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.
Weekly Schedule
Longsword According to Johannes Liechtenauer
The main H.E.M.A system our school focuses on from the medieval ages is the Liechtenauer tradition.
Our interpretations veer heavily away from the common practice largely adopted across many sports "HEMA" groups as we work to interpret and accurately reconstruct this art as a functional martial art and not a game of sport fencing, our assaulting rule set always allows grappling, kicks, trips and strikes with both the hands and the weapon
Panmure Classes
Saturday - Grappling/Dagger Fighting 10am-12pm
Tuesdays - Messer: 5pm-6pm - Under 18's
Tuesdays - Messer: 6pm-8pm - Adults Class
Thursdays - Longsword: 5pm-6pm - Under 18's
Thursdays - Longsword: 6pm-8pm - Adults Class
Glenfield Classes
Thursdays: 6pm-8pm - Adults Class
Sundays: 10am-12pm - Adults Class
Want to give it a go contact us "Here"
or for under 18's complete this form "Here"
Age of Piracy Sword Arts
The Golden Age of Piracy was from 1650 to 1730 so these classes focus on arts from the mid 17th century and beyond to the middle of the 18th.
We are begin the term with students learning the period fencing theory via the smallsword and transitional rapier expanding towards the proto cutlass in the sharing sword and the basket hilted broadsword.
Mt Wellington Classes
Mondays: 6pm-8pm - Adults Classes
Gentleman's and Lady's Self Defence
These classes are presently private due to a drop off in numbers and run from our Home base in Mt wellington.
They focus on the 18th-20th century self defence arts of England and France, from Bartitsu and DDLR Savate.
Beginning with a focus on self defence through Kicking (Savate) Pugilism [BkB] and Grappling [Folk Wrestling CACC] before progressing to self defence with walking stick and umbrella
Mt Wellington Classes
Wednesday: 6pm-8pm - Adults Classes
Class Information
Our main classes are located in Panmure and Glenfield, with secondary classes for attendees only at a private residence in Mt Wellington.
Swordsmanship classes begin with a sequence or form/technique drills designed to enforce good habits and reinforce sequence of motion, timing and structure.
These are then followed by opposed techniques drills as explore counters and application mechanics and principals.
Once our Learner have gained the fundamental skills requires these expand into flow drills and dynamic drilling along with assaults and test cutting.
Our "unarmed" arts classes "DDLR" and "grappling" include a larger focus on physical aptitude and strength building and include warm up circuits using medicine balls, a tractor tyre, kettlebells, barbell, horizontal bars and calisthenics exercises.
They progress basic form drills to learn fundamental techniques and mechanics before progress to flow drills and dynamic drilling.
In these arts the assault is initially practiced in gamified forms to allow learners to develop their competency under ever increasing levels of duress.
For Adults wanting to come along feel free to get in touch with us you can email us from this page:
or find out more by clicking here
For any under 18's wanting to come along please fill out this form and we will be in touch.
Upcoming Events
Public Test cutting opportunity
January Sunday the 5th at the Panmure Basin
Next Term
Liechtenauers tradition - Longsword, Mess and Dagger (Jan-Mar)
AoP - Smallsword, transitional rapier and protocutlass (Jan-Mar)
Gentleman & Lady's self defence DDLR (Jan-Mar)
Next out of sequence Month April 2025
Sword and Buckler for Panmure
Sword and Buckler for Glenfield
End of Term internal Tourney
April/ May
Pricing Panmure
Term Fee Longsword
Adults - Panmure
Scaling costs based on attendance:
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1 class a week: $200 a term (3 months)
2 classes a week: $300 a term (3 months)
3 classes a week: $350 a term (3 months)
Term Fee Longsword Under 18's - Panmure
Scaling costs based on attendance:​
2 classes a week: $150 a term (3 months)
3 classes a week: $175 a term (3 months)
Mt Wellington Classes
AoP Monday / DDLR Wednesday
For the full term of 3 months with classes once a week in either AoP swordsmanship or DDLR Savate the cost is $150.
Pricing Glenfield
Long Sword Classes
Full Term
For the full term of 3 months with classes twice a week the cost is $150 with a reduced rate for the first term.
Longsword Partial Attendance
Though less than ideal our trainers will allow learners to attend classes once a week, though this is to their own disadvantage.
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Seasonal Activities
Test cutting continues to occur once a month only held back or delayed by the weather, these sessions will be interrupted when we have preparation sessions on break falls for internal tournaments and the internal tournaments themselves.
The Summer Month also allow for the use of public spaces for larger weapons where we focus on poleweapons such as spear, staff and poleaxe etc.
We have recently reintroduced public displays and hope to do these dring each of the out of cycle months before a new term.
So that those interested in learning what knightly arts really looked like can witness our take on assaulting and can come along and give test cutting a got with live (sharp) weapons.
The aim here is also to expand beyond our present curriculum and look at different weapon arts and systems throughout the year to try and generate interest in w.m.a and h.e.m.a systems and to help our students become coaches and instructors themselves.
Tournaments & Events
We run events on a monthly basis, these will rotate between test cutting to ensure quality of learners technique applications and assaulting (historical term for sparring with swords) to test attendees application of techniques under duress.
These are split between warm up for tournaments, formal skill assessments, opportunities for coaching and support and public demonstrations to new members.
We run two internal events each year for the medieval classes in April and August and aim to expand these beyond the normal tournament structure to include test cutting skill contests and "open sword" contests where our members can pit theirs skills with sword and buckler, messer and longsword against each other.
We also hope to expand to include similar events for our non medieval arts with the aim of contests for each later period sword art along with "open sword" in the age of piracy where learners can use smallsword, cutlass, broadsword and rapier against one another.
We support one external tournament which is the N.Z.S.E.M.A hosted by W.S.E.M.A in Wellington during September.
However our students are welcome to compete in any other external events they choose to, in the future we hope to make some of our own internal contests open to other schools and groups willing to compete under our rule set.
The plan going forward 2023-2024
Jan - Test cutting - Panmure
Feb - Assaulting - Mt Wellington
Mar - Test cutting - Glenfield
Apr /May - Tournament
Jun - Test Cutting
Jul - Assautling
Aug/Sep - National Tournament - Wellington
Oct - Test Cutting
Nov/Dec - End of Year Tournament