Rogue Fencing

05/02/2026

Mako's promised to sign up for Fecht Yeah's classes and to staff as soon as he's done eating grass. (Here's a link for him so he doesn't lose it: https://roguefencing.com/events )

We have a bunch of sponsors for this year and we're super excited to start sharing them next week!

04/22/2026

Fecht Yeah 2026 ticket sales are LIVE! Tournaments this year are Longsword, Longsword team relay, and single sword!

All the info and sales at: https://roguefencing.com/events

See you there!

Proudly against fascism and white supremacy. That means no cops and no ICE. We’re a club and free to associate how we want. Go somewhere else or die mad. Liberation starts here.

11/13/2020

"By the Sword began in 2017 as an event for women where they can learn Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) in a supportive and welcoming environment. Following the worldwide pandemic of 2020, the project now includes a series of interviews with women and NB instructors and experts from all over the globe."

Become a patron of By the Sword today: Get access to exclusive content and experiences on the world’s largest membership platform for artists and creators.

11/01/2020

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11/01/2020

I am glad that you have discovered this post from more than four months ago. If there’s one thing that is emerging, it’s that my policy is proving effective at keeping away the kind of people who will make our training environment toxic and unsafe. This is not just a pragmatic choice, but one that is moral. With the paradox of tolerance in mind, I had to make choices to best serve my local community. My students are likely to be LGBTQUIA+ and POC. My students are likely to be working class. My students are likely to be neurodivergent. My students are likely to be young. It’s a shame that other clubs don’t get the pleasure of catering to such a vibrant cross-section of Americans, but I do. To that end, I made a choice to exclude an antagonizing force for my students. In reality, classes are managed through a studio. No one who has signed up for classes has been turned away. No one has even reached out for special consideration. The only people who have any issue seem to be those of you who are half a country or more away. My personal membership with the HEMA Alliance has lapsed and I assumed that my affiliation did the same. It’s 2020—few classes and events are occurring, and I did not intend to maintain my association with the HEMA Alliance during this period as I gain little from it.
To be clear: I will continue to stand up for my club. I will not tolerate people who perpetuate a culture of abuse, harassment, and entitlement.
I think the last few days have shown that entitlement and impatience can be highly destructive. Instead of waiting for me to respond to any questions or confusion, these men have targeted and bullied out people who are precious to the community. They have centered their own feelings instead of trying to understand the feelings of those around them.
I think the focus on timelines is actually quite important. I made my policy to exclude people from a chosen profession four months ago. I followed state and federal guidelines. I looked to similar organizations for guidance. For months it sat, not causing any issues, especially in this year 2020, a few men found waiting three or four days for a response so terribly daunting and apparently these men lashed out. I am not angry. I just have deep pity for them. These men seek solutions in destruction, which likely negatively affects their relationships and sense of self. It is deeply sad.
Moreover, it is interesting to bring up the role of the police in martial arts during the last week of October. As an East Coast resident, I have friends in Philadelphia mourning Walter Wallace, Jr, another young black man killed by the police. I can be generous and say it was due to a training gap, but it is not my responsibility to fix incompetence. It my responsibility to mourn and to protect. One would think “protect” could be an point of overlap, but I have friend still healing from irresponsible and inappropriate choices made under the guise of riot control. I, myself, have had to care for head injuries from the police. One of the comments asked me to be on the right side of history. I am so glad they did.

I want you to have a choice. You can choose to support or be part of a club that does not exclude a profession or you can support or be part of Rogue Fencing… or you can have this conversation with your local groups and develop guidelines that make sense for your community and I will support you in doing so. At the end of all this, I can say that I’m proud of how my students conducted themselves despite the negativity directed at them. I am proud to know Kat Fanning and of all the work she’s done.

If you are interested in tangible avenues of support, please see our comment section for links. I will also be moderating the comments, as it's our space on this platform.

06/12/2020

Everything is really wild right now, but we want to use our platforms to amplify the voices of the underrepresented in our martial art.

I offer Rogue and Fecht Yeah's insta and FB pages for a sort-of social media take over for the rest of June.

Please message us or email [email protected] with pics, videos, or other materials. Please include a very short bio (name, pronouns, a few words about your HEMA so we know who you are.) Or gently nominate a friend and we will do our best to encourage them. I will sort it out from there re: scheduling, tags, etc.

