May 14th: Four-Hour Longsword Workshop
Looking for a gift for that special someone? This is perfect! Give the gift of sword fighting to them. You can send him or her to the class, or you can attend with him! If you know of anyone that you think would enjoy this class, please pass the information onto them or give me a call for more information.
This is a four hour intensive class for the students of the sword that would like to attend class at the school but lives out of the area or just don't have the time to commit each week to class.
Every month we gather for four hours to study the long sword. The first three hours are spent on the curriculum of the school and the final hour is spent working on a specific technique from Fior dei Battaglia (Flos Duellatorum written in 1409).
DEMAS has loaner equipment for the students that do not have their own swords or helmets, all you need to bring are gloves. If you have your own wasters and helmet, please bring them with you.
We will be working outside with masks and maintaining an appropriate distance to protect ourselves, our friends, and our family.
Dress of the day is sweats, a t-shirt, and comfortable shoes.
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Time: 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Where: 3266 De La Cruz
Santa Clara, CA 95054
Cost: $80 in advance
$90 at the door
May 15th: Be S.A.F.E. Self Defense
We have all heard about the person who has become a statistic. Most of you figure it’s not going to happen to you. You’re right, chances are it won’t. However, we have to hope for the best, and prepare for the worst. We are on the road a lot, traveling, meeting people, and some have kids that are preparing to go off to college or high school.
You can take this class for your own peace of mind or give the gift of safety to someone you care about. If you know of anyone that you think would enjoy this class, please pass the information onto them or give me a call for more information.
Self-defense does not require a lot of physical strength, if you understand how to use an attacker’s strength against him. You don’t need to be stronger than your attacker, nor do you need to be a black belt to be safe. Learn ways to protect yourself with a 600-year-old Italian Martial Art. Be safe in the future, while drawing from the strengths of the past.
Effective use of your hands and everyday objects around you for your personal protection is easy to learn and practice. Regardless of your age or physical fitness, it is never too late to learn to be safe, NOT be a victim.
The Be S.A.F.E. class is a set of awareness, assertiveness, verbal skills with safety strategies and physical techniques that enable someone to successfully escape, resist and survive violent attacks. The course provides psychological awareness and verbal skills, not just physical training.
Empowerment is the goal of this class. When you feel free and empowered, you are better able to go where you need to and do what you need to do without fear or unease because you have options, techniques and a way of analyzing situations that help you to Be S.A.F.E.
Dress of the day is sweats, a t-shirt and comfortable shoes.
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Time: 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Where: 3266 De La Cruz
Santa Clara, CA 95054
Cost: $80 in advance
$90 at the door
Davenriche European
Martial Arts School
Look to the Future, while Drawing from the Strengths of the Past
Our instructors
Steaphen Fick
Fascinated by the "days of yore," Steaphen began sword fighting in 1989 as part of a touring company. Travelling all across California, Steaphen and others demonstrated the use and mobility of armored knights and competed in full contact tournaments while fully armored. In eleven years of touring, Steaphen participated in over 1900 fights.
In 1999 Steaphen spent six months in the UK, studying with Maestro Paul MacDonald and training with lighter weapons such a rapier, dagger, and the Spada di Filo (cut and thrust sword). Becoming a recognized authority on the system of Joseph Swetnam (1617), he competed in four international rapier & dagger tournaments, two which he was the victor.
Steaphen opened the Davenriche European Martial Artes school in 2000, where he has served as head instructor ever since. After 25 years, Steaphen retired from tournament fighting in 2013 to focus on teaching and consulting for theatrical combat and choreography.
Steaphen continues to travel and teach across the US and internationally. He has been featured on The History Channel's Modern Marvels titled "Built by Hand" (season 6 ep. 43), as well as on CNN's "Somebody's Gotta Do It" with Mike Rowe (season 2 ep. 6). Steaphen has also choreographed fight scenes for a Dawnrunner Productions television show "Dorkcore".
