Dieter Bachmann (CH)

I have been practicing historical fencing since 2002, and acting as an instructor since 2010, when I started a training group in Wetzikon (Zürich), now known as HADU (hadu.ch). My main interest has been in the Liechtenauer tradition and in the study of individual or “eccentric” manuscripts, especially Kölner Fechtbuch, Hugo Wittenwiler and ms. I.33. Some of my transcriptions and interpretations are available online at schwertfechten.ch. I am currently president of the Swiss national HEMA federation.

Workshop:
Footwork and geometry in I.33

Olivier Dupuis (FR)

Olivier Dupuis discovered sword fighting in 1992 through historical re-enactment. At the same time, he was introduced to the combat cane of which he became a professor in 2004. His encounter with HEMA took place in 1999 with access to certain sources via the Internet. He is enthusiastic about the extraordinary variety of disciplines, allowing a perpetual questioning. Since 2001 he has taken part in numerous internships in France and abroad on subjects as varied as stick, sword & buckler, pollaxe, halberd, big spade, two-handed sword, rapier 16th and 17th century or messer. He teaches regularly in Strasbourg within the ELSAMHE where he aims to train his students to autonomy in the study of HEMA.

Workshops:
Application of François Dancie’s Pour bien tirer de l’epée seule et de l’épée et poignard
Study of the art of stick fighting by Joseph Swetnam

Jessica Finley (USA)

Jessica Finley, author of Medieval Wrestling: Modern Practice of a 15th Century Art was published in 2014 by Freelance Academy Press and her paper on medieval wrestling can also be found in the collection “In the Service of Mars,” a selection of pieces on historical martial arts from the same publisher.  She was awarded “Best researcher or interpreter” for 2015 in the HEMA Scholar Awards for her published book.  Her independent research in the area of textiles has included work on sixteenth century Irish menswear, but is currently focused on fifteenth century fabric armor. Jessica has studied medieval swordsmanship and martial arts for more than a dozen years, founding a school near her home in North Georgia called “Ritterkunst Fechtschule” and continues to publish on her blog under that same name.  Jessica is a frequent instructor at international historical martial art conferences.

Workshops:
12 Principal Elements: Hauptstücke in Theory and Use
A solid foundation: Ringen in Play and Earnest

Julia Gräf (DE)

Julia Gräf started Historical Fencing in 2008 with Hammaborg and later Dimicator. Since the beginning her favourite weapon is Sword and Buckler, but she is also studying Longsword and Sickle. After moving to Karlsruhe in 2011 she regularly teaches Sword and Buckler at Gladiatores Karlsruhe. As an archaeologist she is also fascinated by the cultural context of Ms. I.33  and tries to incorporate her research about movement patterns, mentality and clothing into fencing practice.

Workshop:
Winning the Bind

Ferenc Hucker (HU)

Hi, I’m Ferenc Hucker, a HEMA practitioner for 9 years now. I started my HEMA studies with Ars Ensis in Budapest and although I’m still member there, current I train with HADU in Zürich. My favorite longsword “styles” are Joachim Meyer, Fiore dei Liberi and the teachings of Gerard Thibault applied for the longsword.

Workshop:
Roses of Meyer

Daniel Jaquet (CH)

Daniel Jaquet is a researcher in HEMA (PhD University of Geneva). Besides his academic activities,he practices HEMA since 2005, and presents workshops in specialised events in Europe and the USA since 2007. He is specialised in armour combat, 15-16th century. He is a founding figure of the Swiss HEMA Federation (Swiss HEMA) and the International HEMA federation (IFHEMA). He is currently editor of the scientific journal Acta Periodica Duellatorum and president of the Society for Historical Martial Arts Research (SHEMAS).