It's Pride/Wrath month and Black Lives Matter, so we will be trying to amplify the voices of BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ folx specifically. So you can support these people, or you can quietly see yourself out. (I moved to the country. It's quiet here. If you're going to be loud and rude, you're going to get a stern talking to.)

Enjoy the dorky image. I know nothing about guitars, but I googled Amp.

06/09/2020

10/17/2019

Fecht Yeah results are in HEMA Ratings now! Congrats to all fighters and thanks for an amazing event!

09/18/2019

Rogue has your back, Albatross Bar.

08/28/2019

CW: Discussions of inter-partner violence, r**e, death.

I’m happy we were able to help see this through. It’s been a long time coming for me, personally, as I’ve been approached about him several times over the years.

There are times for tolerance and discussion, but being able to take decisive action is incredibly valuable when dealing with men who have a history of inter-partner violence. Especially right after a breakup.

You may think the man is your friend, he’s fine, he got better etc... but if you don’t take action, you may be confessing your thoughts to a news team after a tragedy. Because this history of behavior gets women dead.

So I urge you to be an actual friend. Do not let the men in your life act without consequence. Amplify, investigate, and look at the facts of a situation.

I’m willing to risk the consequences of saying what this looks like publicly: It looks like the weeks before a woman gets seriously hurt.

Do we know for sure he would have done this: No, but I’ll note your pejorative question, thanks. I don’t rightly care if some people have doubt. I care about patterns, signs, and that multiple people made such similar claims. So, I used my brain and drew conclusions.

Ask women. Most women know someone who has been r**ed. Give them a few years, those women will know someone who has been murdered by a former partner.

And sure, legal measures in the USA are imperfect. Policing is problematic. Punitive measures can be destructive. BUT by taking action, it gives *women* space to survive existential threats and it gives their *communities* space to take their own actions. If you believe in rehabilitation, then invest in it and share the work. So many of you have been invisible until you saw a window to disagree.

Inaction can also be a privilege. We are all part of this community, so contribute the best you can. Or stay out of the way of those who do the work.

Fellow historical fencers and loved ones,

We feel it is necessary to publicly sever our ties to Logan McKane Kroll (07/31/1978) known under the aliases: Paladin Kroll, Ace Orville Kroll, Ace O. Logan and most recently Logan Black. Kroll has been a swordsmith, event sponsor, tournament participant and club leader. As of this writing, Kroll
has been charged with a felony in a case involving a female fencer:

● August 2019: False Imprisonment, Battery, Disorderly Conduct ( 2019CF001936 ) https://wcca.wicourts.gov/caseDetail.html?caseNo=2019CF001936&countyNo=13&index=0&mode=details
● August 2019: Domestic Abuse restraining order ( 2019CV002235 ) https://wcca.wicourts.gov/caseDetail.html?caseNo=2019CV002235&countyNo=13&index=0&mode=details

While Kroll is certainly innocent until proven guilty, his past behavior in and around our community and events raises additional concerns. We have also become aware of these public records concerning some of Kroll’s past and current ongoing criminal cases.

● January 2019: Harassment restraining order ( 2019CV000039 ) https://wcca.wicourts.gov/caseDetail.html?caseNo=2019CV000039&countyNo=13&index=0&mode=details
● November 2018: Disorderly Conduct ( 2018FO003200 ) https://wcca.wicourts.gov/caseDetail.html?caseNo=2018FO003200&countyNo=13&index=0&mode=details
● November 2006 to June 2007: Hays County Jail, TX (booking # 2006-01804 ) http://public.co.hays.tx.us/default.aspx
● March 2003: Disorderly Conduct, Domestic Abuse ( 2003CM000446 ) https://wcca.wicourts.gov/caseDetail.html?caseNo=2003CM000446&countyNo=70&index=0&mode=details
● September 1999: Bail Jumping and Carrying a Concealed Weapon ( 1999CM003487 ) https://wcca.wicourts.gov/caseDetail.html?caseNo=1999CM003487&countyNo=13&index=0&mode=details
● April 1999: Carrying a Concealed Weapon ( 1999CM001341 ) https://wcca.wicourts.gov/caseDetail.html?caseNo=1999CM001341&countyNo=13&index=0&mode=details

We note that in some of the cases referenced, charges were dismissed or orders were not issued. We do not intend to state, suggest, or imply that Kroll is guilty of any of the conduct alleged in these past cases other than conduct for which he was convicted. We are relying on the agencies that maintain
these records for their truthfulness and have not independently verified their accuracy or completeness.
We are presenting these facts to explain our situation and actions, while allowing other members of the Historical fencing community to make their own informed decisions.

