Meet our coaches
Coach DAvid
Pronouns: He/him
David Rowe is a founder and head instructor at the Metropolitan Historical Fencing Academy and has more than 20 years of fencing, competing, refereeing, event organization, and coaching experience and is a decorated national and international competitor in a variety of weapons and disciplines. David studied at Catholic University researching the transcription, translation, and interpretation of medieval manuscripts, is a producer of the Into the HEMAverse podcast, and organizer and tournament director for the Capitol Clash and King's Cup Tournament & Workshops.
David teaches Bolognese Swordsmanship, Liechtenauer tradition, German Ringen (Wrestling), 17th century Italian rapier, and French Smallsword and Saber, and his favorite topic is fencing theory, tactics, and sport psychology.
Outside of HEMA David enjoys playing guitar, making music, and spending time with his pugs.
Coach Mariana
Pronouns: She/her
Mariana Lopez is a founder and head coach of the Metropolitan Historical Fencing Academy (MHFA) and has 15 years of Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) experience. A highly accomplished competitor with various gold medals amongst a number of weapons she’s also a tournament organizer and referee in both North America and Europe, and a former member of the Mexican National HEMA Championships committee. Having a strong passion for art she has also partaken in a multitude of art projects related to HEMA, creating reproductions, illustrations for books, fencing manuals restoration, and other visual resources. As an International Relations major Mariana founded Esfinges, an international organization with thousands of members dedicated to the support and promotion of woman’s participation in HEMA.
Find Coach Mariana’s HEMA social media here
Coach Collin
Pronouns: He/him
Collin Vredenburg is an avid competitor and passionate scholar. He started fencing in 2018, diving into an intensive training program under Coach David that included self-study and research, building a comprehensive HEMA library, and earning his first tournament medal at Purpleheart Open 2019 with just 8 months of experience.
Collin applies the same dedication he has as a student to his coaching and works with beginning and advanced students teaching the Bolognese tradition of one-handed sword, Sword & Buckler, and Two-handed Sword, Smallsword and Saber in the French Tradition, and specializes in Rapier. His primary source is Gerard Thibault d’Anvers’s Academie de l’Espée, making him one of the only three instructors in the United States working with this tradition. Collin is currently adapting and re-translating l’Academie into English from its original 17 th century French.
Outside of HEMA Collin is a big fan of “Garb” and finery. He’s often seen wearing outfits that resemble styles from the time period in which he is studying, which he prefers to sew or alter himself. He regularly attends the Maryland Renaissance Festival, and currently holds SAFD certification as an Actor/Combatant. He has a degree in Philosophy from Catholic University which he uses to teach ethics to middle and high school students and plays saxophone and flute in a Jazz quartet.