M.
Sean Hayes. Photo courtesy of Schola Saint George.
Maestro Sean Hayes Northwest Academy of Arms
Sean Hayes teaches
traditional Italian swordsmanship at Northwest Fencing Academy (http://www.northwestacademyofarms.com/)
in Eugene, Oregon, and through the University of Oregon and Lane
Community College. He also researches and teaches Italian medieval
martial arts systems from original source materials, with a focus
on Fiore dei Liberi’s Fior di Battaglia (Flower of Battle) and the
later Bolognese systems, Renaissance Italian rapier, and early
German sword and buckler from Royal Armouries Manuscript I.33.
Maestro Hayes studied
traditional Italian fencing at California’s San Jose State
University Fencing Master’s Program, under the direction of
fencing master Dr. William M. Gaugler. The program employs the
system of instruction developed by Masaniello Parise, first
director of the celebrated 19th century Military Masters School in
Rome. Maestro Hayes apprenticed directly under Maestro Gaugler
from 1995 to 1999, and earned his Fencing Master’s diploma in May
of 1999 after passing a three-year series of written, oral and
practical examinations, including the preparation of an academic
thesis in the final year. His examination for Master At Arms was
conducted by an international board of 6 fencing masters
representing the United States, France, and Italy.
He is a member of the
SJSU Fencing Masters Program Examining Board for all levels of
fencing teachers, has presented papers on medieval martial arts
manuscripts at the University of Chicago and at the
International Congress on
Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University. He is a member of
the editorial board of Western Martial Arts Illustrated (http://wmaillustrated.com/),
a quarterly magazine covering historical European martial arts.