Instructors
Keith Cotter-Reilly
Keith Cotter-Reilly is originally from Cork, Ireland. Through a long convoluted trek via Nagasaki Japan, he has ended up living in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He has an Electronic Engineering degree from Cork Institute of Technology in Cork, Ireland. Which is extremely useful for an instructor at an MMA/Fitness gym. Keith is a 2nd degree black belt in Shodokan Karate and Wado-Ryu Karate and a purple belt in Roberto Traven Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Keith learned Shodokan Karate in Ireland and learned Wado-Ryu in Japan while he was an English teacher there. He started his BJJ journey in Japan also. Along with these martial arts he has practiced Judo, Boxing, Muay Thai, Kyokushin Karate, and some Kendo. Keith has competed internationally in the various styles of Karate, as well as nationally in BJJ.
His first introduction to HEMA was at home in Cork with some re-enactment friends who taught him some basics. After forgetting about it while living in Japan, he stumbled upon videos of Swordfish and from there other people doing HEMA related training. Since then Keith has been training as best he can primarily in Longsword and Dussack.
He is the head instructor for the Atlanta Historical Fencincg Academy. He has taught workshops at several of the HEMA events in the USA, was a member of the HEMA Alliance General Council for three years, runs the South Renaissance Fencing Open with the David Coblentz, and is a respected Referee/Director of tournaments.
Dori Coblentz
Maestra Dori Coblentz, PhD, received her master-at-arms certification through the Sonoma State Fencing Masters Certificate Program. Her doctoral research and current book project, Artful Devices on the Early Modern Stage (forthcoming January 2022 from Edinburgh University Press), is on the contributions of fencing theory and practice to Shakespeare and Jonson’s drama. Dori’s most recent fencing pedagogy work has been within the historical fencing movement, where she is particularly interested in curriculum development. She has published on this topic in a 2018 training manual, Fundamentals of Italian Rapier: A Modern Manual for Teachers and Students of Historical Fencing, which she co-authored with David Coblentz. She teaches weekend seminars and has offered classes at events such as Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium (2020), Rapier in the Rockies (2018), and Riposte Harlem (2017). She organizes Atlanta’s Rapier and Saber Pedagogy retreat (RASP), a long weekend coaching clinic designed to bring together classical, historical, and modern practitioners and teachers.
David Coblentz
David Coblentz was certified as a Master at Arms by a board of maestri in 2010. His training came primarily through the San Jose Fencing Masters Program, where he earned his Instructor (2008) and Provost at Arms (2009) certifications. David has long been interested in curriculum development for historical fencing. He has taught on this topic as well as others in venues such as the Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium, Riposte Harlem, Red Sun Classical Fencing, and SoCal Swordfight.