Instructors

Dylan Thomas

Owner. Longsword Instructor. Alt Weapons Instructor.

Dylan has always had a passion for martial arts. He trained and competed in different arts to find what he enjoyed most. When he discovered HEMA, he found a challenging weapon-based martial art that he fell in love with. Dylan has won medals in Div 1 Longsword and Messer. He currently ranks in the top 7% worldwide in Longsword and the top 2% in Messer.

Joe Leszcz

Sabre Instructor. Longsword Instructor.

Joe joined BBHF in one of their first public intro classes in 2020. Since then, Joe has stepped up to lead the BBHF saber program. Joe often assists fencers in tournament prep, gear repairs, and physical fitness.

James Cole

Sword & Buckler Instructor. Longsword Instructor

James has been a member of Black Bear Historical Fencing since 2023. Originally from Roanoke VA, James got his start in Olympic Fencing at the Kirk Family YMCA, where he later became a junior instructor. James was first introduced to European Martial Arts by the Roanoke Valley Sword Guild and later co-founded the Society of Liechtenauer, Roanoke’s first full-contact HEMA club.

James now serves as an instructor at BBHF where he continues to teach German longsword, as well as sword and buckler. Beyond his instruction, James is a student of the club’s Irish martial arts, including collar-and-elbow wrestling and Antrim County bataireacht.

Aside from his fencing activities, James is an Assistant Professor of neuroscience at WVU specializing in cognition, memory, sleep, and dreaming. James also enjoys creative writing and is the founder of the Morgantown Poetry Critique Circle.

Morgan Birdi

Dagger Instructor.