My Career in Martial Arts and Fencing
What follows is a potted history of, well, me. Specifically my career in martial arts and fencing, and why I consider myself a moderately experienced and competent instructor.
Qualifications, Posts and Publications
General
Bachelor of Education (Secondary/Tertiary) – University of Sunderland 1992
Fencing
Club Leader – Amateur Fencing Association 1989
Club Coach – Amateur Fencing Association 1990
Level 2 Foil Coach – British Fencing 2007
Historical European Martial Arts Instructor IL1 – British Federation for Historical Swordplay 2012
IL1 Assessor – BFHS 2013
Regional Assessor NE England – BFHS 2014
Chief Assessor – BFHS 2016
Martial Arts/Self-Defence
Basic Self Defence Instructor – Self Defence Federation 2004
1st Dan Nihon Tai-Jitsu – 2005
1st Dan SDF Modern Street Combat – 2005
1st Dan Combat Ju-Jitsu - 2006
Master Level Self Defence Instructor – Self Defence Federation 2006
2nd Dan Combat Ju-Jitsu - 2008
Martial Arts Coach Level 1-3 – ASMAA 2011
Director of Coaching – ASMAA 2011
1st Dan Goshin Jutsu - 2012
3rd Dan Combat Ju-Jitsu – 2013
Publications (Partial List)
The Self Defence Manual (Summersdale)
Unarmed Combat (Amber Books)
Extreme Unarmed Combat (Amber Books)
Armed Combat (Amber Books)
Fight to Win (Tuttle)
Cut and Thrust: European Swords and Swordsmanship (Amberley)
A Modern Manual of Smallsword Fencing (Self-Published)
The Swordmaster’s Companion (Self-Published)
Fighting Skills of the Medieval Warrior (Amber Books)
The Ancient Warrior (Amber Books)
The Wars of the Roses (Amber Books)
Vikings (Amber Books)
Bachelor of Education (Secondary/Tertiary) – University of Sunderland 1992
Fencing
Club Leader – Amateur Fencing Association 1989
Club Coach – Amateur Fencing Association 1990
Level 2 Foil Coach – British Fencing 2007
Historical European Martial Arts Instructor IL1 – British Federation for Historical Swordplay 2012
IL1 Assessor – BFHS 2013
Regional Assessor NE England – BFHS 2014
Chief Assessor – BFHS 2016
Martial Arts/Self-Defence
Basic Self Defence Instructor – Self Defence Federation 2004
1st Dan Nihon Tai-Jitsu – 2005
1st Dan SDF Modern Street Combat – 2005
1st Dan Combat Ju-Jitsu - 2006
Master Level Self Defence Instructor – Self Defence Federation 2006
2nd Dan Combat Ju-Jitsu - 2008
Martial Arts Coach Level 1-3 – ASMAA 2011
Director of Coaching – ASMAA 2011
1st Dan Goshin Jutsu - 2012
3rd Dan Combat Ju-Jitsu – 2013
Publications (Partial List)
The Self Defence Manual (Summersdale)
Unarmed Combat (Amber Books)
Extreme Unarmed Combat (Amber Books)
Armed Combat (Amber Books)
Fight to Win (Tuttle)
Cut and Thrust: European Swords and Swordsmanship (Amberley)
A Modern Manual of Smallsword Fencing (Self-Published)
The Swordmaster’s Companion (Self-Published)
Fighting Skills of the Medieval Warrior (Amber Books)
The Ancient Warrior (Amber Books)
The Wars of the Roses (Amber Books)
Vikings (Amber Books)
The Beginning
Sometime in 1984 or 1985, I joined Burnmoor Judo Club (Harry Wilson was the head instructor, I think). I trained there for a few months, had a break to take my 'O' Levels then went back for a while. I'm not really sure why I stopped. I suspect it was because once my sister moved on to other activities, parental transportation became more problematic, but I really don't recall.
Anyway, in the summer of 1986 I joined a local karate club but it didn't suit me. Maybe it was because I was used to hands-on Judo and this was different, but for whatever reason I just didn't get along with Shotokan Karate as it was taught there. I did have an important formative experience though. I did my first and only grading, and I worked really, really hard for it. Then I watched others - notably some very young kids - sort of wandering around during the kata demonstrations and still getting a pass. I rapidly became disaffected and quit soon after.
