Ah, Video Digest #11. More videos this week! Some fun stuff from around the web, and also some good lessons with it.

The value of different types of sparring

Often, beginners (and sadly not just they) talk about sparring like it is one exercise – you put on all the gear you have and you go bashin’. Actually, there are a lot of different types of sparring – slow, medium, fast, with full power strikes, with half power (but high speed), scenario-based, limited, mixed… The possibilities are plenty. This video from the Big Tree Combat Club in Chatswood, Australia features a very nice and relaxed spar with sideswords. Key are the words of the instructor, who explains a bit about control and hitting not as hard as you can, but as hard as you need.

HEMA in China? Sure!

This is a fun little video from a Chinese group. They seem to love experimenting with various weapons. Their channel is called 斗战胜会视频站, which Google wisely translates as “Fighting victory video station” (not the worst name for a club I know). I can’t really say if they are from Beijing or Shenzhen, but perhaps videos with both cities in the title indicate there are at least 2 such groups in mainland China. I knew there were HEMAists in Taiwan, but it seems our art has reached the Celestial Empire, too!

B&I cutting again

Another video of another cutting tournament from the Canadians of Blood & Iron. It’s a pleasure to watch with the camera closer and the good lighting and video quality, something rare in most HEMA cutting tournament footage.

Go on an adventure with Academie Duello

A promo video! Well, yes, there is little to learn from a promo video if you are already doing HEMA. However, this promo from Canadian Academie Duello is a good lesson in marketing HEMA. Whether you think an intro tester course in such a format is a good idea or not, this way of presenting HEMA definitely looks good.