Anyone In or near the San Francisco Bay Area? Looking for training buddies.
Kevin M. replied:
Here is the list! (current as of 9/14) I really need to put this together somewhere else. Albion School of Defence: (Berkeley, CA) These guys are a mostly Theatrical Swordplay group that meets on Tuesdays in Berkeley. http://albionschoole.com/ CSG Oakland (Oakland, CA) This is Oscar Erkenswick’s group in the East Bay. They meet Saturdays at 11AM http://www.meetup.com/CSG-California/ Botta Secreta Productions: (San Francisco, CA) I'm not sure what these guys are up to right now, they used to meet at Haldberstadt fencing club in SF. They also ran/are running a Bartisu group at Fearless Fitness (below). I can find out more if you're interested. Tosetti Institute: (Redwood City, CA) This is a part MMA gym, part HEMA studio. They run classes focusing mostly on German longsword and Bolognese sidesword, but with seminars and fight days on some weekends. http://instituteofmma.com/classes/wma/ Davenriche Academy of Arms: (Santa Clara, CA) They do a variety of weapons including longsword, rapier, saber, etc. http://swordfightingschool.com/index.html Schola St George: (Mountain View CA) There used to be a group meeting in Fremont, but I can't find it anymore. Mostly Fiore's longsword/etc. I don't know any of them well, but I know they're out there. http://www.scholasaintgeorge.org/index.php... The Fencing Center (San Jose, CA) Another Modern club that is starting a HEMA program. I’ve been in touch with their lead HEMA instructor and they look promising. Not much on the web page yet, but they just changed physical locations. I’d expect something soon. www.fencing.com/ En Guard Fencing Club: (Santa Rosa CA) This is a modern club that has a HEMA group meeting in it. I think they meet Thursdays, but I'm not sure. If you're thinking of going out there, I can send some emails and find out. http://www.egfencing.com/ Davis Fencing Academy: (Davis, CA) This is the modern fencing club where I work. Let me know and I can bring out the other gear. http://davisfencingacademy.com/ Sacramento Sword School: (Sacramento, CA) This is the group I work most with. We focus on Pachequistan Destreza. http://sacramentoswordschool.com/ Sacramento FreiFecter:(Sacramento, CA) This is Ted's group, I'll let him describe it. They focus mainly on Meyer's longsword https://sites.google.com/.../allerheiligstadt-schule-des... Infinite Potential (Elk Grove, CA) This activity center (Parkour, dance, archery, martial arts) Offers rapier classes based partly on SCA rapier. http://infinitepotentialacademy.com/ Sacramento HEMA (Sacramento, CA) This is another German Longsword group in Sacramento. They meet Saturday’s at 10AM http://www.meetup.com/sacgeeks/events/172935892/ The UCD Group is not meeting for the rest of the school year. Beyond the groups that do WMA/HEMA, there are also a good number of SCA rapier practices as well. Some of them have started exploring german longsword traditions as well. Sacramento Gather: Thursday nights at 7:00PM https://www.facebook.com/groups/600528126686619/ Rockridge BART practice: Thursday nights 7:00PM http://www.westkingdom.org/as48/oct/us/ca/oakland/rockridge-bart-heavy-rapier-fighter-practice Golden Gate Park Practice: Sundays 1PM http://www.westkingdom.org/as48/nov/cloondara-fighter-practice Santa Cruz Practice: Thursdays 7:00PM https://www.facebook.com/groups/129274067163523/ There is also a lot of Classical Italian Fencing in the SF Bay Area. Most of the instructors are graduates of Maestro Gaugler’s Fencing Masters Program. La Spada Nimica (Novato, CA) Run by Maestro Frank Lurz. Lessons Su-Fri, with a gathering on Saturdays http://www.fencing.franklurz.com/ Golden Gate Arms (San Francisco, CA) Run by Instructor Ben Bowles, this class studies the Martinez French foil system. They meet on Monday evenings, and private lessons by appointment. http://goldengatearms.com/ Accademia di Scherma Classica (San Mateo and San Carlos) Run by Maestro Paul Scherman, (who’s also a physical trainer). Classes are Thursdays in San Mateo, or by appointment in San Carlos. http://www.scherma.org/ Sonoma State University Fencing Masters Program (Rohnert Park) Run by Maestro John Sullins, this program only runs for a week in the summer. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fencing-Masters-Certificate-Program/117105062882 Fencing Masters Program at Santa Clara Adult Education Run by Maestro Jeanine Sahm, classes are on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. http://www.fencingmastersprogram.com/