Anyway, in the summer of 1986 I joined a local karate club but it didn't suit me. Maybe it was because I was used to hands-on Judo and this was different, but for whatever reason I just didn't get along with Shotokan Karate as it was taught there. I did have an important formative experience though. I did my first and only grading, and I worked really, really hard for it. Then I watched others - notably some very young kids - sort of wandering around during the kata demonstrations and still getting a pass. I rapidly became disaffected and quit soon after.
College And University
Whilst I was at Monkwearmouth College I joined the Polytechnic Fencing Club as an associate. This was October 1987. The coach was one John Macbeth, who had a habit of coming to the class for a few weeks at the beginning of the year and ordering the beginners around then vanishing once the novelty wore off. I was taught to fence by Robin Catling - mostly in John's absence.
John's absence was a problem for the club, and ultimately it became necessary to solve the coaching problem. Four of us took the AFA Club Leader award, and the polytechnic appointed us in place of John. I suspect I took the role of coach more seriously than the others, and ended up doing most of the teaching. That led to a Club Coach assessment under Pat Pearson in 1990, and after the others moved on I became a permanent fixture of the polytechnic - and later the university once we were upgraded or whatever the term is.
In the meantime, I moved from college to polytechnic and eventually graduated with a B.Ed in Secondary Education. The fencing club represented the new university when City status was conferred on our town, and I continued to teach fencing there until 2008.
In 1989 Ian Andrews set up a class calling itself 'combative arts' at the university, and I trained there for a few years. Ian is qualified as a JKD instructor but I think I only heard the term 'JKD' maybe three times in my whole association with the class. We didn't fight in the lineage wars, just trained and did stuff. Ian taught a hard kickboxing style and also gung fu, which included trapping work that I just could not get the hang of. Years later, I use a lot of this stuff when fighting for grips in grappling, but at the time it was beyond my understanding. I guess it just needed to percolate for a decade or two....
I learned some knife and stick work from Ian as well, but changing circumstances combined with a chronic back injury (probably caused by stupid violent bouncy toe-touching in the karate class) limited my involvement in anything but fencing from around 1994-2000. I did the odd seminar and trained when I could, but my HTH training in those few years was very limited.
John's absence was a problem for the club, and ultimately it became necessary to solve the coaching problem. Four of us took the AFA Club Leader award, and the polytechnic appointed us in place of John. I suspect I took the role of coach more seriously than the others, and ended up doing most of the teaching. That led to a Club Coach assessment under Pat Pearson in 1990, and after the others moved on I became a permanent fixture of the polytechnic - and later the university once we were upgraded or whatever the term is.
In the meantime, I moved from college to polytechnic and eventually graduated with a B.Ed in Secondary Education. The fencing club represented the new university when City status was conferred on our town, and I continued to teach fencing there until 2008.
In 1989 Ian Andrews set up a class calling itself 'combative arts' at the university, and I trained there for a few years. Ian is qualified as a JKD instructor but I think I only heard the term 'JKD' maybe three times in my whole association with the class. We didn't fight in the lineage wars, just trained and did stuff. Ian taught a hard kickboxing style and also gung fu, which included trapping work that I just could not get the hang of. Years later, I use a lot of this stuff when fighting for grips in grappling, but at the time it was beyond my understanding. I guess it just needed to percolate for a decade or two....
I learned some knife and stick work from Ian as well, but changing circumstances combined with a chronic back injury (probably caused by stupid violent bouncy toe-touching in the karate class) limited my involvement in anything but fencing from around 1994-2000. I did the odd seminar and trained when I could, but my HTH training in those few years was very limited.
Fencing: The First Era - 1990-2000
Fencing: The First Era - 1990-2000
The sport of fencing changed radically in the 1990s. Some schools discovered that it was not necessary to fence in the traditional manner, only to get the lights on the judging apparatus to come on and to convince the president to award a disputed hit favourably. Everyone else had to follow suit, and pretty soon competition was dominated by rushing attacks culminating in a flick hit. That didn't suit me at all and I faded from the competition scene.
I continued to teach a very classical style, though with some 'dealing with the flick' material, and we had a modestly successful competition team during those years despite a lack of support from the university. We moved out of the venerable Bede Tower (that was actually not intended as a pun, but it became one...) and into the gym-over-the-swimming-pool at the university sports centre, with another night at Crowtree Leisure Centre. That was handy, since we had the bar next door pretty much to ourselves afterwards.
