KDF Broadstairs was born out of a desire to study medieval martial arts. Yet there were no current groups in East Kent that offered any form of HEMA. Having started a traditional Japanese Martial Arts School, we found a location where we could practice so we moved our Tuesday night practice from Japanese to Medieval.
Having attended some workshops and reading lots of lots of books on the manuscripts, we chose the German system as it offered a wide range of support and joining the KDF as a Fechtschule (Fight school) has meant we have connections with some great coaches across the UK and Europe.
We also get access to see the manuscripts and handle weapons at the Royal Armouries as well as get to train there.
Our Practice
Our focus is to try and emulate the techniques that are provided in the Manuscripts. To try and use the as they were used in the Middle Ages. While our focus is on German longsword techniques we also practice a range of other weapons at either Workshops or extended training sessions.
These include:
- Dagger
- Staff
- Polearms (Halberd / PoleAxe)
- Sword and Buckler
