Teaching a class in this manner isn't something I really expected to do. I love martial arts and have been interested in them from childhood, taking classes in American Kenpo Karate under Gary Ronemus. Over the years, as young men are wont to do, I took an interest in swords. This grew mostly from watching and reading The Lord of the Rings, and eventually developed alongside a childhood love of history to be more focused on the samurai. Upon looking around the area in which I lived, I found a few kenjutsu dojos nearby, but not close enough for my small teenage budget to cover. I took a free seminar or two, but that wasn't enough, and so I sat frustrated for years. In 2019, I discovered HEMA alongside a developing interest in the Napoleonic Era, which led to me roping in my best friend with a set of singlesticks and the AHF HEMA at Home videos.

Over the past few years, things have grown beyond really what I expected. We now have 11 members in our little club. I am proud to watch you all grow, and am excited to grow alongside you. As I have said many times, I am in no way a master or really any more skilled than the students in our classes, and the learning process goes both ways.