I had an interest in traditional swordplay, and we tried out some of the techniques I found in magazine articles and historical books. Some of it worked quite well, some of it didn't. That had a lot to do with the very light weapons we were using. Looking back, a lot of what we were doing was somewhere between classical fencing and a sort of proto-HEMA, and it's interesting to wonder what might have happened if we'd known what was going on elsewhere. But we didn't, despite occasional articles in The Sword about the Dawn Duellists Society and the like. I did learn a very great deal about teaching classical fencing during this period, and teaching in general.
At the time I was working as a teacher, though I was writing as a sideline and trying to build myself a career as a writer. The period 1999-2001 was one of profound changes in my life and career, though at the time I wasn't aware of where things might go.
The sport of fencing changed radically in the 1990s. Some schools discovered that it was not necessary to fence in the traditional manner, only to get the lights on the judging apparatus to come on and to convince the president to award a disputed hit favourably. Everyone else had to follow suit, and pretty soon competition was dominated by rushing attacks culminating in a flick hit. That didn't suit me at all and I faded from the competition scene.
I continued to teach a very classical style, though with some 'dealing with the flick' material, and we had a modestly successful competition team during those years despite a lack of support from the university. We moved out of the venerable Bede Tower (that was actually not intended as a pun, but it became one...) and into the gym-over-the-swimming-pool at the university sports centre, with another night at Crowtree Leisure Centre. That was handy, since we had the bar next door pretty much to ourselves afterwards.
I had an interest in traditional swordplay, and we tried out some of the techniques I found in magazine articles and historical books. Some of it worked quite well, some of it didn't. That had a lot to do with the very light weapons we were using. Looking back, a lot of what we were doing was somewhere between classical fencing and a sort of proto-HEMA, and it's interesting to wonder what might have happened if we'd known what was going on elsewhere. But we didn't, despite occasional articles in The Sword about the Dawn Duellists Society and the like. I did learn a very great deal about teaching classical fencing during this period, and teaching in general.
At the time I was working as a teacher, though I was writing as a sideline and trying to build myself a career as a writer. The period 1999-2001 was one of profound changes in my life and career, though at the time I wasn't aware of where things might go.
The Big Changes: 1999-2000
In 1999 I went professional as a writer. That impacted my fencing and martial arts career mainly because it led to me writing a series of self-defence titles as well as books on historical conflict and weaponry. I basically became a military historian by accident, though I always had an interest in the field.
A conversation with a journalist about a possible book project led to me being hired to write strategic reports for the defence industry, and that put me on the lecture circuit. By 2002 I was a sort-of-defence-analyst lecturing on asymmetric warfare and naval weaponry. That chapter seems to have come to an end, but the experience opened other doors for me.
Other changes were more immediate. My martial arts career restarted rather suddenly, and the fencing club entered a new phase in its existence. Both of these events had a profound influence on my life.
A conversation with a journalist about a possible book project led to me being hired to write strategic reports for the defence industry, and that put me on the lecture circuit. By 2002 I was a sort-of-defence-analyst lecturing on asymmetric warfare and naval weaponry. That chapter seems to have come to an end, but the experience opened other doors for me.
Other changes were more immediate. My martial arts career restarted rather suddenly, and the fencing club entered a new phase in its existence. Both of these events had a profound influence on my life.
Nihon Tai-Jitsu: 2001-2005
A chance meeting with an old friend resulted in an invitation to the university ju-jitsu club. My first year there didn't result in great things. The style being taught was the not-untypical bolting-together of something that looked like karate and judo with some additional locks and chokes. The best thing for me was the lack of structure, which enabled me to experiment. Those of us with experience from elsewhere did well in this class. Those without failed to make much progress.
In January 2001 the ju-jitsu class was taken over by a new instructor named Dave Birdsall. Dave taught a ju-jitsu system he called Nihon Tai-Jitsu. I don't know Dave's lineage, but there does not seem to be a connection with other NTJ groups. During the first couple of years the focus was on fight-effectiveness and the style suited me. I became Dave's assistant instructor, and I'm going to claim at least some of the credit for the way the university club ran. The sister club in Billingham simply did not have the same training ethos and was the subject of frequent attempts by Dave to put things right.
