Main Instructor, Founder of Baited Blade
Robert A. McPherson
Robert’s interest in the sword was first manifest in the form of a fencing class in 1982. He quickly moved to teaching foil. As time progressed, he found that to further explore the art and pursue it the way he felt was best, he would have greater success if he formed his own fencing group, which he eventually did. This group evolved into “Baited Blade.” As a teacher with his own curriculum, he knew that he had to expand his horizons. In this light he pursued special instruction from Classical Fencing Masters such as Adam Crown, Nick Evangelista, Ramon Martinez and Sean Hayes as well as expert sword practitioners the likes of Guy Windsor and Scott Brown.
Bob also brings his academic skills to this art. As a history major, Bob is no stranger to research. After reading or hearing various versions of fencing’s origins and evolution, he felt there was something missing as well as some misinformation. He dove into as much available material that he could find and utilized much of the information in those sources to expand his understanding, relying on his kinetic training to form working theories which he applies to his teaching today. The classical and historical fencing Bob teaches at his club, Baited Blade, are part of a viable martial art.
Mr. McPherson has also applied his knowledge and skills to excellent effect towards stage fighting. He has choreographed numerous fights for plays such as Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Dangerous liaisons, I Hate Hamlet and many more. His knowledge of proper form and combative dynamics inform his stage fights. Because of this, Mr. McPherson is that rara avis, the critically acclaimed fight choreographer; most are merely mentioned or passed over completely.
Most importantly however, Bob is a teacher. It is through teaching the art in his own manner and passing on his philosophies that he feels truly fulfilled. Bob’s primary goal is to pass on his passion for the sword and stress self-improvement over the petty victory of merely winning a fencing match.
Instructor
Emily H. Moore, Ph.D.
At the tender age of five, Emily decided she wanted to be a jedi—a dream that was not fully realized until 2003 when she received fencing classes at Baited Blade as a gift for her 12th birthday. Though she quickly discovered classical fencing was not exactly like fighting with lightsabers, she continues to fence anyway to this day. Over the years, Emily has soaked up fencing knowledge from many sources, most notably from Bob McPherson and Maestro Nick Evangelista as well as her own experiences. In October 2005, Emily solo-taught her first beginning fencing class and in 2007 she began taking on private students of her own.
Though Emily has dabbled in all of the weapons Baited Blade has to offer and instructs in many of those weapons, she puts most of her energy into classical foil—a weapon in which she has quite a reputation with her fellow club fencers. Given her desire to impart the importance of foil to students, she also organizes fencing workshops for the club twice a year.
In addition to her work as an instructor and lifelong student of fencing at Baited Blade, Emily also writes (or co-writes), choreographs, and directs the club’s signature fight shows which occur each fall. Most recently, the club finished a well-acclaimed performance of Hemlock Jones and the Ray of Eventual Death, an original play that Emily wrote with her husband in 2016.
When she’s not fencing and working on the next fight show, Emily is a commercial real estate statistical modeler at the St. Louis County Assessor’s Office and proud food/petting machine for her cat, Augustus and keeshond, Odin. Emily received her doctorate from Washington University in St. Louis in Political Science (focused in American Politics and Research Methods) in 2018.
