Our first instructors were trained by our pedagogy coach, university-medallist in education, Hannah Hickey. With her assistance, we developed our BSIS Pedagogy Instructor Principles Policy which continues to guide us as our modern instructional framework.
All current members of our instructor and administrator teams, excluding our mascot and instructors-in-training, hold blue cards (Working with Children Check). Our instructors, in order of joining the team, are:
Sean Reichman
Sean started training Historical European Martial Arts in 2000 and has trained with a number of Australian schools. In 2011, he attended the Chicago Swordplay Guild WMA Workshop in the US, where Puck Curtis’ sessions on la verdadera destreza got him hooked. He also since attended additional Destreza workshops with Puck Curtis (Australia 2012, Canada, 2016, Chicago 2019), and a three-day renaissance fencing event in the United States. Sean is respected in the national community and has presented workshops at interstate events.
Sean is also a pretty nice guy. He won best-and-fairest at Swordfight Gold Coast, which we think is cool.
Kate Hickey
Kate has studied HEMA since 2007 and has been an instructor with BSIS since its launch. She has attended a 5-day Destreza workshop and 1-day intensive with Puck Curtis (Canada, 2016). The class notes she has written to accompany BSIS lessons have been well received on their release to the international HEMA community.
Fencing was her first sport, so she particularly enjoys teaching newbies who’ve never held a sword before and don’t know which end is the stabby bit. To view a presentation she gave for the Sacramento Sword School on BSIS teaching methods and how BSIS aims to to give the best learning experience to every student, see here.
Lois Spangler
Lois is a native Spanish speaker and experienced martial artist. She has a shodan in Tamiya Ryu and a nidan in Muso Shinden Ryu. Lois has presented HEMA workshops both interstate and at one of Australia’s premier HEMA events, Swordplay, as well as attending multiple international HEMA workshops. Her joys in life include teaching with visual metaphors, translating and editing historical sources (check out The One Hundred Conclusions), and bringing food to gatherings.
Experience and research: Former university lecturer; martial arts as listed above. Lois grew up bilingual in Mexican Spanish, which is roughly as close to Castilian as American English to British. She is a writer and editor in English and Spanish and has over twenty years of editorial experience across a broad range of industries. Some of her HEMA translations can be found here and here.
Ryan Tanzer
A teacher by profession, Ryan has a bachelor degree majoring in history, and incorporates this into his HEMA teaching in engaging ways. He holds the rank of Provost at BSIS, and Free Scholar at both Vanguard Swordsmanship Academy and Collegium in Armis as well as attending Spada di Bolognese. His dearest wish is to belong to more Brisbane sword schools than any other person – there is no prize. To help with this his has now opened his own school at CIA South (Kampfkunst-Gilde Brisbane) as well.
Ryan’s extensive reading and his history studies, coupled with his cross-disciplinary training schedule at a variety of HEMA schools mean his blog posts draw an a great breadth of information which you may find interesting reading. He is also our BSIS Popular Culture Consultant, so if you need a Dragonball Z image expounding the principles of Carranza, Ryan can help you.
Aidan Hughes
Aidan thinks talking about himself is boring and simply wants to talk about swords and how to use them. He holds a bachelor majoring in Archaeological Sciences so occasionally brings HEMA arguments to an end by describing skeletal battle wounds.
Adam Kaye
Adam was an instructor with Brisbane Swords (SHDA), when he added Iberian swordplay to his repertoire by joining us at BSIS. A skilled fencer, he is holds three Provost qualifications: with us, at Brisbane Swords, and with the SCA.
Most notably, he cheered the entirety of Swordplay 2017, one of Australia’s major national HEMA events, by competing with a Grover cover on his fencing mask.
Kirby Sudholz 
After watching her sister compete in longsword at Swordplay 2018, Kirby decided HEMA was cool but terrifying. Her sister suggested rapier as a gentler alternative, and now Kirby has found her HEMA niche.
Jim Cullen 
More details about Jim’s awesomeness soon…
…nope. It turns out Jim is a very private person and only wants to talk about swords. You’ll just have to come in, get to know him, and ask him questions yourself.