Instructors
Brittany R.
Brittany R.
Brittany R.
Head Instructor, Co-Founder
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 His
Head Instructor, Co-Founder
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, a minor in Art History, and cross trains in armored combat and jujitsu.
Kyle G.
Brittany R.
Brittany R.
Head Instructor, Co-Founder
Super-champion.
Sean F.
Brittany R.
Sean F.
Distance Instructor
Sean has a Bachelor's Degree in Mechatronic Systems Engineering, and is currently employed as a Controls Engineer. He is passionate about developing more analytical ways to view sword fighting, wishing to develop evidence based standards for protective gear and rule sets informed by tournament statistics. His martial ar
Distance Instructor
Sean has a Bachelor's Degree in Mechatronic Systems Engineering, and is currently employed as a Controls Engineer. He is passionate about developing more analytical ways to view sword fighting, wishing to develop evidence based standards for protective gear and rule sets informed by tournament statistics. His martial arts history includes competitive success, medaling in international competitions for Longsword, Messer, Grappling, Rapier, and Cutting. In addition to competitive success, Sean is also the author of the SwordSTEM blog, and the creator of the highly successful HEMAScorecard Tournament Software.
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.