I learned a lot in this class, not just about ju-jitsu. Dave did teach a highly technical syllabus, which was a good education for me, but I also learned about the dangers of not following through on declarations about how things are to be done henceforth, and what happens when there is a set of rules for those who choose to follow it... but everyone else just does as they please.
This wasn't entirely Dave's fault. He was seriously injured in an accident in 2001 and developed a life-threatening MRSA infection that crippled his left shoulder. The combination of morphine and a rather wayward personality was endearing at first, but it led to problems. I tried to keep running the Sunderland class as it had been, and Dave deserved better from the people at Billingham - some of whom were his personal friends from outside the class. Several took advantage of the situation to derail changes or improvements Dave wanted to make.
Dave's own attitudes changed in this time, and he went from being mostly interested in combat effectiveness to delivering long lectures on the importance of the bow or why martial arts is like quantum mechanics (really!). I fell out of favour once Dave had senior graded students who'd absorbed his ethos, and once my influence waned the nature of the class changed considerably.
In fact I made the decision to leave the class in 2004 or so, but decided to stay for the time being so that my training partner could get her black belt. There was no suitable partner for her within the club. In the event, Dave had to move away to live with family due to his illness, and we were left to our own devices. That suited us, though many of the Billingham people seemed to consider us to be violently deranged troglodytes or something. In mid 2005 we parted company with the Billingham NTJ people, and despite a couple of attempts to relaunch the class has since folded.
In January 2001 the ju-jitsu class was taken over by a new instructor named Dave Birdsall. Dave taught a ju-jitsu system he called Nihon Tai-Jitsu. I don't know Dave's lineage, but there does not seem to be a connection with other NTJ groups. During the first couple of years the focus was on fight-effectiveness and the style suited me. I became Dave's assistant instructor, and I'm going to claim at least some of the credit for the way the university club ran. The sister club in Billingham simply did not have the same training ethos and was the subject of frequent attempts by Dave to put things right.
I learned a lot in this class, not just about ju-jitsu. Dave did teach a highly technical syllabus, which was a good education for me, but I also learned about the dangers of not following through on declarations about how things are to be done henceforth, and what happens when there is a set of rules for those who choose to follow it... but everyone else just does as they please.
This wasn't entirely Dave's fault. He was seriously injured in an accident in 2001 and developed a life-threatening MRSA infection that crippled his left shoulder. The combination of morphine and a rather wayward personality was endearing at first, but it led to problems. I tried to keep running the Sunderland class as it had been, and Dave deserved better from the people at Billingham - some of whom were his personal friends from outside the class. Several took advantage of the situation to derail changes or improvements Dave wanted to make.
Dave's own attitudes changed in this time, and he went from being mostly interested in combat effectiveness to delivering long lectures on the importance of the bow or why martial arts is like quantum mechanics (really!). I fell out of favour once Dave had senior graded students who'd absorbed his ethos, and once my influence waned the nature of the class changed considerably.
In fact I made the decision to leave the class in 2004 or so, but decided to stay for the time being so that my training partner could get her black belt. There was no suitable partner for her within the club. In the event, Dave had to move away to live with family due to his illness, and we were left to our own devices. That suited us, though many of the Billingham people seemed to consider us to be violently deranged troglodytes or something. In mid 2005 we parted company with the Billingham NTJ people, and despite a couple of attempts to relaunch the class has since folded.
The Early SDF Years: 2001-2004
Around Easter 2001 I went along to a class in Castle Eden. This was a Self-Defence Federation (SDF) run by Stu Cutty. It was extremely violent but in a supportive, respectful-fight-school sort of way, and I learned a lot. SDF Northeast were very prominent at the seminars run by organisation head Dave Turton, and I learned from some of the best in the business. I paid for that, and not in money, and in August 2005 I fought for my SDF Modern Street Combat 1st Dan. Much of the technique I used was from NTJ, but filtered through what I now knew about breaking things and hurting people.
I became an SDF instructor in 2004 (I think) - instructorships and black belts were separate qualifications, and rightly so. Later I qualified to teach all the SDF courses and became an assessor, then senior assessor, for all SDF instructorships. I ran several instructor training events during this period, and became a regular stooge for Dave Turton on demonstrations. Indeed, I was one of Dave's favourite stooges because I kept him interested - my reactions to being hit are apparently a bit random. I don't even fall over predictably when I'm unconscious, which happened from time to time. I also make amusing noises when struck hard. Stu could take far more punishment than me, but I was more entertaining.
