and authentic medieval games, lessons on heraldry, arms and armour and medieval life. Campers learn to swordfight, shoot a bow, design their heraldry, paint a shield they get to keep and learn about life in an era 600 years gone! Underlying all of those activities is a daily lesson on the knightly Code of Chivalry and how the virtues it espouses — Prowess, Courage, Humility, Courtesy, Largesse (Generosity), Mercy and Temperance (Balance) — are relevant to living life today!

Daily Schedule

09:00 – 9:30 AM CHIVALRIC CIRCLE An introduction of one of the seven chivalric virtues and how the students can apply them in their lives today.

9:30 – 10:00 AM: WARM-UPs & EXERCISE A unique physical fitness warm-up, taught through games played by medieval children centuries ago!

10:00 – 10:30 AM: SWORDPLAY Students learn a variety of the martial skills that the knights of old had to know: sword & shield, two-handed sword, and quarterstaff. 11:00 – NOON: ARCHERY NOON – 12:30 PM: LUNCH

12:30 – 1:30 PM: MEDIEVAL LIFE A daily topic on one aspect Medieval life, accompanied with show and tell or some sort of hands-on project or medieval game.

1:30 -3:000 PM: SWORDPLAY, PART II A second martial arts lesson, building on the first, combined with controlled sparring (using padded weapons and protective equipment). 3:00 – 3:30 PM: THE LESSON Students review the day’s lesson, explain what they learned and nominate one of their number for who best exemplified that day’s virtue.

Before & After Care

To make things easier for parents, we offer before and after care services starting at 8:30am each morning and from 3:30 to 5:00pm each day. Kids are welcome to work on activities provided during the camp, play games we have on site, or bring their own activities from home. Although time is largely self-directed, there is full adult supervision, and we’ll make sure that after each day of camp, there is much to keep their minds occupied as there is their bodies! Still want to know more? In 2021 Ana Belaval and the WGN Around Town crew popped in for a visit!

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Youth Birthdays & School Field Trips

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Youth Birthdays

Give your child an unforgettable birthday! Transport your whole party back in time as they learn to the art of the rapier, longsword, quarterstaff and all manner of knightly and renaissance skills. Our studio, which includes an interactive arms-and-armour museum, will provide a safe, exciting, and fun environment for kids and parents alike. We can also come to you! Costs are a bit lower, since we won’t need to provide staff to clean or manage the party, but availability can be more limited.

Programs are available for kids aged 6 and up and parents are allowed to join in. We ask that the birthday package have a minimum of 6 children participating and a maximum of 20. Pricing is based on a flat fee + an extra “per head” charge if there are more than ten kids, to make sure we have enough staff to keep everyone both engaged and safe. We provide all of the gear, you bring the kids and the cake!

Our basic package features one hour of longsword instruction and one hour of cake and present time in our facility (food not included), but we can expand how long your party runs and how many activities are provided, in a number of ways:

Pages Package (Recommended for any age)
A perfect way to give your child a unique experience they and their friends will remember!
Includes: 1 instructor, 1 hour of longsword instruction and 1 hour of cake and gift time (food not included).
Cost: $250, +$25 for each child if there are over 10 attendees.

Squires Package (Recommended 9 and up)
Includes: 1 or 2 instructors, 1 hour of longsword instruction, ½ hour of medieval games, ½ hour of heraldry, and 1 hour of lunch, cake and gift time (food not included).
Cost: $500, +$40 for each child over ten attendees.

Knights Package (Recommended 9 and up)
A complete medieval afternoon!
Includes: 2 instructors, 1 hour of longsword instruction, ½ hour of quarterstaff instruction or medieval games, ½ hour of heraldry, ½ hour tournament, 1 hour of lunch, cake and gift time (food not included)
Cost: $600, +$60 for each child over ten attendees

If you’d like to book a birthday party for your child, please fill out the form below or phone us during business hours at (773) 271-3988.

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Field Trips

Ready for an unforgettable experience you and your students won’t soon forget? Forteza offers a rare opportunity to immerse your students in their learning through a hands-on experience with European history and swordplay. We offer lessons for students between the ages of 8 and 16 at EITHER your school or at our museum and school in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood. Field trips

  • Let your students interact with historical items in a safe and engaging environment.
  • Teach your students the renaissance art of fencing with the rapier, longsword, and quarterstaff.
  • Connect your students with history through presentation, lecture, and demonstration.
  • Get kids moving, thinking, and interacting while they learn.

We recommend a minimum of 2 hrs for a field-trip or school visit, although for summer camps and teens we can do three, four or five hour workshops. Prices start at $300, and includes any and all equipment needed.

If you’d like to book a field trip, please fill out the attached form or phone us during business hours at (773) 271-3988.

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Safety Assurance

All special event training is conducted under the eye of experienced instructors. We use special blunted practice swords or nylon/padded weapons (as appropriate to topic and audience) and anytime we are doing contact striking we use safety equipment made for comfort and protection. All exercises are done with control and respect in a fun and engaging environment.

