MORDHAU Historical Combat

Instructors

Brittany Reeves

Brittany is a passionate martial artist who brings attention to form and function. She is a recognized international HEMA instructor and accomplished competitor. A testament to her success is her multiple medals in longsword, cutting, ringen, and glima. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Ancient and Medieval History, and cross-trains in submission wrestling. Brittany is also the dedicated author for the blog 'Women of HEMA' and is a former member of the HEMA Alliance Governing Council.

Kyle Griswold

Super-champion.

What We Do

Historical European Martial Arts

HEMA is Europe's legacy of fighting arts dating back to the Medieval Period. We utilize primary sources that date between the 1300s to late 1500s that describe specific fighting systems for wrestling and weapons. Despite the historical context of our art, we treat this as a modern activity and do not wear period or reenactment clothing.

Kunst des Fechtens

We focus specifically on the Germanic traditions, which we refer to as Kunst des Fechtens, or KdF, for short. Classes cover the use of the longsword, messer, dagger, polearms, sword and shield, as well as ringen (wrestling). We apply modern biomechanics and exercise to enhance our performance as athletes.

HEMA Today

Students will enjoy a vast and thriving international community of fighters, as well as a vibrant local community of sword fighting in Phoenix. Competitions are held locally and abroad. We highly encourage our students to participate in these events in order to test themselves and make new friends! For those less inclined towards competition, HEMA serves as a fun hobby and unique form of exercise.