Maryland Kunst des Fechtens
Are you interested in or currently practice martial arts? Have you ever wondered what fighting in medieval Europe would have looked like? Do you live near the D.C./Baltimore area? We offer what you’re looking for!
Maryland KDF, formed in August of 2009, is a Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) club focusing on the fencing, fitness and general combat of the middle ages. Students will primarily learn the art of the Longsword but may also transition into grappling and dagger, sword and buckler, staff and other pole-arms, messer, dussack and early rapier.
Our martial art is based on cohesive historical technique found across hundreds of years of fighting books, created specifically to present systems of combat from the 13th century to the 16th century, that show an efficient and deadly form of serious martial arts. Kunst des Fechtens, the Art of Fighting, is used to refer to the fighting arts developed in the medieval germanic regions.
MKDF welcomes all comers. Both people new to martial arts and old hats will find KDF an intriguing and surprisingly quick form of historical combat. Whether you are interested in history, general fitness, sparring or international social events, you will find what you’re looking for here. Our school currently holds multiple 1st place and placing achievements in international competition and we also host one of the largest tournaments in the U.S. right here in Columbia, MD. Our training location is an easy drive from the centers of Baltimore, Washington D.C., Annapolis and Frederick.
Schedule
Monday and Thursday
8:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Krav Maga MD
8865 Stanford Blvd, Suite 141
Lakeside Shopping Center
Columbia, MD 21045
Instructors
Jake Norwood – Jake Norwood trains, fights, or thinks about training and fighting when he’s not doing something more important. Jake was a finalist in the 2010 Hammertertz Forum International Open Longsword Tournament, the winner of the Pacific North West Longsword Tournament, and a finalist of the Swordfish Military Sabre Tournament in Sweden. As an instructor, Jake has presented his aggressive approach to Kunst des Fechtens in ten US states, Germany, Canada, and Iraq. His reputation as a fighter and teacher regularly leads to an invitation to teach and judge at events around the world.
Jake is the former president of the HEMA Alliance, an educational not-for-profit organization established to provide independent HEMA clubs and schools worldwide with the resources of an international cooperative. Previously, Jake was the Deputy Director of the Association for Renaissance Martial Arts and the chairman of the BYU Martial Arts Council. A combat veteran the US Army’s 101st Airborne Division, Jake now lives in Virginia, USA, with his wife, daughter & son, and a nine-pound dog. He tries not to think about the dog.
Since moving to Virginia, Jake serves as a curriculum adviser when he cannot regularly attend training.
Ben Michels – A student of HEMA for over 6 years and a lifetime member of the HEMA Alliance, Ben Michels is the webmaster, group organizer, and the regular instructor at Maryland KDF. He won the Longpoint 2012 Longsword Tournament here in Maryland, was a finalist in the Boston Sword Gathering Longsword Tournament, and has competed twice in both Texas and Sweden. Ben is the founder of the largest online HEMA resource, the Wiktenauer, which serves over 4000 users a month.
