At Liverpool HEMA, we are lucky to have a diverse team of instructors, coming from a variety of backgrounds and walks of life.
Each instructor on the team has undertaken a significant study of HEMA and has also spent time learning how to instruct effectively. The chief instructor has a significant interest in helping others to learn not only how to fence, but how to teach fencing effectively, and so all of our instructors have a well-developed ability to communicate relevant information in a helpful fashion. You are in good hands when you come along to the club to learn about HEMA!
We also have an assistant coaching team of up-and-coming instructors who are learning the ropes and turning their fencing skills into instructing skills. We generally run a new assistant coaching course every year so that the more technically-adept individuals in the club have an opportunity to become an instructor – and it means we have an ever-growing team of people able to help out and provide useful advice.
If you would like to find out more about any of the instructors at our club, please click on the names below.
Chief Instructor
The chief instructor at the club, and in general the club leader.
Keith Farrell has been the chief instructor at Liverpool HEMA since the club opened in 2017.
He teaches professionally and his main area of expertise is fencing with the longsword – but he also enjoys several different martial arts and HEMA disciplines! His background is in karate and he received a 3rd Dan from the Shoto Budo organisation.
Keith has authored several books and articles, and runs Fallen Rook Publishing. He creates and hosts a variety of helpful resources on his website at www.keithfarrell.net
Active Instructors
The instructors whom you might see quite regularly at training sessions.
James Roberts has been an instructor at Liverpool HEMA since 2018.
He began training in HEMA in 2014, concentrating on German Longsword. He has worked with Lichtenauer sources, primarily Codex 44.A.8 (PsPVD) but has also worked with Joachim Meyer’s The Art Of Combat.
James has trained and competed at several events across the country. He has also assisted in demonstrations of Longsword fencing at schools and castles in North Wales.
He has a background in equestrianism and hopes in the future to begin the study of mounted combat and jousting. He also enjoys Medieval history, primarily mid 12th to mid 15th century, in particular the events of The Wars Of The Roses, and has a passion for castles, battlefields, arms and armour and all things concerning medieval warfare and history.
Alex Roberts has been an instructor at Liverpool HEMA since 2018.
He has been studying HEMA since 2017, with a main focus on German longsword – his interest in HEMA stems from his interest in medieval history, particularly 13th century England. His understanding of messer fencing has been growing over the years and he has led a series of lessons about this at the club.
Jack Farthing has been an instructor at Liverpool HEMA since 2019.
His main focus now is German longsword, although his first exposure to HEMA was with Fiore. A core interest is learning to use the body correctly to create effective movements while fencing.
Matthew Brown has been an instructor at Liverpool HEMA since 2023.
Tania Minns has been an instructor at Liverpool HEMA since 2023.
Wojciech Kwasik has been an instructor at Liverpool HEMA since 2023.
He has been interested in various martial arts since the late 90s. He came to HEMA in 2018 and mainly follows German sources. Furthermore, he likes to participate in competitions for both historical fencing and modern fencing.
Derek Kwantreng has been an instructor at Liverpool HEMA since 2023.
Zuzanna Kurko has been an instructor at Liverpool HEMA since 2024.
Always interested in all things sport and history, Zuza joined the University of Chester HEMA club in 2020 and after two years of training she got voted Club Captain in 2023. After graduating University Zuza joined Liverpool HEMA where she trained for a year before moving to London for her MA degree.
She’s mostly interested in German longsword but is really excited to try some more sabre while training in London. Zuza decided to start competing in 2024 and is currently preparing for her first tournament.
Rachael Tynan has been an instructor at Liverpool HEMA since 2024.
She began training in 2021. Her primary interest is in longsword, but she enjoy wrestling and grappling as well. Along with being a part-time student, she is currently learning to translate and transcribe the 14th-16th century German source material, with a focus on the societies behind them, the Fechtschule, and how they relate to modern HEMA practices today.
Will Goodman has been an instructor at Liverpool HEMA since 2024.
He first started training at the University of Chester HEMA club in 2019, and in 2020 was voted club captain for the year. During this time he mainly worked with Meyer’s 1570 The Art of Combat.
In 2023, Will joined Liverpool HEMA, and also began to focus on competitive longsword fencing and competed in his first tournament in September, winning gold in the beginners longsword category. Since then he has fenced in several tournaments, including the Albion Cup 2024 at which he won gold in the Longsword B category.
While longsword is his focus, Will is also interested in other weapon systems, notably sword and buckler. He aims to take practical lessons from historical German sources and combine them with modern ideas to produce useful concepts for fencing today.
Natasha Bowell has been an instructor at Liverpool HEMA since 2024.
Natasha started fencing in November 2023 with a few years prior experience with Olympic style sabre, she quickly fell in love with longsword. Recently she has stepped a tentative foot into the competition sparring scene and is hoping to push her skills in higher pressure sparring.
Often seen wearing bright orange trousers.
Assistant Coaching Team
People undergoing the training to become an instructor at the club.
Matthew Spencer
Instructors Emeritus
Instructors who are less able to attend the club these days due to life circumstances or moving further away.
Daria Izdebska has been an instructor at Liverpool HEMA since the club opened in 2017.
She has trained in a variety of martial arts, most prominently in Karate Kyokushin (her main discipline for about ten years), with occasional forays into kickboxing, judo and boxing. She helped with coaching at her karate classes, and has a significant teaching experience in other domains (she is an academic teacher and a language teacher by trade). She enjoys the practice of martial arts, the military history across the ages, as well as the representations of warfare in myth and legend.
She began her practice of HEMA in 2010, after arriving at the University of Glasgow to do her Ph.D. in English Language (Old English). She splits her focus between German longsword and Polish sabre, not only because of national sentiment, but also because of the inherent beauty of the weapon.
Richard Dodd qualified as an instructor at Liverpool HEMA in 2019.
He now teaches at the North Wales HEMA Academy.
Marc Smith qualified as an instructor at Liverpool HEMA in 2018.
He now teaches at the Warrington HEMA club.
Ben Davies qualified as an instructor at Liverpool HEMA in 2018.
If learning to fence with the longsword appeals to you, then give it a go!
Read about what to expect for your first session.
Then book your attendance, and come along!