Meet the Instructors

Maister Jed Pascoe

Rank: Maister (Gold and Red Sash) 

Age: 71

Occupation: retired 

Specialist techniques: Thinking beyond the sword. His mission is to bring his students to the best they can be, which should mean being better than the Maister.

Jed has also been an instructor at events such as Fight Camp and Wolfcall, and was fight director at the South Wales Pirate Festival.

Some Medals and Awards:

2013 UK & World Backswording Champion

2010 East of England Champion

2016 Silver Autumn Exchange Longsword Tournament

2016 Silver Dovers Hill Backswording Championship

2016 Bronze World Backswording Championships

2016 BFHS Autumn Exchange Backsword Tournament

2015 Bronze World Backswording Championships

2014 Bronze World Backswording Championships

2014 Bronze Valour Cup

2013 Silver Letchworth Cup

2013 Bronze East Of England Championships

2013 Bronze Valour Cup

2012  SilverJubilee Cup

2012 Silver Dovers Hill 200th Olympick Games

2012 Bronze World Backsword Championship

2010 Silver Welsh Backswording Championship

Despite 'retiring' from active competition in 2016, Jed still throws his hat in the ring at several national events such as Wessex League and Fight Camp just for the hell of it. He remains one of the country's senior sticklers.

Maister Ross Brown

Rank: Maister (Gold Sash)

Age: 32

Occupation: Lab tech

specialist techniques: George Silver, sword and buckler, closes and grips, English Country Backswording, polearms, pugilism

Medals and Awards: 

Colchester Cup - Champion 2023

Blackford Prize 2023- Bronze

Letchworth cup 2019 - silver

Dovers hill 2019 - silver

Valour cup 2019 - silver

Sandringham world finals - silver

Valour cup 2018 - gold

Letchworth cup 2018 - bronze

Valour cup 2017 - silver

Sandringham team event 2017 - silver

Valour cup 2016- bronze

Uffington 2011 - silver

Uffington 2010 - silver 

Soft-spoken hard man Ross has been training with the AOAA since he joined in 2008, and has been instructing since 2018. He has fought in many tournaments and re-enactment events including commanding the viking shield wall at Caldicot castle.

"Silent but deadly" - Pete Buzzsaw Holland

Provost Mark 'Iron Giant' Sains

visiting instructor

 Age: 43

Occupation: Software Engineer

Specialist techniques: maintaining distance, Italian sidesword, sword and buckler, rapier, English Country Backswording, steel backsword

Medals: Gold (Oyster Fayre 2018), 

Silver (Blackford Prize 2018); 

Numerous other silver medals on the ECB circuit

Other styles: 

Italian Sidesword (Bolognese & Agrippa); 

Italian rapier

Mark trained with the Academy to instructor level before moving to Surrey for work. He is now a full-time Instructor with the legendary School of the Sword in Guildford, but is a regular attendee at our events, and from time to time,  presents off-syllabus classes in his speciality skills. 

Being a long distance runner has helped Mark enormously due to the additional stamina and breathing. It has produced some long bouts in tournaments!

Multiple-marathon runner Mark is a shining example that Fitness Wins Fights.

The Sains Award for gentlemanly behaviour, named in honour of Mark's, well, gentlemanly behaviour during one particularly demanding ECB tournament, has been presented at each successive ECB tournament, roughly the equivalent of football's Man of the Match award.