Pardon the book, but as the guy starting the discussion I thought I should be a bit thorough. My name is Lee Craven. I’m a 54 year old husband, and father of two (18 & 14). My martial journey started with firearms with my family, and then when I was 13 koryu jujutsu and kenjutsu at the West Covina Japanese Cultural Center. In 1981 I saw an article on the SCA in Smithsonian Magazine and was in love. I finally found the local chapter in 84 and participated with an eye to historicity till around 2000. I also got involved with Renaissance Faires, and living history events at Celtic festivals and such with a top level Scottish and Irish re-enactment group. By that time with the internet we discovered that the fechtbuch did indeed exist. A whole new world opened up. No groups near me, so I followed Hank Reinhardt and HACA till it became ARMA and John Clements took over. By 2005 I finally found a group that studied HEMA from the texts. There I studied longsword, poleaxe, dagger, and wrestling. Due to a scheduling conflict I stopped attending there, and went back to studying on my own. Then shortly afterwards another former student asked if I was interested in starting a new group, and I said yes Chris Vivo also got on board, and The Academy of Arms in Burbank was formed. A year or so into that I began to have issues with bone spurs on both clavicles to the point that I could not lift my arms past my shoulders. So I went on hiatus, then moved from Burbank CA to Palmdale CA where I had decided my swordplay days were finally over. One right shoulder surgery, and a lot of therapy on the left and even more pounds of weight later a friend from scouting asked if I would be willing to teach his twin sons. While always interested in furthering HEMA I had never wanted to be an instructor, but lack of being involved in the sword community was eating at me, and I wanted to help these kids enjoy what I was so passionate about so I agreed. So here I am, with a handful of fellow sword enthusiasts that I hope to teach enough that some of them might take over and improve upon the foundations that I have instilled so that I can sit back, and be the curmudgeon in the corner kibitzing someday soon. ;)