When I inherited the Sunderland NTJ class I began teaching the SDF syllabus, and after a time my training partner and I regraded in Combat Ju-Jitsu. The University of Sunderland class taught the CJJ syllabus until I stood down in 2011.
I became an SDF instructor in 2004 (I think) - instructorships and black belts were separate qualifications, and rightly so. Later I qualified to teach all the SDF courses and became an assessor, then senior assessor, for all SDF instructorships. I ran several instructor training events during this period, and became a regular stooge for Dave Turton on demonstrations. Indeed, I was one of Dave's favourite stooges because I kept him interested - my reactions to being hit are apparently a bit random. I don't even fall over predictably when I'm unconscious, which happened from time to time. I also make amusing noises when struck hard. Stu could take far more punishment than me, but I was more entertaining.
When I inherited the Sunderland NTJ class I began teaching the SDF syllabus, and after a time my training partner and I regraded in Combat Ju-Jitsu. The University of Sunderland class taught the CJJ syllabus until I stood down in 2011.
Fencing: The Second Era - 2001-8
In 2001 the university did a big relaunch on its sports clubs, and the fencing club morphed into its final form. That did not happen immediately, but the arrival of certain people around that time influenced development of the club. By this time I was competing again, and I do have some trophies (including one from a competition I have no memory of even entering!). Sport fencing had gone through another round of changes and a more classical style was viable for a time. However, I soon wearied of the endless rush-and-snipe tactics encountered in competition and began to only fence for enjoyment. Some of my students did cause upset in competition however.
The fencing class ran until 2008, when it basically died of neglect. The university had little time for minority sports as they moved into the new premises, and the class quietly folded at the end of academic year 2007-8. It was at that time almost 50 years old, and I had been involved for the last 20. The decision to let the class go under was a tough one, but by the end I was keeping it open simply because I did not want it to close. After coaching 2-5 nights a week for 20 years I was burned out, though it was not until 2010 that I quit teaching completely and for good. (Yes, I was wrong about that, too!) In the interim I fenced at Salle Lazlo and Durham Phoenix fencing clubs.
The fencing class ran until 2008, when it basically died of neglect. The university had little time for minority sports as they moved into the new premises, and the class quietly folded at the end of academic year 2007-8. It was at that time almost 50 years old, and I had been involved for the last 20. The decision to let the class go under was a tough one, but by the end I was keeping it open simply because I did not want it to close. After coaching 2-5 nights a week for 20 years I was burned out, though it was not until 2010 that I quit teaching completely and for good. (Yes, I was wrong about that, too!) In the interim I fenced at Salle Lazlo and Durham Phoenix fencing clubs.

The gym over the swimming pool, post new-floor installation. Probably around 2004 or so.
Kickboxing, Ju-Jitsu and Self Defence - 2008-2010
The website of the university kickboxing and self defence club lists me (I think it's me... the name is misspelled but close enough) and the current coach as founders. That's rather strange, because the class was founded in 2008 by myself and David Pepper, who rapidly lost interest. I was involved mainly just to get him set up, but after a period in the wilderness the club asked me to return as head coach.
I did so, assisted by Mickey Tulloch and Nate Zettle. However, by 2010 I was weary of university sport with all its politics, and I was burned out as an instructor. I quit teaching for good (yes, well, I thought so at the time). I started attending SDF Peterlee as a student and wise-old-man-of sorts.
I did so, assisted by Mickey Tulloch and Nate Zettle. However, by 2010 I was weary of university sport with all its politics, and I was burned out as an instructor. I quit teaching for good (yes, well, I thought so at the time). I started attending SDF Peterlee as a student and wise-old-man-of sorts.
More Changes: 2010-11
I trained martial arts in various venues and at SDF Peterlee. Most of this was on a 'training group' setup rather than a formal class. I did enjoy our time at the leisure centre that used to forget to charge us some weeks. Along the way I acquired various orphans from other classes that had shut down, some of whom were rather more experienced than others, and basically we indulged ourselves with experimentation and development.

This one might require some explanation. It's not a still from a redneck police drama....
We needed some pictures for the artist to work from, to create the line drawings for a self-defence book I wrote.
