Stephen Hand is one of the pioneers of Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA). Active from the '80s onwards, Stephen has worked extensively with 16th and 17th century English sources and early works on shield and buckler use. He was the editor of the first HEMA journal, SPADA, which ran for two editions and is the author of the books Medieval Sword and Shield, English Swordsmanship and Swordplay in the Age of Shakespeare. Stephen is a founder of The Stoccata School of Defence, the largest and oldest HEMA group in Australia and has taught at dozens of international HEMA events.