Sean Baker
Sean joined DEMAS in 2015 studying the rapier and the montante. After working for several years with the rapier curriculum, he became the instructor for that class. He has also been working with Steaphen and other high level students on expanding the rapier curriculum to provide a better rapier and dagger training to his students.
Sean has previously studied karate and in college he trained with the foil. He is now sharing his love of the Renaissance fencing master Ridolfo Capo Ferro with the students at DEMAS
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John Dietzel
‘Gentleman’ Johnny joined DEMAS as its first Dragon Slayer when he was 12 years old. He studied under Steaphen for two years, eventually moving on to other interests. But his love of swords never left him and in 2010 Johnny returned with an emphasis on dagger, grappling, and applying the medieval combat techniques to modern combat training.
In 2015 Johnny became a full instructor at DEMAS and developing the Dragon Slayers program to teach the Davenriche system to younger ages. He currently is the lead instructor for Dragon Slayers and the rangemaster for our D.S.O.C. Killhouse indoor airsoft range.
James Peters
James Peters began studying with Steaphen in 2011, following four years of foil fencing instruction at West Valley College. He quickly fell in love with longsword, dagger, and grappling, and how Fiore treats all of them as part of a single system, rather than separate arts in their own right.
In 2013, he moved to Tokyo to earn his bachelor's degree in Japanese Language Studies at Temple University Japan, where he ran the TUJ HEMA Club as a chapter of DEMAS. There he taught regular longsword classes and workshops covering dagger, grappling, and adaptations of armizare for use with the umbrella. He also had the opportunity to compete in and win several tournaments at Castle Tingagel, a German swordfighting school in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. During the summer of 2014, he returned to Santa Clara and competed in his first armored event at DEMAS less than 24 hours after landing.
After graduating and returning to California full-time in 2017, James resumed studying with Steaphen with the goal of becoming a regular instructor at the salle. In 2023, he began teaching the Thursday and Friday night longsword classes.
James loves the full spectrum of the fight, from swords to daggers to grappling, and believes that the key to being a good fighter is being able to adapt the available tools and circumstances to one's art.
James also serves as the External Events Coordinator for the school, managing and organizing the DEMAS presence at Renaissance faires, corporate events, and demonstrations, and has been teaching at these events since 2013.
Corey Somavia
Corey Somavia joined Davenriche European Martial Artes in 2013, studying longsword. He has expanded his studies to montante and sword & shield. From 2017-2019, he organized the longsword and mixed weapon tournaments held at DEMAS. He assisted Steaphen Fick in revising the longsword curriculum and in 2019 began teaching longsword at DEMAS.
Prior to studying at DEMAS, Corey studied Kenpo Karate, Judo, and Jujitsu. He currently teaches the Tuesday 8pm Longsword class.
Ian Kuan
Ian joined DEMAS in 2014 studying the longsword. After working for several years on the longsword curriculum and completing it, he started it over again so he would have a better understanding of the nuances of the weapons and the system. He has been teaching the longsword class since 2021, He has also been working with Steaphen and other high-level students on expanding the longsword curriculum to provide additional training to his students.
Skye Hilton - Texas branch
Call or Text at 318-537-4334
https://www.swordschoolfitness.com/
Skye is a NASM-certified physical fitness trainer, sports and exercise nutritionist, Historical European Martial Artist and HEMA Alliance certified instructor in Italian Longsword. She joined DEMAS in 2014, studying longsword, sidesword, dagger, and primitive archery. She developed a teaching curriculum for montante (great sword) and advanced longsword.
In 2018 Skye relocated to Texas, where she opened a branch DEMAS school in Midland, Texas.
Thomas Levine - Las Vegas branch
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Thomas is a HEMA Alliance certified instructor in Italian Longsword. He joined DEMAS in 2013, having obtained a black belt in jujitsu before that.
In 2016 Thomas relocated to Las Vegas, where he opened a branch DEMAS school that offers courses in longsword and spear.