As with any physical activity there is some risk of injury. Participants with existing health problems should inform the instructor before training.

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Adult Groups & Corporate Events

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From Bachelor/Bachelorette parties to Corporate Team-building; school field-trips to birthday parties and more, Forteza is ready, willing and able to provide you an inspirational experience with the historic arts of the rapier, longsword, quarterstaff, and more, in our beautiful, one-of-a-kind facility. Here are just a few examples of the diverse events we can accommodate.

Bachelor/Bachelorette Parties

Married life is its own challenge, can you handle ours?

Every best man and maid of honour is looking for the wow-factor to make their best friend’s last single bash the greatest and most memorable ever. Swordfighting provides a physical and mental challenge and an experience that will be talked about around every anniversary for years to come!

  • Learn the basics of movement, posture, attack and defence in fun interactive games that get everyone involved.
  • Try out the arts of the rapier, longsword, sword and shield, quarterstaff and more.
  • Handle real swords and armour in your class and in our interactive museum.
  • Put the bride or groom to be in armour and give them a chance to show off what they’ve learned against the entire wedding party!

For more information or to book a day and time, please fill out the form below or phone us during business hours at (773) 271-3988.

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Corporate Events

Swordplay is one of the most exciting ways you can improve fitness and mental health while building each team member’s individual strengths. Help build your team and connect with history, while they increase their fitness, become more cohesive, and resolve workplace stress – all while having a great time. Our corporate programs range from one-hour to all-day workshops, regular fitness sessions, and exciting performances. Join us at our 5000 sqft. studio, or invite us out to your office for a single session or an ongoing lesson or fitness series.

If you’d like to book an event for your team or phone us during business hours at (773) 271-3988 or fill out the form below.

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Safety Assurance

All special event training is conducted under the eye of experienced instructors. We use special blunted practice swords or nylon/padded weapons (as appropriate to topic and audience) and anytime we are doing contact striking we use safety equipment made for comfort and protection. All exercises are done with control and respect in a fun and engaging environment.

As with any physical activity there is some risk of injury. Participants with existing health problems should inform the instructor before training.

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Spartan SGX: 12-week Obstacle Course Race Training Package

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No Spartan Left Behind

Are you tired of feeling glued to the couch?

Do you want to get fit, but feel like you need a kick-start to get you through?

Are you ready to run your first obstacle race?

Do you want to improve your race performance?

Let Forteza be your coach!

Our SpartanFit! program has a long history of getting people off the couch, out of the house and across the finish line of some of America’s toughest races.  This is for you! Everyone starts from a beginning point, and if you are willing to do the work, you can become something different than you are today.

How it Works:

Small Group Training: Get the personal attention you need to succeed. This is not a cookie cutter program, and our Spartan coaches will be there for you every step of the way, to educate and encourage. The program has a high ratio of trainers to participants, to unsure you don’t get lost in the shuffle.

Strength Training: Get Spartan strong, so that you are as ready as you can be to conquer obstacles, climb hills, and slog through the mud ahead of the pack. Learn the skills you need to defeat walls and climb ropes efficiently, leaving you ready to move on to the next challenge.

Endurance Training: Weekly group runs and individualized running schedule help to insure you have a gas tank deep enough to make it to the end. Obstacle races are about grit, determination, and completion. We’ll give you the tools you need to conquer obstacles and eat miles of terrain.

Flexibility and Skills Development: Some obstacles can be beaten more easily with good technique rather than brute force. Let us teach you the skills you need to get through unscathed and whole, while saving energy for the next leg of the race.

Commitment: Our program is about having fun while transforming your body, and your life style. 12 weeks is enough time to makes changes in yourself that you can see, and enough time to make some of those changes into habits.

Optional Nutrition Program: for those who truly want to be transformed. There is an add on nutrition program that will aid you in losing the pounds. There is also a free nutrition support group, so you will not be alone in the process.

You can do this! So what are you waiting for?

OK, I’m In! Now What?

The first step is easy, just join our next course, and let your adventure into being your best you begin.

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Fight Direction: Swordplay for Stage and Screen

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Swordplay for Actors

There is a long tradition between fencing and theater, one that continues to this day. Forteza is often contacted about providing fight-training for local theater or to perform choreographed arrangements. While this is outside our focus — we train how to fight, not how to create cunning illusions of fighting — we are fortunate that two or our members are also the proprietors of R&D Choreography. R & D has worked at theatres, schools, and universities around the city, the region, and the country, and teach, choreograph, and perform all sorts of staged violence. They have worked for many different theatres, from established ones to the shoestring-budget start-ups that in many ways are the personification of Chicago Theatre. Forteza has also worked with the guys to refine our own presentations to the public and are pleased to recommend their services.

Email them at info@fightshop.org Or if you prefer to speak to us in person you can call us at 773-517-2965 

How Do I Begin?

R&D periodically offers workshops and classes at Forteza, so keep an eye on our calendar!

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