What is Fechtschule?
hier komt nog uitleg.
Volgende editie
Want to know what you can expect? Take a look at the roster!
Our instructors
About the instructor
Diana Matthess started HEMA in 2013 at Krîfon in Mannheim. She quickly started to travel for competition, to visit other clubs and train with HEMA people all over the world.
After moving to Cologne in 2017, she did not join another club but stayed on her own, still traveling around and becoming a sword nomad. This got her the nickname “The Mercenary”, under which she fenced and taught at different places like Iceland, Vancouver, Hungary, France, England, Scotland, Texas, Vermont etc.
About the instructor
Óscar Torres is one oof the founding members of AEEA (spanisch HEMA association) and has been active since 2001. He obtained his title of Provost in 2007 and the title of Master in 2015.
Óscar teacher rapier, rapier and dagger, and german longsword. His rapier style, based on Destreza principles, has been influenced by the study of his favourite Italian author Salvator Fabris.
Co-author of the book “Descifrando a Fabris”, he has participated as an instructor in numerous national and international events, and currently teaches at Madrid club “Luis Pacheco de Narváez”, alongside High Master Alberto Bomprezzi.
About the instructor
Karl Rapp has been training rapier, sabre and sword & buckler since 200. He taught Italian rapier at Klingenspiel since 2021, and now continues to do so as a founding member of Sprezzatura in Vienna.
He is also known for holding workshops at international events like HEMAC Dijon, Dreynevent, IRS, and (of course) Rapier Vienna. He enjoys combining rapier with and against various weapons, be it with a coat or a dagger, against a longsword, sabre, sword & buckler, or spear and rotella. Karl Rapp does this while trying to focus mainly on Ridolfo Capoferro’s treatise, which he holds in particularly high esteem.
About the instructor
Having started HEMA back in 2015, Kindred first started teaching Scottish Broadsword in 2016 at Glasgow University Historical Arts Society. In 2018 he started his own club, Glasgow HEMA. Since then, he has taught at dozens of events in the UK and mainland Europe, including Fightcamp, HEMAC Dijon, and Dreynevent.
Kindred has 2 main areas of focus, which are 18th Century Scottish swordsmanship and 15th Century German traditions. Having first started in HEMA with learning Scottish Broadsword, over the years this has expanded to smallsword, military sabre, sword and targe, and singlestick. As for 15th Century German sources, Kindred’s club Glasgow HEMA works primarily with Lichtenauer longsword. Kindred’s own greater focus is generally one handed weapons like dagger, messer, and sword & buckler.
About the instructor
Juan Varea Lorente began his fencing journey at a club in Valencia, Spain, and later became a member of the AEEA. After moving to Bruussels, he founded the Bruselas Destreza fencing hall, where he has served as a fencing master since 2012.
He has taught workshops at numerous events across Europe, presenting his “red dot” theory, which distills the corse principles of Verdadera Destreza applicable to any weapon.
At his fencing hall, the practice focuses primarily on the longsword and rapier, as well as the lance or shield in combination with various weapons such as the rapier, short sword, or lance.
About the instructor
Robin Vogelei is a dedicated practitioner of Historical European Martial Arts, specialising in the Blossfechten tradition and the fencing systems of the 16th-century Renaissance. He is a member of the Klopffechters Erben as well as the Guildam Gladiatorum Sancti Michaelis, where his training emphasises both the scholarly study and practical application of historical fencing sources.
Robin’s martial practice encompasses a range of Renaissance weapons, including the dussack and German rapier, reflecting a broad engagement with period fencing traditions. His primary focus remains the longsword, which stands at the core of his training and technical development for 14 years already. Through disciplined study and regular practice, Robin works to preserve, interpret, and apply the principles of historical European swordsmanshop within a modern HEMA context.
About the instructor
Ralf Gutzeit has been an active practitioner of HEMA sincce 1997, when his martial training began under Peter Koza, the founder of the Magisterium school. In 2005, Ralf founded his own professional fencing school named Klopffechters Erben, in Bremen, Germany, marking the beginning of his long-standing role as an instructor and organizer within the HEMA community.
Since 2011, Ralf has trained with the Guildam Gladiatorum Sancti Michaelis, with his focus being strict bare fencing according too the teachings of Joachim Meyer. In recognition of his experience and contributions, Ralf was appointed Journeyman of the Guildam Gladiatorum Sancti Michaelis in 2019 and achieved the rank of Master in 2024.
Beyond instruction, Ralf has played a significant role in fostering international exchange within the martial arts community. He hosted the InterSword Symposium of Knightly Arts in 2015, followed by the InterSword II Free Martial Arts Symposium in 2017. In 2020, he published the first book dedicated to structured fencing training, Klopffechter’s Fencing Book, further contributing to the academic and practical development of historical fencing.
About the instructor
Alwin Goethals is a seasoned martial artist and a founding member of swArta, a distinguished martial arts organization based in Antwerp and Ghent, Belgium. With the lifelong commitment to the study and practice of martial arts and combatives, Alwin specializes in historical unarmed combat as well as the use og longsword and short bladed weapons. He also explores the intricate dynamics of violence and its control and nurtures active bystandership behavior.
Alwin has dedicated himself to preserving and advancing the rich heritage of historical European martial arts, drawing on his extensive experience to teach, research, and foster a greater understanding of martial culture and the philosophies behind it.