At some point in the proceedings, this image of general bafflement was captured.
ASMAA-SDF: 2010-2017
In 2010 (I think), SDF head Dave Turton founded ASMAA, the All-Styles Martial Arts Association, and naturally I became heavily involved in this. I created an instructor training programme for ASMAA but despite a successful trial it was never fully implemented. I did receive second and third Dan in Combat Ju-Jitsu in this period, and was awarded 1st Dan in Goshin-Jutsu.
At the peak of my ASMAA-SDF career I was Director of Coaching to ASMAA, Regional Representative for the North-East of England, Regional Coach for Goshin-Jutsu and teaching some Ju-Jitsu at SDF Peterlee. At that time we had several old-school SDF instructors in the class, with Andy Terry as the guy in charge and the rest of us offering insight, experience and the occasional sound beating.
ASMAA-SDF underwent some radical changes in this time. The regional rep posts were abolished, and then in early 2017 I found out (at the same time as everyone else) that the instructor qualifications I held and had awarded were to be abolished. Everyone, including me, was to re-certify. I raised an objection with the new SDF head and was informed that he did not believe I deserved even advance warning. Apparently I'm one of the people who just wanted rank but didn't do anything.
I was surprised to hear that.
Anyway, I am no longer associated with the SDF instructor training programme. My status with ASMAA is more nebulous - I asked for clarification but received none. I am still an SDF Modern Street Combat black belt and thus qualified to teach it, and my other qualifications are still valid. However, my current interests are firmly in the past - in other words I'm more interested in historical martial arts these days.
At the peak of my ASMAA-SDF career I was Director of Coaching to ASMAA, Regional Representative for the North-East of England, Regional Coach for Goshin-Jutsu and teaching some Ju-Jitsu at SDF Peterlee. At that time we had several old-school SDF instructors in the class, with Andy Terry as the guy in charge and the rest of us offering insight, experience and the occasional sound beating.
ASMAA-SDF underwent some radical changes in this time. The regional rep posts were abolished, and then in early 2017 I found out (at the same time as everyone else) that the instructor qualifications I held and had awarded were to be abolished. Everyone, including me, was to re-certify. I raised an objection with the new SDF head and was informed that he did not believe I deserved even advance warning. Apparently I'm one of the people who just wanted rank but didn't do anything.
I was surprised to hear that.
Anyway, I am no longer associated with the SDF instructor training programme. My status with ASMAA is more nebulous - I asked for clarification but received none. I am still an SDF Modern Street Combat black belt and thus qualified to teach it, and my other qualifications are still valid. However, my current interests are firmly in the past - in other words I'm more interested in historical martial arts these days.
The Society for the Study of Swordsmanship: 2011-Present
In the summer of 2011 my wife's mother noticed some people taking fencing kit into the local community centre, and Helen said she wanted to go along. I didn't, and I would not have become involved if Helen hadn't insisted. But she did, and we started learning rapier with SSS. I didn't and still don't get along with the rapier, but after being shown some military sabre technique I got much more interested. A smallsword lesson at SWASH made me realise I wanted to study the smallsword and to teach it, and in 2012 I took the BFHS IL1 instructor assessment.
My couple of years out of teaching were good for me, it seems. I became Chief Assessor for the BFHS instructor programme, and I regularly teach at events. I am most widely known for smallsword but I actually consider the military sabre to be my primary weapon.
As a historical fencer I am firmly opposed to 'sportification'. I saw it happen in Olympic style fencing, with fascinating swordplay being replaced by speed, timing and expedients to get the lights on. Many HEMA tournaments are going the same way, with 'fencing as if with sharps' replaced by 'get there first, get points, win medals'. I'm not keen on that, to put it mildly.
My couple of years out of teaching were good for me, it seems. I became Chief Assessor for the BFHS instructor programme, and I regularly teach at events. I am most widely known for smallsword but I actually consider the military sabre to be my primary weapon.
As a historical fencer I am firmly opposed to 'sportification'. I saw it happen in Olympic style fencing, with fascinating swordplay being replaced by speed, timing and expedients to get the lights on. Many HEMA tournaments are going the same way, with 'fencing as if with sharps' replaced by 'get there first, get points, win medals'. I'm not keen on that, to put it mildly.

SWASH 2012, at the Royal Armouries