About

The Stoccata School of Defence was founded in 1998 by Stephen Hand, Andy Brew and Pete Radvan to teach historical fencing techniques. It was decided to name the school Stoccata after the Italian word for a straight or rising thrust because it was a term used in both systems.

Since then Stoccata has expanded with Provosts Paul Wagner, Richard Cullinan, Stuart McDermid, and Matthew Boyd and we now have classes in British, Italian, German, Spanish, and French Traditions across our branches. These classes cover a large range of published manuals, from the 14th to the 19th Century.

Our History

The origins of Stoccata go back to the early 80s when Stoccata founders Stephen Hand and Andrew Brew were both reading the currently available secondary sources on historical fencing. Both were members of historical re-enactment groups, each looking for real historical systems that they could learn and teach, rather than simply making things up. Both…

Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) & Western Martial Arts (WMA)

What is Historical fencing and Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA)? The terms Historical Fencing and Historical European Martial Arts (affectionately known as HEMA) describe the practice of reconstructing the combat skills of varying periods of European history primarily using written sources. While not literally martial arts from the middle ages (or any other period) HEMA…

Ranks

Western martial arts had various ranks, which were obtained by a formal grading process. We follow a ranking system based on that used by the London based Company of Masters of the Science of Defence, including the ranks of “Scholar” (a junior but competent student), “Free Scholar” (senior student) and “Provost” (a teaching rank). Additionally,…

Provosts

In the original 16th century Guild of Masters of Defence, students were taught by Provosts (junior teachers) and Masters (senior teachers). At Stoccata, Provosts are those people who have shown proficiency over a number of years in particular weapon systems, and an ability to teach the principles of those systems. These people are our teachers.…

Styles

These are the various styles we teach at the Branches of the Stoccata School of Defence. We teach various Italian, British and German systems across our various branches.

Kids Classes

General Policy Stoccata want to provide a safe and welcoming environment for all our students, and as such we have to consider the safety and capabilities of our under age students. HEMA is very much a serious adult activity, and Stoccata does not run classes specifically designed for kids. Generally speaking the minimum age for…

Constitution

The Stoccata School of Defence is a registered incorporated association in NSW, Australia. The club’s constitution is available online, and was ratified 14 Nov 2020.

Inclusivity

Historical Fencing is for everyone. Our club connects people and gives them a place to belong as well as a great activity to be part of. We strive to develop a community united by the values of kindness and respect, and this in turn enables those who think the same way to have a place…

Committee

Stoccata Commitee 2022-2023 Office Bearers President: Paul Fisher (stoccata.inc@gmail.com) Vice President: Gav Fuller Secretary: Alex Munro (Memberships@stoccata.org) Treasurer: Michael Barton (Treasurer@stoccata.org) Ordinary Members Sean Tan Amy Lock Head of Branch Members Matthew Boyd Richard Cullinan Steve Hand Michael Jarvis Stuart McDermid Peter Radvan Paul Wagner Daniel Wise

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