Beginner Friendly Classes for all Weapons
We know that starting a brand new hobby can be hard, so we’re hosting a selection of beginners’ classes for all our weapons.
Our beginners classes are suitable for everyone, whether you’re completely new to HEMA or a veteran looking to try a different system. All our classes have club kit, meaning all you have to bring is yourself (dressed in comfortable clothes) and a bottle of water.
Please note that you must be 18+ to book a class at LHFC.
Longsword (Regular Class: Monday 7:30pm, Wednesday 7pm)
We have two ways of joining Longsword – a half-day Beginners Crash Course or a 7-week Beginners Longsword Course.
The 7-week curriculum covers all the core skills and techniques, meaning that by the end of the course you’ll be set up for any fencing challenge. The Crash Course combines the first three classes into one half-day session.
We’re only able to take new joiners for our longsword classes through the dedicated Beginners Longsword. However if you have experience in HEMA, do get in touch as we may be able to accommodate you.
Rapier (Regular Class: Wednesday 7pm)
Ever wanted to fence like a Shakespearian hero or a Renaissance rogue?
You can do just that in our Beginners Rapier classes. We’ll go through the fundamentals of grips, guards and footwork to get you started, along with simple defences and attacks.
We have three ways you can join our Rapier class. Firstly, a dedicated Beginners Session, held at the same time as our regular classes once every (approximately) 6 weeks. You can also join us via a Rapier Crash Course, which is split over a morning and an afternoon, and covers around 2-3 classes’ worth of material – giving you a much more in depth understanding of the weapon and the opportunity to try some more advanced techniques. Finally, you can also join as part of our occasional Taster Sessions alongside other weapons..
After attending any one of these sessions, you will then be welcome to join our regular Wednesday classes.
Sidesword (Regular Class: Tuesday 7pm)
The sidesword was the main side arm in the early renaissance period. It is a balanced weapon that emphasises both cutting with either edge and thrusting with the point, with moderate hand protection that allows the wielder to adapt their position to easily stay safe. Sideswords are commonly used with a variety of second weapons such as bucklers, daggers, cloaks… or even a second sidesword, although beginners classes will teach you the sword by itself, which gives the foundation for using it with paired weapons (or not) in future classes.
Smallsword (Regular Class: Monday 7:30pm)
Our Beginners Smallsword class will introduce you to the basics of how to fence in the noblest of sword traditions. Covering everything from the swords and guards to footwork, it’ll set you up to join our regular smallsword class.
Sabre (Regular Class: Thursday 8pm)
Learn to fence with the weapon of choice for soldiers, pirates, sailors and officers from the 18th-20th Century. Beginners intakes alternate between the Crash Course, taking place across a Sunday afternoon, and the Beginners Session, taking place alongside our usual Thursday evening classes.
Taster Classes
Can’t decide on what sword to try? Our taster classes let you try two weapons in the same session. We’ll split you into two groups, with both doing a different weapon for an hour. We’ll then take a short break before swapping over, meaning that you’ll get your chance to get to grips with two different sword systems in one session. No experience is needed!