A previous post discussed the subject with regard to treatises and the use of the sword and shield. […] The idea that the shields of this period were weak in some fashion, even though there is evidence of them being destroyed in the same saga, should not be over-stated, the shield was still used as…
In studying the idea of the use of sword and shield in the medieval period there is an issue as there is a large gap in knowledge. Studying the sword and shield in the Renaissance period is not so much of an issue as when the shield left the battlefield it found a place in…
At the beginning of a bout the two combatants salute one another, this is a sign of respect and thanks for their presence. Any officiating staff or an official table can be saluted as well, this is also a sign of respect and thanks. Once the bout has concluded the two combatants should handshake at…
The Fechtschulen or ‘Fencing Schools’ were combat sport events that purposefully emulated their historical predecessors as public spectacles attempting to maintain martial arts training traditions that date back to Ancient Greece. Some argue these Fechtschulen events for the Middle and Lower classes were pure sport and spectacle with little value […] Continue reading Forerunners of the Fechtschule…
“Now, when starting up the Gothenburg Free Fencers Guild […], we wanted to have a club sword that was as close as possible to historical originals, both in shape and characteristics, and which would fit well with the sources we study; primarily the treatises of Joachim Meyer.” Continue reading Review: The GFFG Berbekucz Club Sword on…
My focus is really on 18th-19th and early 20th century HEMA. What I would call “Industrial martial arts” and the remaining vernacular traditions which survived in that period. When I started HEMA, I tried to do as much as I could. Longsword, rapier, sabre, wrestling, staff, stick etc. I still think it is very useful…
There is no general theory of when one must withdraw, either because it is tactically advantageous, or because he is in danger. This analysis is an attempt to address both of these issues, and demonstrate that they are the same question, with the same answer […] Continue reading On The Five Words and Withdrawal on…
At least as early as in the early 17th cent, fencing masters swore to care in particular for widows and orphans, as can be seen in e.g. the oaths of the fencers of the Company of Maisters of the Noble Science of Defense. And this tradition was maintained in Germany until modern time, partly as…
Goliath: Written and Illustrated By Emma King. Middle school student, historical fencer, and aspiring comic book artist. The story of a high school girl who accidentally tumbles into the world of historical fencing. Alexandria is a high school student and soccer star. When she has to leave her high school team, her world begins to…
In early 2015 I moved to the island of Gotland, Sweden, and became a father more or less at the same time. During my parental leave I started watching Matt Easton’s Schola Gladiatoria videos, when my son slept. I realized that there was an academic approach in HEMA that appealed to me. I had for…