About the instructor
David Rawlings is an internationally respected instructor at the London Longsword Academy and jovially foul mouthed pillar of the HEMA community. His deep love of research and stabbing has led to Rawlings dedicating much of his life to the study and teaching of historical fencing. While he is well known for his work with the longsword, his expertise mainly lies with rapier, a weapon he has researched extensively. His approach to rapier training is precise, emphasizing accuracy to the treatise over his own opinions.
Under his guidance, students learn to apply the footwork, blade control, and timing essential to mastering the rapier in the manner of Girard Thibault. He also swears like a sailor for safety, for punctuation and for fun, which is a good indicator for his well-being.
About the instructor
Alberto Bomprezzi is the founder of the Asociación Española de Esgrima Antigua (AEEA) and the director of the Escuela de Esgrima Histórica Madrid. He began his fencing career as a sport fencer, where he competed at national level in Spain from 1994 to 2001. In 2002 he established the AEEA, which has since grown to include 12 historical fencing schools across Spain.
Since 2006, Bomprezzi has focused on the study and teaching of rapier (Verdadera Destreza), longsword (German school), military sabre (XIX century Verdadera Destreza) and montante with emphasis on body mechanics to develop practical methods. He is also teaching the use of military pike in military formations as complementary training to develop stronger values, focusing on the discipline and coordination of the unit.
He is now bringing all this knowledge into the Academy through seminars at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, the IHCM and the Spanish army academical institution. In this context, he has contributed to numerous academic and public publications on historical fencing and military XVI and XVII century pike and shot formations.
In 2012, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Santa Maria de España for his contributions to the study and revival of historical fencing. In 2025, his school, Escuela de Esgrima Histórica de Madrid was awarded with a prize of the Spanish Army by the JEME, commander in Chief, for his contributions.
About the instructor
Dierk Hagedorn is and has been many things: illustrator, designer, typographer, web designer, developer, event organiser, publisher, teacher, lecturer, instructor, author, Olympic and historical fencer. There is probably no one on the planet who has published more editions of historical fencing book manuscripts, and he has spawned several generations of historical fencers.
Quite literally, in fact, as his daughter Helen has not only become an avid fencer herself, but has also co-authored one of these books. One of his latest projects is the recreation of a black armour straight from the pages of his favourite fight book, Gladiatoria.
About the instructor
Christian Henry Tobler has been a longtime student of swordsmanship, especially as it applies to the pursuit of the chivalric ideals. A passionate advocate of the medieval Liechtenauer school, his work in translating and interpreting Sigmund Ringeck’s commentary firmly established him as an important contributor to the growing community of Western martial artists. His other published works include “The Peter Von Danzig Fight Book” (with Dierk Hagedorn), and, most recently, “Fighting in Armour”. He has also produced two training DVDs.
Born in 1963 in Paterson, New Jersey, Christian is a graduate of the University of Bridgeport’s computer engineering program, and has worked as a software developer, webdesigner, product manager, and marketing specialist in the analytical instrumentation and publishing fields. He is the current Grand Master of the Order of Selobaar, and eclectic order of chivalry that he co-founded in 1979, and serves as Principal Instructor for its associated school of swordsmanship, the Selobaar Fechtschule. A veteran of 35 years of armoured tournament fighting, he is also an avid collector of reproduction arms and armour. He is the winner of the 2013 Historic European Martial Arts Scholar Lifetime Achievement Award, and a co-founder of the Chivalric Fighting Arts Association (CEAA).
About the instructor
Jerzy Miklaszewski is a seasoned HEMA instructor with over 15 years of teaching experience. His journey in martial arts began over 30 years ago with Taekwon-Do ITF under Marek Lech, a pioneer in Poland. He later trained in Wing CHun Kung Fu and Japanese martial arts at the Bujutsu Kan school in Kraków.
Discovering HEMA marked a turning point, leading to tournament successes and the founding of Silkfencing, a school combining historical research with modern training techniques, focused on Polish saber fencing. In 2017, with Jakub Zabierowski, he co-founded Krakowska Szkola Fechtunku, Poland’s first professial HEMA center, foostering European martial arts practice and research.
For over a decade, Jerzy has produced high-quality training sabers, now used in many countries. He co-organized an exhibition on European and Polish saber traditions with the Jagiellonian University Museum, showcasing their cultural importance. Jerzy has led workshops in 25 countries, including the United States, Australia, Thailand, Japan, and others. In 2014, as part of the Polish Knight cadre, he placed second at the IMCF Word Championships in Spain.
About the instructor
Karin Verelst has practiced martial arts, including HEMA, for more than two decades. Her fencing school HSK De Vagant is located at the (Dutch) Free University of Brussels. She is founding president of IFHEMA (international historical fencing federation).
Karin’s main focus is on German longsword and unarmed combat (“ringen”), although she broadened her interest to stick fighting, Destreza rapier and Messer over the past few years. Her further martial experience includes Olympic boxing, Tai Jutsu and Shaolin Kung Fun.
She has also acquired the basis professional qualification of the British Academy of Dramatic Combat (BADC) in 2016, and followed several digital workshops from the well known fight choreographer Tony Wolk. She developed a comprehensive Self Defence program based on her martial experience, focusing especially (though not exclusively) on the needs of women. Finally, Karin is active as a researcher and scholar in HEMA-Studies.
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