FightCamp is the United Kingdom’s premier Historical European Martial Arts event. Spanning one amazing weekend each year, we bring over 40 instructors from around the world to teach historical fencing. Our event welcomes any adult participant over the age of 18, from complete beginners to experienced armed and unarmed martial arts practitioners.
What Can You Expect At FightCamp?
- Historical weapons based and unarmed classes for every ability
- Free sparring arenas
- Camping space included in the ticket price
- A great atmosphere!
Arrival Information
FightCamp is a pre booked event. Tickets go on sale in Spring and there will be a link on this page. Please don’t turn up unless you have booked online in advance of the event. We regret that we can’t allow visitors or guests on site. Participants must be 18 years and over, no pets allowed.
The site opens at 6pm on the Thursday, and classes will begin at 9am on the Friday.
Parking
If you are camping on site follow the marshal’s instructions up the road from the gate, then turn right onto the field. Parking is adjacent to the camping area.
For those being dropped off, you will be directed to turn right upon entering the site, and park near the gate.
Checking In At FightCamp
Upon arrival you will be asked to present your EventBrite app with the booking open, or to provide a printed copy of your booking’s QR code. Check in, and you will receive a wristband. Please wear the wristband for the duration of the event.
The sabre and rapier tournaments are prebooked, once you have secured your ticket head over to this page to register. The melee and open tournaments will be arranged at the event.
Classes are not pre booked, simply arrive at the appropriate arena five minutes before they are due to begin, with the right equipment where possible. Indoor classes in the training hall have limited participation numbers, so arrive early to ensure you get a place in these sessions.
2026 Schedule
FRIDAY
09:00 – 09:15
- HALL – Official Opening
09:30 – 11:15
- AREA 1 – Locks, Holds and Chokes with Stick (Chris Halpin)
- AREA 2 – One handed cuts and thrusts in longsword (Duncan McLaren)
- AREA 3 – New approach to sword and buckler MS I.33 (Jerzy Miklaszewski)
- AREA 5 – Singlestick, lessons to tournaments (Matt McQueston Spina)
- SPARRING ARENA – Open Tournament and Free sparring
- ARCHERY RANGE – Javelins in European Warfare (Kindred Willow)
11:30 – 13:15
- AREA 1 – Jujitsu Tea Party, fight like an Edwardian lady (Lauren Ireland)
- AREA 2 – Vulgar vs Verdadera Destreza (Daniel Ibaseta)
- AREA 3 – Geometry and George Silver, Adding strength to fencing (Jed Pascoe)
- AREA 4 – Longsword, thumbgrip mechanics (Sam Pearson)
- AREA 5 – Effective use of false edge in sabre (Pedro San Miguel)
- SPARRING ARENA – Open Tournament, Free sparring and Melee Games (Mark Gilbert)
- ARCHERY RANGE – Thumbdraw Asiatic archery (Jacek Kaminski)
13:15 – 14:15
- LUNCH BREAK
14:30 – 16:15
- AREA 1 – Open mats
- AREA 2 – Short edge mechanics in Liechtenauer longsword (Toby Hyder)
- AREA 3 – Royal navy cutlass drill and hazards (Jonathon Spouge)
- AREA 4 – Axe fighting 101 (Joshua Strong-Yates)
- SPARRING ARENA – Rapier Tournament Pools, Open Tournament and Free Sparring
- ARCHERY RANGE – Thumbdraw Asiatic archery (Jacek Kaminski)
16:30 – 18:00
- AREA 1 – Open mats
- AREA 2 – Rapier Tournament Finals
- AREA 3 – High percentage skills from early Broadsword masters (Ben Hamilton)
- AREA 4 – From Danzig to Dunkirk, unarmed combat medieval to WW2 (Dave Allen)
