Nick Thomas
Alex Timmerman
Jen Garside
Jack Stockdale-Haley
Susan Kirk
Asante Lawla
Full biographies and workshop/lessons to follow.
Chris Halpin (he/him)
Biography
Chris happened into HEMA via Japanese and Filipino martial arts and has been an addict ever since. He has been running the York School of Defence since 2013 and teaches classes regularly on catch wrestling, classical pugilism, basket hilted sword, English longsword, alongside kunst des fechtens and modern self defence, and he has had the privilege of teaching professionally as his day job since 2018.
Workshop
TBC
Andreas Engström
Biography
Andreas has been involved in the Swedish HEMA scene for about two decades now, He started out doing mostly German longsword, also translating some medieval German manuals, but became fascinated with the Swedish sabre system when he found the first manuals for it in 2007 and turned his research in this direction (he has since discovered over a dozen more new treatises). The last decade he has exclusively been training, researching and teaching this system. He's given workshops at many international events in England, Italy, Austria, Germany and France.
Lesson: Hang 'em high (and blind)
The lesson will focus on some of the different options in the Swedish sabre system for defending against cuts from above - particularly interesting are the "high parry" and "blind parry" (a type of voiding with a hanging parry as backup) with their assorted follow ups, including a bit of grappling fun from the high parry.
Kindred Willow
Biography
Kindred started HEMA in Glasgow in 2015, quickly becoming dedicated to the sport. The Scottish broadsword was the first weapon he was taught and has remained his strong favourite to this day. He also looks at a variety of other Georgian Era weapons and systems such as Broadsword and Targe, Military Sabre, and Bayonet. Besides these, he is keen practitioner of earlier German systems for single handed swords such as Messer, and Sword and Buckler, as well as dagger fighting.
He emphasises fencing with solid, historically accurate mechanics while utilising timing and measure to win the fight.
Lesson: Bearing the Blade - How to Pull it Off
In this class we will be looking how to use bearing in sparring, and how to deal with the common responses to it. This class will be of most use to those familiar to steel sparring (bearing doesn't particularly work with nylons or singlestick). Ideally people should be using steel blades and to get the most out of the class suitable steel sparring kit.
Chloe Headdon
Biography
Chloe grew up wanting to be a knight, but since owning a full suit of armour at the age of 12 seemed a bit ambitious, she took up sport fencing instead. In 2015, she discovered HEMA was a thing and promptly joined Academy of Historical Fencing in Bristol, spending 8 years training there with a wide variety of weapons but specialising in British military sabre. She has taught sabre at a number of events and clubs, and particularly enjoys the challenge of tempting people away from longsword. She currently trains at Smart HEMA in Swindon.
Lesson
Come learn to be the sneakiest version of yourself! We’ll be working through a variety of techniques from Roworth’s ‘Art of Defence on Foot’, all designed to misdirect your opponent and set up successful second intention attacks. From feints and thrusts to attacking the leg, you’ll come away with new methods of duplicity and deviousness to add to your fencing toolkit.
Please bring a sabre if you have one, or a spadroon/broadsword/other single-handed weapon. Masks and gloves are required, jackets and leg/arm protection are recommended to help you get the most from the class. There will be a small number of loaner swords available.
Andy Taylor
Biography
Andy first began fencing in the early 1990s and encountered HEMA for the first time in 2001. His current research focuses are the Works of Joachim Meyer in particular Longsword, Dagger and Dusack, Italian Dagger and Duelling Sabre. Andy has run his School Stork’s Beak in Edinburgh since 2011. He holds the rank of Freifechter with the Meyer Freifechter Guild, Instructorship qualifications with several HEMA organisations and has taught at many HEMA events both nationally and internationally.
Workshop: Sanz’s Sabre System
This workshop aims to give an overview of Adelardo Sanz's ‘Esgrima del Sable y Consideraciones Sobre El Duelo,’ or ‘Sabre fencing and considerations on the Sabre Duel’. Sanz was an outspoken proponent of the duel as a means to solve social disputes. Dating from 1886 Sanz’s system is very avant garde for its time and presents a distinctive sabre system specifically aimed at addressing the challenging environment of the duel. Specific topics covered within this workshop include Sanz’s approach to the exchange, measure, footwork, and A medium to light sabre, gloves and mask are required for this class, a limited number of sabres will be available for loan.
Pedro San Miguel
Biography
Pedro San Miguel is an instructor from the United Kingdom.
He focuses 19th-century sabre and foil, with his main sources of study including the works of John Musgrave Waite, Captain Alfred Hutton, Louis Rondelle, George Chapman, Camille Prevost, and Masaniello Parise, while also having a keen interest in Italian, Spanish, and French sources. With over 350 rated tournament matches, Pedro is an experienced competition fencer, and in 2023 he reached the sabre world #1 rank HEMA Ratings using a strictly sourced based approach. Pedro teaches at Schola Gladiatoria, while also being a senior member of The Renaissance Sword Club. He conducts private tuition in the UK, and teaches workshops at international events.
Workshop: Sabre, Strike Clean - Before, During, After
Source based and competition proven sabre techniques and strategies designed to minimise the risk of eating double hits and afterblows on the attack, even if your opponent is intentionally not defending.
Level: Some sabre experience is preferred, but these principles can be applied to all weapons.
Equipment: Sabre, mask, and jacket.
Milo Thurston
Biography
Milo has been involved in historical fencing since the late 1990s, having started as a modern sport fencer but, a few years later, encountered the Dawn Duellists whilst working in Edinburgh. In 1999 he founded the Linacre School of Defence after moving back to Oxford. Since then, the LSD has focussed on 18th century fencing systems, primarily those by Sir William Hope.
Class: The New Method: Offending maniest ways since 1707
Sir William Hope's most famous work is his New, Short and Easy Method of Fencing, a.k.a. the "New Method", usually known for involving the use of a hanging guard though it is more than merely that. The New Method is sometimes viewed by non-smallsworders as a smallsword system and by smallsworders as not a proper smallsword system; both views are mistaken. Sir William's intention was to produce a system which would work effectively with the varieties of sword a gentleman c. 1700 might find the need to use. Of those swords he describes the "...narrow three-cornered blade, which is the most proper walking-sword..." and "...the English back-sword with a thick back, & only one good sharp edge, & which with a good point, & closs hilt, is in my opinion the most proper sword of them all for the wars, either a foot or on horse-back", i.e. the smallsword and backsword. This class will concentrate on using the New Method with a spadroon or, as Sir William Describes: "That kind or fashion of sword, which can offend maniest ways, is to be esteemed the best and most useful.Therefore a good light sheering-sword is to be preferr'd to any other, because it is useful as well in single combat, as in a field-battle."
