Jay Maxwell
Historical Combat Consultant | Combat Choreographer | Professional HEMA Instructor
Founder of Tempus Fugitives. Black Belt Hall of Fame inductee. Former internationally ranked HEMA competitor.
Jay Maxwell has been practising as a martial artist in Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) since 2004 and regularly teaches at high-profile international events. Starting his training in British systems of swordsmanship, he quickly came into contact with the Italian schools and was taken by their elegance. His subsequent research has focused extensively on the surviving written combat traditions of the Italian city states and the Holy Roman Empire from the 15th to 17th centuries.
Jay competed internationally in Sword & Buckler, Sidesword and Rapier & Dagger, achieving high-level results before retiring from competition to concentrate on teaching, historical research and professional consultancy. He was selected to represent the UK HEMA community at the 2019 European Games and was inducted into the UK Martial Arts Hall of Fame in 2023.
Today he is one of the very few full-time professional HEMA instructors in the world, running a network of schools across London. These have been the subject of national and international media, and his students regularly compete at the highest competitive level. His focus is primarily on the methodology of teaching and ensuring that the next generation of martial artists surpass him in every way.
Tempus Fugitives also provides a pool of experienced performers for larger projects. Its wider training community includes senior HEMA practitioners, professional stunt performers and parkour practitioners, allowing teams to be assembled for productions requiring multiple combatants or more complex physical sequences.
Jay has previous experience working in motion-capture environments, including both marker-based and camera-based capture systems. This has included practical performance work as well as adapting historical combat movements to the requirements of digital capture.
Professional & Academic Affiliations
Jay is a member of the Arms & Armour Society and the Society for Combat Archaeology, reflecting his continuing interest in the historical, material and archaeological context of European martial practice.
Recognition
- European Games 2019 — selected UK HEMA representative
- UK Martial Arts Hall of Fame — inducted 2023
- Freedom of the City of London — awarded 2025
Jay is available for historical combat consultancy, research and interpretation, combat choreography, specialist performance, motion capture and performer training for film, television and games, as well as collaboration with academic and heritage projects.
INTERVIEW WITH THE UK/IRELAND TEAM AT HEMA MINSK 2019