- AREA 5 – Vadi’s Mezzo Tempo with longsword (Connor Kemp-Cowell)
- SPARRING ARENA – Open Tournament and Free Sparring
SATURDAY
09:00 – 10:45
- AREA 1 – Jiu Jitsu groundwork of Uyenishi (Oz Austwick)
- AREA 2 – Understanding measure in longsword (Melissa Hainsworth)
- AREA 3 – Sutor’s rapier fencing (Keith Farrell)
- AREA 4 – Polearms of Monte, Meyer, Marrozoo and Manciolino (Rick Brandes)
- AREA 5 – Sweeps in longsword from Ringeck’s Streichen (Andrzej Rozycki)
- SPARRING AREA – Open Tournament and Free Sparring
- ARCHERY RANGE – Private bookings
11:00 – 12:45
- AREA 1 – MMA for HEMA people (Jacek Kaminski)
- AREA 2 – The Decision Matrix in longsword (Jo York)
- AREA 3 – Iberian defences against explosive Italian thrusts (Jo Gregorio)
- AREA 4 – 1807 Battlefield Techniques Group (Milo Thurston and Bethan Jenkins)
- AREA 5 – Cut and Cover, Monte’s Milanese Sword and Buckler (Mike Prendergast)
- SPARRING AREA – Open Tournament and Free Sparring
- ARCHERY RANGE – Fantasy Historical Archery and Games (Blumineck)
12:45 – 13:45
- LUNCH BREAK
14:00 – 15:45
- AREA 1 – Open Mats
- AREA 2 – Halfswording a Sidesword, Anonimo’s sword & gauntlet (Josh Bradshaw)
- AREA 3 – Armoured Tournament Combat Games (Call to Arms)
- AREA 4 – Cuts from Below from Vadi with longsword (Kelsey Dame)
- SPARRING AREA – Sabre Tournament Pools, Open Tournament and Free Sparring
- ARCHERY RANGE – Private bookings
16:00 – 17:45
- AREA 1 – Open Mats
- AREA 2 – Sabre Tournament Finals
- AREA 3 – Thibault, abilities some consider unnatural in rapier (Dave Rawlings)
- AREA 4 – Fiore’s Poleaxe, the plays using sword/dagger (Mark Lancaster)
- AREA 5 – The Flugel in Paurnfeindt, Kolner and Meyer longsword (Jack Farthing)
- SPARRING ARENA – Open Tournament and Free Sparring
- ARCHERY RANGE – Private bookings
SUNDAY
09:00 – 10:45
- AREA 1 – Open Mats
- AREA 2 – Tomahawk, an approximate combat system for hand axe (Duncan McNulty)
- AREA 3 – The SOE Fighting Method of WW2 (Chris May)
- SPARRING ARENA – Team Melee Tournament
- ARCHERY RANGE – Private bookings
10:45 – 12:30
- AREA 1 – Strike, Throw and Submit like the Greeks (Pierre Dehan)
- AREA 2 – Fiore longsword disarms (Emilia Skirmuntt)
- AREA 3 – Sword and Buckler, Bolognese breakthrough (Fran Lacuata)
- AREA 4 – They’re worth more alive! Hostage taking (Jordan Mock)
- SPARRING ARENA – Melee Games (Mark Gilbert) and Free Sparring
12:30 – 13:30
- LUNCH BREAK
13:30 – 15:15
- AREA 1 – Open Mats
- AREA 2 – Messer Round, decision making in Leckuchner (Ross Bailey)
- AREA 3 – Australian French cavalry sabre fencing (Jerzy Miklaszewski)
- AREA 4 – Poleaxe combat in and out of armour (Liz Scott)
- AREA 5 – Longsword lockout, controlling the middle (Richard Hughes)
- SPARRING ARENA – Renaissance battle melee games (Nick Thomas)
- ARCHERY RANGE – Clout warbow shooting for beginners (Jonathan Davies)
15:15 – 17:00
- AREA 1 – Open Mats
- AREA 2 – Longsword handwork Ringeck (Robbie McSweeney)
- AREA 3 – Whip with a sabre, false and true edge (Krzysztof Maminsk)
- AREA 4 – Fiore as a holistic system, unarmed dagger and sword (David Dixon)
- AREA 5 – Dancie’s system of rapier fencing (Fabrice Cognot)
- ARCHERY RANGE – Private bookings
17:10 – 17:20
- Hall – Official Closing
What Should I Wear?
Most of us train in casual sportswear for drilling or unarmed classes. For sparring equipment and safety gear please see this page.
Protective Clothing for Sparring
To take part in any tournament and to casually spar at FightCamp events you will need the minimum protective equipment.
