About Us

What we do

At the old sword club we do historical fencing or HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts), which is the study of sword fighting from Europe’s history. We recreate the swordplay of ages past through reading primary sources, typically manuals or commentaries on fencing technique, and then practice the techniques described against a resisting opponent in safe sparring. We currently focus the study of late 19th century British sword fighting and run classes on fencing with cutlass/sabre, duelling sword, bowie knife and walking stick.

Cutlass and sabre are cut and thrust swords with a shell guard to protect the hand and often a mildly curved blade. The techniques for fencing with both are virtually the same. While both were considered primarily a weapon of the military or police, sabre fencing was a popular civilian past time throughout the British Empire during the Victorian Period, though it was often practised with sticks where it was referred to as single-stick fencing. Our fencing for cutlass and sabre is derived from the works of Alfred Hutton, Jules Jacob and R.G. Allanson-Winn, but with a little influence from John Musgrave-Waite, Richard Burton and the 1817 Infantry sword exercise by Henry Charles Angelo.

The duelling sword is the earliest incarnation of the modern Olympic epee and was derived from 19th century foil play in the hopes of better preparing fencers to settle matters of honour. It is a light fast sword used exclusively for thrusting. Our practice derives from the work of Jules Jacob, Alfred Hutton and various works describing typical foil play in the period.

During the 19th century the dagger fighting returned to the fencing room after being confined to pub brawls and back ally scuffles for several centuries. With the romanticism of the old west and a surge of interest in the Middle Ages some innovative fencing clubs began to develop methods of fencing with dagger. To study its use we take from the works of Emile Andre, Jean-Joseph Renaud and Alfred Hutton.

Fencing with cane or walking stick was developed in the 19th century as a means of self defence for the gentleman about town. In France rustic stick fighting traditions were adapted after the revolution as a fighting method for the urban middle class, becoming an indispensable tool for Victorian self defence. Our cane fencing is based on the works of of Emile Andre, Jean-Joseph Renaud and Louis Leboucher.

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Who we are

The Old Sword Club was founded as a progressive space where peoples of all backgrounds could come together and practice sword fighting in a safe and friendly environment. We aim to provide a relaxed environment for members to explore historical fencing, exchange ideas and socialise.

The club has a strong focus on fostering diversity and we take active steps to be queer inclusive, multicultural, gender diverse, supportive of disability, and to mitigate cost barriers for working class people. These initiatives range from having a robust stock of lender gear to reduce financial barriers to entry, to running events that celebrate specific communities, to having a strong code of conduct and a dedicated grievance officer to deal with any issues that may arise.

Our Facilitator

Meet the person who pours their love and passion into running sword lessons.

Tim Hendry

(they/them)

The study of historical sword fighting is one of Tim’s great passions in life. Beginning in 2004 while studying at Macquarie University Tim has spent years refining their understanding of historical sword fighting technique. Tim’s main focus is Victorian Era sabre and cutlass fencing, though they also have a great love of knife fighting and epee, and enjoys dabbling in unarmed arts like boxing, wrestling, and bartitsu.

Tim is also very enthusiastic about the social history of fencing, even going so far as to write their honours thesis on the cultural context for Alfred Hutton’s fencing.

Come explore the history of swordplay with us

Join us for a journey through the history of sword fighting. Classes friendly and inclusive, designed for fencers of all levels of skill and fitness. Click to learn more about our fencing! Learn More