Baltimore Academy of Defence

Xingyiquan & Baguazhang Kung fu, HEMA, American and Pirate Swordsmanship

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Martial Arts

Open Fight Night!!!

B.A.D. is proud to host an open fight night:

Saturday June 27th

@ In the Dark Circus Arts
The old location of the Mobtown Ballroom:

861 Washington Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21230

This will be an open floor sparring party
People of all ability levels encouraged!
Steel, wood, & synthetics
All styles welcome!

Some fun ideas to share include:

Antique Weapons
Antique Books
Sparring Weapons
Protective Equipment
Food
Drinks

Feel free to bring something to share if you can
Please bring your own gear if you have it
Nothing is required, please bring yourself!

Also bring your old gear for a

Gear Swap!!!

Limited vending will be permitted

Recommended donation $10
Cash at the door or donate online:
https://checkout.square.site/merchant/KT36KDBH0WM5A/checkout/WPIEDUCWKE4RPHPZHHOGMIDZ

Broadsword

Sabre

Smallsword

Rapier

Axe

Staff

Longsword

Spear

Shield

Jian

Bowie Knife

Mixed Weapons

More!!!

Pirate Sword Fighting Seminar!

Fight like a Pirate!

Saturday, April 18th 2026
12:30-5:30pm

Sign Up Now

Learn to fight dirty for fun and profit!

Pirates, swashbucklers, and buccaneers are remembered as some of the most dynamic and exciting swordsmen of all time. Only at the Baltimore Academy of Defence will you learn real historical sword fighting techniques as practiced throughout “The Golden Age of Piracy” c.1650-1730. Our methods are drawn directly from rare surviving original British, French, and Spanish manuals and other real historical sources and accounts, so you can be sure you are learning the real thing.

You will learn!

  • Pirate Dueling with sword and pistol!
  • Boarding tactics
  • Cutlass vs. Smallsword
  • Dual wielding with pistols, knives, and axes
  • Dirty fighting
  • More, More, More!!!

The seminar will include optional time for freeplay (sparring) at the end of the day.

Equipment:
If you have it, please bring your own training sword (wood, synthetic, or steel), or Singlestick as well as safety rated eye protection and HEMA/Lacrosse/Hockey gloves if you have them.
Full HEMA style protective equipment is required for sparring.

Limited equipment will be available to borrow, but there may. not be enough for everyone, so please try to bring your own if you can.

FREE Sparring Pistol!

Receive a free pistol usable for light sparring.
A $40 value, your gift free!
This historical collector replica pistol is 19.5″ long and made from real wood and steel. Each is constructed with a solid one-piece wood stock with a trigger made from die-cast metal.
Your gift FREE, but only a limited remain, sign up today to ensure you receive one!

Sign Up Now

Price:
$149 – Academy Members
$169 – Regular Price

Xíngyì Gùnfǎ (Long-staff) Seminar

Saturday, January 31st 2026
12-5pm

Sign Up Now

The Gùn 棍 (Long-staff) is a long wooden pole weapon used in Chinese martial arts.
Known as the “Grandfather of all Weapons“, the traditional gùn is typically used with two hands, is about 5-8′ long, and often thicker at the base and slightly thinner near the tip.

Xíngyì Five Elements Long-staff Method

形意五行棍法

This seminar will teach the forms and fighting techniques of the traditional Xíngyì Five Elements Long-staff Method as passed down through Chinese Hubei Xíngyìquán.

The focus will be on the use and practical fighting application of the Xíngyì Gùnfǎ (Staff Method) as well as teaching the Five Element Tàolù (Forms), with emphasis on the correct Shēn Fǎ (Body method), and continuously linking the movement of the “Seven Stars” (head, shoulders, elbows, hands, hips, knees, feet) in a unified and powerful way.

The seminar will include optional time for freeplay (sparring) at the end of the day.

Equipment:
Please bring your own 5-8′ wooden Longstaff (Chinese waxwood, hickory, or ash is ideal), as well as safety rated eye protection and HEMA/Lacrosse/Hockey gloves if you have them.
Full HEMA style protective equipment is required for sparring.

Limited equipment will be available to borrow, but there will not be enough for everyone, so please try to bring your own if you can.

Sign Up Now

Price:
$149 – Academy Members
$169 – Regular Price

Bowie vs. Dagger Seminar

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Bowie vs. Dagger Knife Fighting Seminar

Join us:
Feb 22. 2025
Noon – 5pm
We will explore the question of the Cut vs. the Thrust as it relates to knife fighting from both a modern combative, and historical (HEMA) perspective with special consideration for unarmed self-defense.