Workshop:
Dussack according to Joachim Meyer (1570)

Christophe Le Millier (ESP)

Born in France in 1980, started modern fencing at the age of 6. He kept practicing until recently, having trained in various clubs and countries, competing at regional and national levels. After some tries at theatrical fencing, he discovered historical fencing in 2003, joining the group Zornhau in Germany and started learning mainly longsword and dagger. His work gave him opportunities to live in Asia. If it did not let much possibilities to keep training, it gave chances to discover other cultures, other ways of thinking… Coming back to Europe in 2011, he joined the Associacion Catalana d’Esgrima Antigua (ACEA) in Barcelona, where he also start learning Verdadera Destreza. In 2014, he also joined the group Gagschola in Geneva focusing there on longsword and wrestling.  He also helped Switzerland discovering Verdadera Destreza by holding several classes at various events there. While longsword and rapier are his main focus, he is a keen enthusiast of 18/19 centuries fencing with foil, sabre or Canne. He is now living again in Barcelona.

Workshop:
Italian fencing as seen by the Spaniards at the end of the 17th century, and means to address it

 Thomas Lobo (FR)

Thomas Lobo has practised various martial arts since childhood, and discovered a passion for history as a teenager. These two aspects of his personality fused in 2006, when he discovered HEMA. Ever since he has trained and studied several ancient combat systems: Viking, Ancient Celtic, Roman, I.33, Liechtenauer, among others. In 2013 he focused his professional activities on teaching fencing, then very quickly decided to concentrate exclusively on HEMA. In 2015 he founded the HEMA equipment specialist Black Armoury with a friend, and in 2016 he was the instigator and co-founder of AURA Combat Historique, a non-profit HEMA club in France (with 94 members as of 2017). Today, he splits his time between his work at Black Armoury, his responsibilities in the French HEMA Federation, and his roles as Head Instructor and Board Member at AURA. As a HEMA competitor, he has placed first and second in several French HEMA tournaments, and will compete at Longpoint (USA) and the Dutch Lion Cup (NED) in 2017.

Workshop:
Longsword : Reading the Opponent, Building the Attack

Jay Maxwell (GB)

Jay Maxwell has been studying and practicing historical martial arts since 2004, including teaching at events across Europe, and winning or placing in a number of international tournaments. Jay has focused on the study of the Italian sidesword, developing an interest in early and late transitional rapier treatises. He has also studied and taught on the use of the backsword and smallsword.

Workshop:
The Cutting Rapier

Jerzy Miklaszewski (POL)

Heritage of August II, a western influence on Late Polish fencing
Crosscutting and greatswords, an extraordinary connection

Aurélien Nouvion (FR)

Aurélien Nouvion co-founded French HEMA group Ex Machina in 2013 where he studies combat systems based on sword and shield, mainly medieval sword and kite shield and I.33. His appetite of HEMA seems endless since he discovered how amazing it is to combine precise historical research and swordfights. When researches and practice leave him some spare time, he is involved in the French HEMA Federation and organization of thematic events like the I.33 Collegium in Reims.

Workshop:Common Fencing and Priest Teachings in the I.33

Harald Winter (AUS) – SURPRISE INSTRUCTOR

Harry began with HEMA in 1999 at the “Liechtenauer Fechter” aka “Dreynschlag”. Since 2001 he is the main trainer and the main initiator in reconstruction of techniques of so called “German school” of the 15 century. 2002 he started with his first transliteration of the Codex Wallerstein and soon after that the manuscript of Sigmund Ringeck and Peter von Danzig followed. In the same year he was also invited to teach in France (Dijon DTedT) and Germany (Ochs). He also initiated the so called “DREYNEVENT” which has become one of the Europe’s or maybe the world’s biggest annual HEMA events. In 2004 he founded together with three other clubs the Austrian federation for historical fencing of which he was the president ‘til his retirement in 2015. In 2010 he started the initiative IFHEMA which has become the first European Wide HEMA Federation in 2014 at the Dreynevent. He was also in the governing council til his retirement in 2015. IFHEMA has atm 10 member states.For the last 17 years he followed his passion and trained and taught mainly German longsword, German dagger and Lignitzer’s sword & buckler. Harry’s favourite weapon is the dagger and he is willing to improve his abilities and knowledge of this weapon every day. In 2015 Harry decided to make HEMA break and stepped back from all official duties and put more focus on other parts of his life. Since then his main focus is in his education as a classical tenor.

Workshop: Codex Wallerstein – Dagger – why and how does it work