A.S.E.M.A
Auckland School of European Martial Arts (A.S.E.M.A)
A school dedicated to the study, practice and re-establishment of cultural, historical and functional Martial Arts from Across Europe and through out the ages.
Arts We Train
The Age of Knights, Nobles, Heraldry & Heroes
One of our schools main focuses is on the longsword as instructed in the Liechtenauer tradition of knightly martial arts.
Our curriculum focuses on the study and interpretation of Liechtenauers Zettel & the Nürnberger Handschrift sometimes attributed to Hans Dobringer as our primary sources with all later masters of the Liechtenauer tradition as secondary sources.
We focus significantly on setting a good foundation and instilling the importance of timing, structure and distance along with the principals laid down by the masters themselves.
Our present focus is on using both what the master says to do and not to do as a way of instilling good basic practices that would be recognizable to any swordsman of the period.
We do not rush into assaulting or freeplay as this only instills bad habits especially in modern practitioners with limited or no exposure to swords and swordplay.
Instead we constantly increase the complexity and variations of drills to instill good habits and create a continuous opportunity for refinement of skills while preparing learners for the assault once they have their own equipment.
We train grappling as the secondary foundation of the Liechtenauer system, as all medieval and knightly arts are grappling based and these sessions provide our learners with a greater depth of understanding around structure, balance and motion.
Grappling skills are a requirement for all our internal competitions as all participants must have the capacity to secure their safety by countering grappling technique or atleast breaking their own falls to reduce risks of injury.
In our Out of cycle months we rotate to other weapons included in the Liechtenauer system, so far we have run sessions on Dagger, Messer, Spear and Staff and hope to continue to reintroduce these along with expanding to include sword and buckler along with pollaxe.
In the near future we hope to have video explanations of our training methods and a library of training materials for our learners to use as SDL
( Self Directed Learning ) in the mean time if you want to know more click here.
The Age of Piracy, Privateers and Periwigs
Previously our school included classes on numerous forms of later period fencing arts from Rapier to smallsword, sabre, broadsword etc.
When we relaunch our later period fencing arts our aim will be to keep these classes to the arts of the period connected to the golden age of piracy which captures the imagination almost as much as the middle ages.
This means the return of small sword and the introduction of cutlass as foundational classes during the term to provide a basic introduction to the fencing theory of the late 17th century and the 18th century.
During our out of rotation month we will rotate to Scottish Broadsword and backsword which will already be familiar from what is covered in term.
However we will also have the potential to reintroduce rapier arts of the mid-late 17th century as well potentially the boarding weapons of the period which include boarding axe, boarding pike, black powder weapons and even the bayonet.
The Age of Ladies, Gentlemen, Gangs and Garottes
The main focus we use for the latest period of H.E.M.A before it transitions to military combatants and living traditions is the DDLR method of Savate.
Savate is different from other forms of kick boxing as it is based on using the show as a weapon rather than kicking with the shin.
The defense dans la rue method (Defence on the street) is a self defence art based on functional techniques from combining systems of self defence and sports fighting from across Europe and even including imported arts from Japan.
The system includes striking and grappling with both punches from the bkb system of Pugilism, open hand strikes from Savate and Jujitsu, kicks from the Savate system and grappling from Jujitsu, multiple forms of folk wrestling and period sports wrestling such as Greco-Roman Wrestling.
The system includes situational self defence along with self defence both with and against weapons, this mainly focused on defence with every day items such as the cane and umbrella.
However due to the prevalence of gangs in France during the period this also included defence with and against knife and other common weapons employed by assailants such as the garrote and dealing with multiple opponents.
This study is supplemented by our weekend training on grappling especially during the out of sequence months when we can rotate to focus on folk wrestling styles such as collar and elbow wrestling to deal with clinches, backhold wrestling and catch as catch can to develop the ability to adjust to situational changes while allowing for competitive application.
We will also be focusing on weapon based training aligned with DDLR during our out of rotation month looking at Cane fighting via Vigny, Bata, Le Canne and possibly sportive single stick.
We will also include the umbrella fighting system along with both the Navaja system of Spanish knife fighting and the Stiletto system of Italian knife fighting.
Given the opportunity we would like to do comparitive sessions between DDLR Savate and Bartitus.
In the near future we hope to have video explanations of our training methods and a library of training materials for our learners to use as SDL( Self Directed Learning ) in the mean time if you want to know more click here.
Other forms of H.E.M.A
Weapon Arts
Self Defence Arts
Martial Sports
While our school has a few specific systems we focus on during our terms we attempt to expand our learners knowledge, skills and interests by expanding into additional systems, arts and weapons during out of sequence months and the use of a cultural calendar.
Our aim as a school rather than just a club or group is to develop our learners and practitioners to the point where they can work on their own interpretations and study the many different forms of H.E.M.A and W.M.A in the aims of presenting their findings back in facilitated sessions, gaining exposure to and experience in research, interpretation, instructional design and training facilitation.
Below is a categorized list showing a selection of the diverse range of arts and systems covered by the H.E.M.A or larger W.M.A umbrella.
While we presently only study a very small number of these we will work with any dedicated H.E.M.A or W.M.A practitioner who wishes to study and interpret these arts as long as their desired outcome is in line with our approach, i.e to reconstruct these arts in the most historically accurate and martially functional functional manner possible..
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Bayonet -American
Bayonet -English
Broadsword-Scottish
Cane Fighting -English
Cane Fighting -French
Cane fighting – Irish
Cane fighting -Swiss
Knife fighting-Spanish
Knife Fighting-Italian
Knightly arts-English
Knightly arts-German
Knightly arts-Italian
Rapier-Italian
Rapier-Spanish
Rapier-English
Sabre-Polish
Sabre-English
Sabre-French
Sidesword-German
Sidesword-Italian
Shortsword-English
Smallsword-English
Smallsword-French
Smallsword-Scottish
Staff Fighting -Portuguese
Staff fighting-English
Staff fighting – German
Umbrella Fighting -French
Umbrella Fighting -English
Cane Fighting (Bartitsu)-English
Cane Fighting (Savate)-French
Cane fighting (Bataireacht)– Irish
Cane fighting (shillelagh)– Irish
Cane fighting (Vigny) -Swiss
Catch as catch can-English
Combatives -Fairburn-Sykes -English
Combatives -LINE-system-American
Combatives -Abwehr Englischer Gangster Methoden – German
Defense Dans La Rue (Savate)– French
Knife fighting (Navaja)-Spanish
Knife Fighting (stiletto) -Italian
Knife Fighting (Savate) -French
Pankration-Greek
Pugilism – English
Rough and Tumble – American
Savate- Défense dans la rue - French
Savate - Défense (modern) - French
Umbrella Fighting (Savate)-French
Umbrella Fighting (Bartisu)-French
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Abrazarre-Italian
Backhold wrestling-English
Backhold wrestling-Scottish
Bare Knuckle Boxing- English
Catch as catch can-English
Classical Fencing
Collar and elbow wrestling-English
Collar and elbow wrestling-Irish
Free style wrestling -American
Glima-Icelandic
Gouren -French
Greco-roman wrestling – French
Kampfringen-German
La-Canne-French
La Lutte -French
Lucha Canaria-Spanish
Lucha Leonesa-Spanish
Narodno Rvanje -Serbian
Pankration-Greek
Rough and tumble -American
Single-stick-English
Schwingen-Swiss
Savate – French