Free FS-Dagger Training Knife Included!!!

Members – $129
Others – $149
Additional Bowie trainer – $20
Seminar T-shirt – $30

Sign Up Now

Xíngyì Jiànfǎ Seminar

February 3-4, 2024
10am-4pm Sat. & Sun.

心意劍法
Form and Intention Sword Method

Qīxīng Liánhuán Jiànfǎ Tào​lù
七星連環劍法套路
Seven Stars Continuous Linking Sword Form

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This seminar will teach the entirety of the Xíngyì Seven Stars Continuous Linking Sword Form as passed down through the prestigious Chen Pan Ling lineage of Hubei Xíngyìquán. This tào​lù (form) contains the essential cuts and sword techniques of Xíngyì Jiànfǎ as well as teaching the important Shēn Fǎ (Body method), emphasizing the continuous linking movement of the “Seven Stars” (head, shoulders, elbows, hands, hips, knees, feet) in a unified and powerful way.

The tào​lù will be taught over two days with breaks for lunch and optional time for freeplay (sparring) at the end of each day.

Equipment:
Please bring your own jiàn (sword) preferably made of wood, as well as safety rated eye protection and HEMA/Lacrosse/Hockey gloves if you have them. Limited equipment will be available to borrow, but there will not be enough for everyone, so please try to bring your own if you can.

Price:
$159 – Academy Members
$189 – Regular Price

Sign Up Now

Big BAD Bowie Knife Seminar II

Bowie and Big Knife Fighting II

November 9th, 2019

This seminar will build on students knowledge of Bowie & big knife fighting from a dueling / HEMA perspective. 

The primary content of the system has been drawn from a variety of historical sources, especially the work of Colonel A.J.D. Biddle, John Styers, as well as contemporary research by Paul Kirchner, Dwight C. McElmore, William Cassidy, and others.

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

Beginning with a brief refresh of the basics of the system, this seminar will seek to reinforce the most important concepts before exploring new material including the use of a coat or poncho with the left hand and other ideas drawn from Mexican and Spanish sources and influences.

Ample time will be devoted to live drilling and free sparring.
Please bring eye protection, gloves, fencing mask, etc… (Gear will be provided for those who do not have their own, but loner gear is limited)

No previous experience necessary 


Please Pre-register by November. 5th
$125 for Academy members, $135 others
$150 at the door
Price includes FREE lunch.
Pre-register to receive a FREE high quality training Bowie knife yours to keep.
–
10:00 am Seminar Begins
12:30 pm Lunch (Included FREE)
4:00 pm Seminar ends
4:00 pm FREE open floor for sparring.

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

Intro to Sun Baguazhang


Sun Lutang shows the Bagua Lion gua

八卦掌

Ba Gua Zhang (Pa Kua Chang) means Eight Trigrams Palm. The trigrams or Gua are ancient symbols used to represent all natural phenomena in the classic Chinese ‘Book of Changes’ or Yi Jing.
Zhang means palm and designates Ba Gua Zhang as a style of martial art, which emphasizes the use of the open hand instead of the closed fist.

Saturday July 13th, 10am – 4pm

This seminar will introduce the Baguazhang of Sun Lutang, a unique internal style of Chinese martial art that emphasizes fighting techniques that use the open hand to strike & grapple while employing footwork to obtain a superior angle, before throwing the opponent, (like in Judo) hard to the ground.

Purchase Tickets Here

The content will include:

  • Warm Ups
  • Body Mechanics
  • 8 Tea Serving Exercises
  • Circle Walking and other Bagua Footwork
  • Clinch Fighting and Throwing
  • Striking with Palms, as well as Knee, Elbow, and Kicking techniques
  • Detailed instruction on the Single and Double palm changes

After the seminar student will understand the history, development, and fighting strategy of Sun Style Baguazhang.
Additionally they will have a practical understanding of the Single and Double palm changes and their application. These first two changes form the core of the system and provide the basis for the further 8 palm changes, which are simply variations on the single and double.

No previous experience necessary

Please Pre-register by July 8th to receive discount.
$125 for Academy members, $135 others
$150 full price at the door
Price includes FREE lunch.

Purchase Tickets Here

10:00 am Seminar Begins with warm-up.
12:30 pm Lunch (Included FREE)
4:00 pm Seminar ends
4:00 pm FREE open floor for sparring begins, come join us even if you can’t make the seminar!

Illustration of Bagua’s 8 Trigrams