Historical European martial arts, often abbreviated to HEMA, are a fascinating set of martial arts. The fencing masters of medieval and renaissance Europe wrote textbooks on the subject of fencing with the different weapons of their days, and many of these printed books and handwritten manuscripts survive in libraries and museums around the world.
By reading these sources, we can reconstruct these old martial arts, which has led to the emergence of a community practising these arts worldwide. There are translators, researchers, and teachers; there are experts on body mechanics and physiology, there are historians and linguists; there are athletes and competitors and people who just want to play with swords. It is a wide and varied community, and everyone is welcome.
I teach every week at Liverpool HEMA, my school in Liverpool. I also teach regularly at events and seminars around the world – why not hire me to teach at your club or event? Alternatively, if you would like to visit me, you are welcome to arrange some residential training with me in Liverpool. We can also have a quick video chat if you would like some online coaching to get you over a specific problem or issue you are having.
Several of my students and colleagues have been kind enough to write testimonials about the help I have given them.
Some of my lessons and lectures have been recorded and these videos are available on YouTube.