08/06/2026
On Saturday the 18th of July, we are running our July Fechtschule!
We have invited Melissa Hainsworth to teach a longsword lesson at the event. She has sent us the following description for the session:
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Longsword workshop: dealing with larger, stronger opponents
I'm 5ft 5 and most of my opponents are bigger, stronger and taller than me, so I have some experience with dealing with that.
In this workshop we will examine the things you need to focus on, and how you should adapt your fencing if your opponent is stronger or taller than you, and how to deal if they're really aggressive.
I'll be sharing details on both how to approach the fight, i.e. mindset and strategy, as well as some specific techniques you can apply which I find work.
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Melissa started fighting with swords doing Historical Re-enactment. When living in Italy, she transitioned to HEMA and joined the La Compania del Arma della Rosa e Spada and upon returning to Britain she and her husband Jordan opened the Academy of Steel.
Melissa is an instructor within the Academy of Steel which has grown to be the largest HEMA School in Wales and one of the largest in Britain. She is part of the team that organises and runs The Gathering of Wolves and Wolf Hunt events which run each year.
Melissa has taken part in a number of tournaments across Europe, bringing home prizes and medals in longsword, sword and buckler, sabre and rapier. Despite her focus being on fencing as a Martial Art rather than a sport, she is one of the highest rated female fencers in Britain. Her aim when competing is to prove that martial fencing is applicable to tournaments and if applied you can win even if you're smaller or weaker than your opponent.
She has been invited to teach at a number of HEMA events and schools in Europe and USA as a guest instructor. She is well versed in a variety of systems, favouring the writings of medieval and early renaissance Italian masters with a little German thrown into the mix.
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If you would like to book in to attend the event, please register through our website:
https://www.liverpoolhema.com/shop/july-fechtschule/
Tickets are discounted a little until a week before the event, to encourage earlier bookings. Purchasing your ticket earlier gives us a better idea of how many people will be at the event, so that we can organise everything in good time with less stress!
