BEST OF BRITISH: SUSAN KIRK & JENNIFER GARSIDE

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Original Post: 16 Jun 2014

Sue and Jenny are well-respected figures in the UK HEMA community, both having a wide sphere of interests within and without the art that come together to produce two formidable and highly knowledgeable fighters.
On the isle of Man
Original photo by:  Jackie Phillips

 

 

Jennifer Garside:
I started  Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA)  in 1997 or 1998 with the Dawn Duellist Society (DDS)  while I was at University in Edinburgh studying for my BSc. But when I moved to Aberdeen for my MSc and later to Cambridgeshire for work, there were no local clubs. So there was quite a long gap where I was unable to do much!  When I moved to Cheshire, I was a member of the School for Historical Swordsmanship in Leeds for a while, but the travel to get there (about an hour and a half each way) was getting too much, especially after I was made redundant and later self employed. Not willing to give up on HEMA completely, Dave Banks and I spoke to Ian and Phil, old friends who Black Boar in Scotland and set up the Cheshire chapter of the group.
Along with Dave, I now run the Cheshire chapter of the Black Boar School of Swordsmanship.  I am also part of a group called ‘The school of defence’,  run by a friend.   We offer costumed displays of self defence through the ages, using HEMA techniques, but in a  scripted theatrical display to entertain and educate the public.  The photo with me and Sue was taken on the Isle on Man at one of these displays, that one concentrating on the late Victorian and Edwardian period.
I’m currently mostly looking at smallsword, Bartitsu and antagonistics with a particular personal interest in the links between Bartitsu and the suffragette movement.  I am interested in body mechanics and how you can apply the principles to use any type of weapon  once you understand how a body works .  Being small and naturally left handed, I also have a fascination with how techniques can be adapted to suit an individual fighter’s strengths and style of fighting.
Although HEMA is my main love, I am also a reenactor, modern boxer and, as mentioned above, am involved in doing costumed theatrical demonstrations to the public, too.  In the past I have seen a degree of an ‘our hobby is better than your hobby’ attitude (from all sides!),  I feel all of these hobbies have so much to offer each other and would love to see more crossover and cooperation to help improve what we all do.
Jen, corset maker extraordinaire, modelling her own creation.

 

 

Susan Kirk:
I started sports fencing in the late 1980’s, studying a pretty classical style. I did well in various competitions and after university ended up coaching the officer cadet fencing team whilst I was in officer training at The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.  I’ve also been a reenactor since 1986 and was really interested in learning realistic stage fighting.  My first ‘real’ start in HEMA was in 2000 when I joined the Society for the Study of Swordsmanship (SSS) Leeds, learning rapier and ‘finding’ the ‘British Federation for Historical Swordplay’ (BFHS) at their twice yearly events. I was hooked.
Pretty similar to Jen, I have really enjoyed  Smallsword and have been honoured to be asked to instruct at the Smallsword Symposium in Edinburgh for the last couple of years – I’ll be there again this year.  I also love a good ‘combat hug’ and am fascinated by the body mechanics involved in the Jiu Jitsu/wrestling found in Bartitsu and antagonistics as well as starting to get into boxing. I have also instructed a number of workshops in Bartitsu.     A small group of us have banded together for the last few years to do costumed demonstrations of Bartitsu/antagonistics at historical events such as the big English Heritage event in the summer, museums etc. My other interest is in sabre, as I love the fluidity of the weapon.
I live  near Halifax in West Yorkshire and train with the  Cheshire chapter of the Black Boar School of Swordsmanship.
I’m also a bit of an ‘itinerant instructor’ as I love being able to get people interested and learning new things. This interest led me to getting my IL1 instructor with the BFHS at their first ever assessment weekend.
I had the honour to be appointed the President of the BFHS 2009-2011.   It was certainly an interesting time in the evolution of the BFHS and I was pleasantly surprised with the very positive reception I had during my tenure. I enjoyed running the ‘Symposium on the Western Arts of Swordsmanship’ ( SWASH) for a few years and other events, and I particularly liked the international camaraderie developing in HEMA at the time. Several national HEMA bodies were firmly establishing themselves and looking across the international HEMA community for ideas, structures, ways of working etc – perhaps we should all do our bit to ensure this continues?
Sue in her SSS dress uniform at SWASH

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