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A group of people celebrating, some holding swords, at a sword fighting event or convention, with banners in the background. They are smiling and posing for a photo indoors.

San Diego Swordfighters is a group dedicated to the study and practice of Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA), also known as Historical Fencing or Western Martial Arts (WMA). If you are looking to take up a challenging and exciting new hobby, San Diego Swordfighters is open for all to explore the martial arts of bygone ages.

Working from primary historical documents and fighting manuals written by knights, scholars, and fencing masters of the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Early Modern periods, the HEMA movement revives centuries old fighting arts, teaches their principles of armed combat and practices them as a modern martial art and sporting competition.

San Diego Swordfighters combines wisdom from centuries old martial systems with contemporary training methodology to offer fencers of all skill levels a fun and exciting means of self-improvement, physical education and friendly competition.

We support members that compete in HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) tournaments as well as members that participate for the love of the art and its substantial physical and mental benefits.,

A man outdoors in a backyard holding a sword with both hands, in a broad stance with one leg forward and one leg back, facing to the right. He has light brown hair and is wearing a green t-shirt and black pants, with a wooden fence in the background and green grass on the ground.

Alan West
Founder and Lead Instructor

Hi! I’m Alan West, lead instructor and founder of San Diego Swordfighters! I have been studying martial arts in some form since I was 8 years old. I have a black belt in Kempo Karate, and have trained in Kung Fu, Ju-jitsu, and FMA, before discovering HEMA in 2012. Ever since then, I have been poring over historical manuscripts, sparring, competing and attending seminars to learn as much as I can about historical swordplay. I have experience teaching and fighting with weapons from daggers to greatswords. I started SD Swordfighters because I believe that martial arts are a powerful means of self-improvement, and I am excited to introduce the world of historical martial arts to new 21st century swordfighters. When I am not swashbuckling on nights and weekends, I work as a biochemist in the local biotech industry. Science is awesome, but it’s nowhere near as exciting as swordfighting! I hope to cross swords with you soon.

A young man smiling, wearing a black jacket with a blue inner layer, with a black glove on his right hand raised in the air. The background shows a group of people, some wearing sports attire, in an indoor setting.

Max Zimet
Instructor

Hi, I have been a member of San Diego Swordfighters since 2021. Before discovering my love for historical fencing, I had a background in multiple martial arts and combat sports. I have a foundational understanding of rapier, messer, and smallsword- however I primarily focus on longsword and saber. With Longsword I study the glosses of early Lichtenauer masters Ringeck Danzig and Lew. With saber I study British military sources including Roworth, Waite and Hutton. I have found competivive success in longsword and saber with multiple medals from various tournaments. In addition to learning new sword techniques, I like to spend time researching how to best become a better coach.

A woman with blonde hair wearing a black shirt, holding a sword vertically in front of her, sitting on a surface with one arm resting on her knee, in front of a plain light-colored wall.

Jane Strange
Instructor

Hi, I’m Jane! I teach intensives here at San Diego Swordfighters. I started HEMA at a club in Vancouver, Canada in 2014. Since then I have coached, competed, taught, and helped run historical fencing events across North America and Europe. My main area of study is German longsword, through which I’ve found competitive success and medalled in both open and women’s longsword tournaments. I love coaching almost more than I love fencing, and I do my best to create a safe and fun environment for people to excel. I am most interested in sports psychology, skill acquisition, and tournament performance.

TEAM BLING

It’s Just Rapiers This Time 2026
Matthew Dominguez | Gold | Team Relay
Jonathan Peña | Gold | Team Relay

Summer Stabbin’ 2026
Mina Cono | 4th | Longsword
Mina Cono | 4th | Smallsword

Orange Slice 2026
Dan Zimet | Silver | Longsword Cutting

Oktoberhau 2023
Max Zimet | Bronze | Longsword

Baja Regional 2023
Jason Hughes | Silver| Longsword

About

Alan WestFounder and Lead Instructor

Max ZimetInstructor

Jane StrangeInstructor

TEAM BLING

Alan West
Founder and Lead Instructor

Max Zimet
Instructor

Jane Strange
Instructor