Steel Feder and Sabre Minimum:
- 1600N mask with back of head protection added
- Gorget
- Padded purpose-made fencing/HEMA jacket with long sleeves and fully enclosed from neck to waist – no openings
- If the jacket has less than 800N penetration rating (or is untested) then a fencing plastron must be worn underneath – dominant side only for sabre/rapier, both sides required for longsword (double-sided advised)
- Groin protection/cup/chest protector (latter for women)
- Fencing breeches OR a purpose-made fencing skirt
- Hard knee AND shin protection
- Elbow cups on weapon arm/s
- HEMA sparring gloves – Red Dragon minimum for sabre (must be better than Red Dragons for longsword)
- No exposed skin anywhere (within reason)
Rapier Minimum:
As above, but with lighter gloves allowed. We strongly advise thick leather and some hard plates as minimum. All other requirements the same as above
Nylon Weapons Minimum:
- Fencing mask (350N minimum)
- Thick, long-sleeved upper body garment (preferably a fencing jacket)
- Forearm and elbow protector on weapon arm/s
- Groin protection/cup/chest protector for women
- Gloves on both hands (Red Dragon/hockey recommended minimum)
- Knee protection minimum, preferably also shin/s
Weapons Regulations
To take part in fencing classes at FightCamp you will need basic equipment relevant to the classes and activities you participate in. Unarmed classes won’t require any weapons, and for polearm weapons the instructor will usually have some equipment they are able to lend. There might be some equipment to borrow for some other classes, but you need to check with the individual instructor.
If you are new to HEMA, then a single (eg basket hilted) and/or double handed (longsword) nylon simulator will enable you to join in most classes.
For your safety and the safety of your fencing partner, we require that anyone taking part in a FightCamp fencing/sparring follows the rules for weapons as shown below. Appropriate levels of protective clothing must always be worn, and masks must be worn in absolutely any kind of fencing/sparring, without exception:
Steel Weapon Regulations
- Blade tips MUST either be rolled, nail-tip, thickened (8mm absolute minimum), or have a metal casing added (eg. .45 Colt brass cartridge on a rapier). Absolutely no un-tipped blades to be used in fencing/sparring and no sharp weapons to be used in any kind of drilling
- Rubber tips are NOT allowed unless they have a metal case inside, due to the number of injuries documented with them. Thermoplastic formed tips can be allowed on a case by case basis, but check with Marshals
- Swords must be within reasonable length, mass and balance parameters as agreed with the staff. If in doubt, check with a Marshal
- Blades MUST have a reasonable level of flex in the thrust – if they are deemed too stiff then they may be disallowed
- Steel blades must be in good serviceable order and without signs of blade fatigue, including serious bends, fracture lines/cracks, or deep nicks. If a weapon takes a concerning bend during the event, then it will be resigned from service
- Blade edges must be blunt and smooth to the touch before EVERY round
- Hilts must not have dangerous projections or sharp angles/edges/broken parts
- Weapons should be checked before every bout and if a staff member has doubts about a weapon, then it will be disallowed
Nylon Weapon Regulations
- Nylon weapons are the Red Dragon brand* by default and in good order. Longsword blades fitted to single-handed hilts are NOT allowed.
- If you want to use a different brand of nylon weapon, then your opponent must either have a similar brand/type, or be otherwise happy with the match.
- In the Melee Tournament only Red Dragons will be used.
*We have nothing against other brands, but in competition the stiffer and heavier blades of some other brands (eg. Black Fencer) offer a great advantage and we therefore see them as unfair. You are very welcome to drill with them in classes or spar with them – they just aren’t allowed in the competitions for fairness.
In The Evening
If you are booked into the event you might choose to camp on site, or to separately book yourself into a hotel. Either way you are welcome to join us in the evenings. We will have some food trucks on site throughout the weekend, or you are welcome to bring your own food. BBQs and camping stoves must be raised above ground and can only be used in the official camping area. If you bring cooking equipment please also bring a personal fire extinguisher or fire safety blanket.
Camping
Please remember to bring a tent, sleeping bag and prepare for any weather.
The campsite is adjacent to the main training field and hall, and has plenty of room for setting up for the weekend. There is a shower and toilet block next to the campsite. Please note that the shower facilities are basic.
The campsite will close on the Sunday at 6pm, and if you wish to stay in the area another night there are several local hotels and campsites near to the Newbury Showground.
Departing
Classes, tournaments and other activities will finish on the Sunday afternoon around 4.00pm. We ask that you are packed up and ready to leave promptly. The site will must be vacated by 5.30pm.
