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Instructors

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Ian Terry

Head Instructor and Owner

Ian lives and breathes everything HEMA. With a deep understanding of Latin and a passion for historical sources, Ian not only leads our fencing lessons but is also constantly updating our understanding of the texts. He absolutely loves the nuance of understanding why a move not only works, but how it was culturally informed and based deep in the psyche of those who developed it.

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Ian has a long history in various physical arts, starting from the age of 6 as a national championship Irish Dancer, and has been practicing blade-related martial arts, such as olympic fencing, since 1998. 

 

He is also an avid blacksmith and traditional woodworking specialist.

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Trevor Garner

Instructor

Trevor is originally from the East Coast, but is slowly getting used to near perfect weather and ocean breezes.  He's long been a practitioner of Martial Arts, with a major focus in grappling -- his background is in Judo, and he currently trains and competes in Shuaijiao (Chinese Wrestling).  He's been studying swordsmanship with Ian since 2018, and has a particular fondness for single edged weapons.  Outside of sharp things and body slams, Trevor is an avid TTRPG player and game master, an animal lover, and a full time voice actor. 

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Cherry Song

Assistant Instructor

Cherry's appreciation of HEMA extends beyond its physical technicalities: she acknowledges the practice as a tool for self-realization. Cherry enjoys delving into the intrapersonal side of the arts, particularly with respect to Fiore dei Liberi's four virtues: Prudence, Celerity, Fortitude, and Audacity. She hopes to make HEMA easily transmissible, and along the way, help others nurture their own virtues.

 

Outside of HEMA, Cherry enjoys learning in general. She is also fascinated by critters of all shapes and sizes.

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Dusan Rakic

Assistant Instructor

Dusan is a new addition to the instructor team with a background in Olympic sabre fencing and Kendo, as well as various hand-to-hand marital arts. He approaches HEMA with an eye toward prudence and pragmatism, constantly experimenting to figure out "that which works" in both Blossfechten and full-contact contexts. His teaching methodology stresses a ground-up approach to fencing, focusing on blade control and footwork to create a foundation for safe and effective swordfighting.

 

Outside of HEMA, Dusan works as a scientist, musician, writer, and educator. His hobbies include reading (sci-fi/fantasy/philosophy) books, playing (video/ttrpg/card) games, and cooking.

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Our Community

San Diego Swordschool wouldn't exist without our students, the very soul of our school. We attend and host events on a regular basis to ensure we grow, not just as martial artists, but as people.

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