We believe past behavior does not always reflect one’s current character. However, Logan’s history combined with his current behavior points to a continuing pattern of abusive behavior. These charges and convictions suggest a clear and avoidable danger to members of our fencing community. Logan “Black” Kroll is no longer welcome at our events, practices, workshops or tournaments. Also, we have chosen to end any endorsement of his business, Black Horse Blades.

The very nature of martial arts, ours included, requires us to trust our training partners, peers, instructors and tournament opponents. We need to know that they will conduct themselves with care, caution and control. A person with a record of violence that has taken many steps to conceal it and their identity is by definition a person that cannot be trusted.

Ultimately it is a wake up call to all of us, especially community leaders. Listen to those who voice their discomfort, and pay attention to behavior patterns. We must balance the “giving the benefit of the doubt” with the findings of law enforcement if we want to keep our community safe.

Be well and Fence well,

Madison Meyer Freifechter Guild,
Madison, WI

Chicago Swordplay Guild,
Chicago, IL

Bent Blades,
Madison, WI

Springfield Historical Fencing,
Springfield, IL

Wisconsin Historical Fencing Association,
Appleton, WI

Tazewell Freifechter,
Pekin, IL

Wisconsin Historical Fencing Association,
Milwaukee, West Bend, WI

Icebreaker Open,
Minneapolis, MN

Wisconsin Historical Fencing Association,
Kenosha - Racine, Kenosha, WI

Borealis Blades Historical Fencing,
Duluth MN

River Falls Meyer Freifechter Guild,
River Falls, WI

Minneapolis Amateur Swordfighting Association,
Minneapolis, MN

Lansing Longsword Guild,
Lansing, MI

Center for Blade Arts,
Minneapolis MN

Centerline Sword School,
Grand Rapids, MI

Rogue Fencing,
New York City, NY

Liberty Sword Club,
Jersey City, NJ

Knight's Blade HEMA Association,
Orlando, FL

Space Coast HEMA,
Port St. John, FL

Sacramento Freifechter,
Sacramento, CA

Swordsquatch,
Seattle WA

Kunst De Funkeln
Vancouver, BC

Grit City HEMA
Tacoma, WA

Medieval Swordsman Guild
Kansas City, MO

Grand Rapids HEMA Society
Grand Rapids, MI

Valour HEMA Academy
Winnipeg, MB

Winnipeg Historical Fencing Club
Winnipeg, MB

Michigan Medieval Combat Association,
Detroit, MI

Brezelhau,
Detroit, MI

Royal Arts Fencing Academy,
Columbus, OH

Arnold Fencing Classic
Columbus, OH

Krieg School of Historical Fencing
Denver, CO

Northwest Fencing Academy,
Eugene Oregon

Colorado Frontier Fighters,
Denver/Colorado Springs, CO

Gem City Duelists' Society,
Dayton OH

School of the Sword, EMU
Ypsilanti, MI

Raven's Edge Historical Fencing
Grand Junction, CO

Society of American Military Swordsmanship
New Port Richey, FL

Philadelphia Common Fencer's Guild
Philadelphia, PA

Edmonton Historical Martial Arts
Edmonton, AB

Knoxville Academy of the Blade
Knoxville, TN

Ars Gladii School of Chivalric Arts
Livonia, MI

Seven Swords Academy
Tacoma, WA

Selohaar Fechtschule
Oxford, CT

Black Swamp HEMA
Defiance, OH

Spada del Leone
Austin, TX

Austin Armizare
Austin, TX

Fenris Kunst des Fechtens,
Martinsburg, WV

Chico Historical Fencing Academy
Chico, CA

Kraken Swords
Orlando, FL

Elite Fencing Club
Mexico City, Mexico

06/30/2019

We’re not associated with Rogue Steel, but we support this message. Check out these cool makers.

Happy Pride from all of us at !