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Stage combat & performance
Battle Ready Academy
The craft of bringing action to life. Battle Ready Academy focuses on stage combat, movement and performance, helping people develop their skills and tell convincing stories through action.
Our craft
- Stage combat training
- Movement and performance skills
- Workshops and training experiences
Learn. Practise. Perform. Progress.
Your training, between workshops.
Battle Ready Academy is developing an online learning space with Paul Marsey and Bethaney Shears. Follow structured lessons, keep your own practice notes and pick up your video where you left off. Academy Plus adds personal feedback on your practice.
The planned course library covers Combat Foundations, Unarmed Performance, Reactions & Selling Impact, and Screen Combat Essentials. The portal is currently in private testing, with course content being prepared for launch.
Academy
£12 / month at launch
Learn at your own pace with access to all published courses and their resources, plus saved lesson and video progress.
Academy Plus
£29 / month at launch
Everything in Academy, plus one private instructor video review per billing month. Send a clip of up to two minutes with one focused question.
Plus will initially be limited to 10 members, with a feedback target of five working days. Unused reviews do not roll over; resubmissions use another review credit. Unlimited messaging is not included. Academy annual access is planned at £120/year once the monthly service is established.
Paid enrolment is not open yet. Ask us about the launch or private testing. Online lessons support your practice; partner work and weapon techniques require approved tuition and instructor supervision.
Join the Academy waiting list
Email me about the Battle Ready Academy online launch and waiting list. This does not sign me up for Longship news.
Online signup is being connected. You can send us your interest by email in the meantime.
Email your waiting-list interestWorkshops & classes
Learn together. Perform together.
Tell us your group size, location, experience and preferred dates so we can discuss a workshop.
On the training floor
Authentic class photograph to be supplied.
Skills in practice
Authentic workshop photograph and photographer credit to be supplied.
The people behind the performance
Meet the Coaches
Paul Marsey
Founder, Lead Trainer & Performer
Paul has 23 years of experience in historical combat, live entertainment, performer development and immersive performance. He founded Battle Ready Academy in 2023, following 21 years with Dawn of Chivalry, where he was a lead performer and Fight Captain.
His Kynren Viking Village work brings together historical character, combat and public interaction, alongside experience coordinating flame effects and hot-prop safety. His teaching focuses on safety, believable combat, characterisation and storytelling across an extensive range of historical weapons. He holds six British Academy of Dramatic Combat qualifications.
BS
Photograph coming soon
Bethaney Shears
Instructor
Biography coming soon.
- Specialist skills
- Specialist skills to be added.
- Qualifications
- Qualifications to be added.
Battle Ready Academy
Stage combat, workshops and performance — action and shared learning from the training floor to the field.
Performance & events. Select a photograph to view and zoom. Class photography will appear in the workshop section when supplied.
Open the conversation
Bring us your idea.
Join our story.
The craft of bringing action to life. Battle Ready Academy focuses on stage combat, movement and performance, helping people develop their skills and tell convincing stories through action.
Beyond the Longship