Keith Farrell is one of the senior instructors for the Academy of Historical Arts. He teaches HEMA professionally, often at international events, and has an interest in coaching instructors to become better teachers. His main area of expertise is fencing with the two-handed longsword according to the teachings of 15th century masters in the Liechtenauer tradition. However, he also enjoys fencing with the Scottish basket-hilted broadsword, with the sabre, and with a variety of different swords!
Keith has authored several books for Fallen Rook Publishing, including Scottish Broadsword and British Singlestick and the award-winning AHA German Longsword Study Guide. He maintains an active blog, posting at least once a week, and has also had several articles and interviews published in a variety of magazines and journals.
He teaches regularly at Liverpool HEMA, and helps behind the scenes with running HEMA in Glasgow at the Vanguard Centre.
He has been a member of HEMAC since 2011 and was awarded a HEMA Scholar Award for Best Instructor for research published in 2013. Although not a competitive person by nature, Keith has won several medals in karate and historical fencing tournaments around the world.
Read my recent articles
- New translation: Jakob Sutor’s rappier
Another new translation – the rappier chapter of Jakob Sutor’s fechtbuch from 1612. This is the final part that I still had to translate, meaning that all of the fencing instructions in the book are now complete! I haven’t yet done the introduction, but I’m not very motivated to do it. … - New translation: Jakob Sutor’s staff and halberd
Another new translation – the staff and halberd chapter of Jakob Sutor’s fechtbuch from 1612. This leaves just the rappier chapter, and then the whole book will be finished! Making my own translation has been difficult, since it has not been the easiest or most straight-forward text to translate, and … - New translation: Jakob Sutor’s longsword
I have just posted my most recent translation – the longsword chapter of Jakob Sutor’s fechtbuch from 1612. Although I have been working with this text for more than a decade, the available translations never quite made sense in my mind. Making my own translation has been difficult, it has … - New translation: Jakob Sutor’s dussack
I have just posted my most recent translation – the dussack chapter of Jakob Sutor’s fechtbuch from 1612. Although I have been working with this text for more than a decade, the available translations never quite made sense in my mind. Making my own translation has been difficult, it has … - New translation: Hans Czynner
I have just posted my most recent translation – a poem by Hans Czynner about fencing with the longsword. I find it quite an interesting little source, because it illustrates the psychology of a fencer who stands ready to fight, as well as mentioning a variety of techniques and technical … - New translation: Master Andreas
I have just posted my most recent translation – the short treatise by a “Master Andreas”, comparing actions with the longsword and with the messer. It is quite an interesting and short source, but it is written somewhat ambiguously in places, and I suspect that it is a copy rather … - New translation: Franz Hogenberg
I have just posted my most recent translation – this time a short poem about a Fechtschule, by Franz Hogenberg in 1587. It is an interesting short few verses. There is not much technical detail in here that might help one improve at fencing, but it does set the scene … - New translation: Hans Talhoffer
I have just posted my most recent translation – the longsword treatise by Hans Talhoffer. Some of these recent translations have not been particularly difficult pieces of work, which is why it has been possible to knock them out section by section while looking after the baby, during moments when …