Blades Bivo-WHACK 2026

All inclusive, food and lodging, Three days of swords! Blades Bivo-WHACK is an immersive, HEMA retreat designed to bring our community together in a non-competitive, collaborative environment. We’ll train and spar and share knowledge and hangout with other sword enthusiasts.

What to Expect

Over the course of the weekend, you’ll enjoy:

• Workshops in a variety of weapon systems, led by experienced instructors from multiple traditions.

  • ~We're finalizing instructors and workshops~

• Games & playful challenges 

• Open sparring and space for personal study or impromptu training.

• Optional fun tournaments, including our lighthearted Accolade format where honor and style matter as much as victory or maybe Jenga-Duels a fun format including a Jenga Tower.

• When the sun sets we'll gather around the campfire.

  
  

Why Attend?

Blades Bivo-WHACK is about building community, so this is your chance to:

• Connect with new training partners.

• Learn outside your usual discipline.

• Relax in a welcoming, low-pressure setting.

Location

We’ll be staying at Camp Cedar Ridge in Vernonia, OR. A scenic retreat center with comfortable lodging, great meals, and wonderful views.

Details

• Dates: August 28th- 30th

  • 3pm Check in - 11am Check out

• Registration: 

  • Super Early Bird $400

  • Early Bird $425

  • Standard $450

• Lodging: 2 nights, 2-3 in a room, roommates can be requested

• Meals: 6 meals (Friday Dinner through Lunch Sunday), all workshops & activities.

• Capacity: Only 30 spots

  
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  
  
  

Blades Bivo-WHACK! is happy to welcome your instructors for this years event!!

Lorenzo Mendoza

Lorenzo began his historical fencing journey in 2020, specializing in the Bolognese tradition. He has traveled across the United States to study with leading instructors in the art, continually refining his craft. As the founder and head instructor of the Snohomish Dueling Society in Everett, Washington, he teaches sidesword and other Renaissance weapons with a focus on historical authenticity and practical application.

Workshop: The Pursuit of Stretta

Marozzo and Manciolino's assalti provide a unique lens through which to understand the Bolognese fencing tradition. Rather than viewing them as mere sequences of techniques, this workshop will examine the assalti as instructional frameworks that illustrate the progression of combat from initial engagement into Stretta di Mezza Spada. Particular attention will be given to the transition between Gioco Largo and Gioco Stretto, exploring both the historical context of these concepts and their application into modern HEMA.

Gear:

• Required: Mask, Gorget, Light gloves, Side sword

• Note: Some loaner swords are available; an arming sword will work if needed.

Ryan Vann

Ryan's tenure in the Historical European Martial Arts community spans nearly two decades, commencing in 2009 under the guidance of Maestro Sean Hayes at the Northwest Fencing Academy. Having attained the rank of Free Scholar within the International Armizare Society (IAS), Ryan dedicated himself to full-time instruction in 2017. His pedagogical expertise encompasses the entirety of the Armizare tradition, including grappling, armed combat, and armored tactics. An active tournament competitor and a featured guest instructor at the Western Martial Arts Workshop (WMAW), Ryan now acts as the Owner and Senior Instructor of Counterfable Academy, pioneering the next generation of historically informed fencing.

Workshop: Armizare Spear

The spear is among the most versatile and effective weapons of the medieval martial arts tradition, yet its underlying principles are often left unexplored. This two-hour workshop approaches the Armizare spear as a coherent system, emphasizing the foundational elements that make the weapon effective: structure, timing, and core engagement. Through focused drills and partnered exercises, participants will learn how proper body alignment, efficient movement, and tactical awareness combine to create powerful strategies. 

This module seeks to develop an understanding of the mechanics that underpin all successful spear actions. Students will explore how structure supports control, how timing creates opportunity, and how the core drives both power and precision. Please bring Masks, gorgets, and light gauntlets. Training spears will be provided, making the workshop accessible to practitioners new to the weapon, as well as experienced martial artists looking to refine.

Gear:

• Required: Mask, gorget, 5-finger heavy gloves, spear

• Note: Padded gloves can substitute for heavies; some loaner spear hafts are available.

Jordan Thompson

Jordan began his HEMA journey in 2013 with Oslo KdF in Oslo, Norway, while studying for a Master’s degree in Nordic, Viking, and Medieval culture. Under the excellent instruction of Marius Rafoshei, he found that this was a martial art that was fun, dynamic, and also sated his obsession with European history. Moving back home to Washington state in 2014, he joined Seattle’s Lonin League. In 2015, he started and led Lonin KdF, a study group focusing exclusively on 15th and 16th-century German-language sources. He has competed successfully and taught at several regional, national, and international competitions. Jordan also contributed the first complete English translation to Christoff Rösener’s fencing poem Ehrentitel und Lopspruch der Fechtkunst to Wiktenauer.com, the HEMA community’s foremost online library for primary sources.

Workshop: Joachim Meyer’s Quarterstaff and Halberd

In his groundbreaking 1570 treatise, Joachim Meyer presented one of the most comprehensive and practical fencing systems of the Renaissance, with a strong emphasis on polearms. This seminar explores his teachings on both the quarterstaff and halberd—two iconic weapons of the period. We will begin with basic movement patterns, focusing on how to employ the full strength of the body to efficiently maneuver large, heavy weapons around the body with control and power. From there we will examine specific techniques for both the quarterstaff and halberd, including strikes, thrusts, wards, and combinations drawn directly from Meyer’s work. The session will conclude with an opportunity for students to spar and test the techniques in a supervised setting. This seminar is open to all experience levels. If you have a suitable quarterstaff and / or halberd for drills and sparring (i.e. not steel) feel free to bring it, but we will ensure that all students have practice weapons to use.

Gear:

• Required: Mask, gorget, 5-finger heavy gloves, spear haft or halberd

• Note: Padded gloves can substitute for heavies; some loaner spear hafts are available.