Revive Historical European Martial Arts with us!
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ASA boasts one of two professional HEMA instructors in Australia – Head Instructor Mark Holgate, who is the reigning World Broadsword Champion. Our classes balance fitness, personal instruction, and sparring. We research and interpret medieval and renaissance works on swordplay, and train hard to develop the skills we discover in them. We also travel and compete in tournaments, here and interstate.
ASA is primarily focused on German fencing texts from the late renaissance to early modern period, including weapons such as the longsword, dussack (a type of proto sabre), side sword (a cutting rapier), and true rapier. However, we are offering an increasingly diverse range of training, including Theatrical, and Unarmed and grappling styles. Private tuition is available in almost any style or historical practice you would like to explore, even including horseback fencing. |
What do I need?
For your first lesson, all you need is yourself, some comfortable exercise clothes, and plenty of enthusiasm - no physical requirements or prior experience necessary! We have plenty of trainer swords, masks and safety gear to lend.
But I wanna buy sword gear!
OK, we get it, you want the shiny things. There are heaps of high quality brands for swords and gear - just talk to your instructors and the senior students, they'll have a lot of advice for you. Please do get our advice before major purchases!
In order of priority, the most important safety gear for you to obtain:
As you progress you will eventually need your own fencing jacket, neck protector, joint protectors, and other items, but these can wait.
But I wanna buy sword gear!
OK, we get it, you want the shiny things. There are heaps of high quality brands for swords and gear - just talk to your instructors and the senior students, they'll have a lot of advice for you. Please do get our advice before major purchases!
In order of priority, the most important safety gear for you to obtain:
- A fencing mask, preferably with a protective overlay (overlay is optional to begin with, but mandatory once you reach a certain level of training and sparring).
- "Sensitive-spot Protectors" - Cricket boxes for men, and breast protection for women.
- Protective gloves. The ideal model will depend on the kind of sword you are using, so discuss with your instructor.
- A sword! It is important to get a proper, HEMA-quality sword from a reputable maker, as these are designed specifically to make training and sparring safer, and can also withstand regular use. Training swords come in both steel and polymer varieties, so discuss with your instructor and the senior students to see which is the best for you at your level of development.
As you progress you will eventually need your own fencing jacket, neck protector, joint protectors, and other items, but these can wait.
If it were not an art, the strong would always win - Hans Dobringer