The recent HEMA drama seems to be a debate on definitions, but in truth, it is simply an age-old fight – of competence against mediocrity. This strikes the heart of HEMA, because all of us have once been that – … Continue reading The Celebration of Mediocrity
In the last few days, the HEMA community has been collectively groaning in wonder at the series of videos of YouTuber Shadiversity that claim to talk about historical European martial arts, but consistently miss the mark both in regards to … Continue reading The Shad Drama – background, context and responses
For years I’ve searched the Google Play Store (and sometimes – the Apple App Store) for any HEMA apps. Naturally, what popped up was mostly fantasy games. But about 5 years ago I finally got one – one many of … Continue reading The two HEMA treatise apps on Android
A recent private discussion on HEMA online has made me realize that in today’s community, we expect much more of HEMA instructors than a decade ago. That’s not a bad thing, and we certainly see more and more professional instructors … Continue reading HEMA students, teach your teachers
We are back – and we are warming up with our most solid series of articles, the weekly Video Digest. In the time this project has been on hiatus, HEMA videos have grown so much – so more often than … Continue reading Video Digest #15 – Is history a thing for you people?
Perhaps the standard in HEMA right now, SPES have always been fast at offering new products, but a bit slow on updating or upgrading their classics. Now we have a surprise – two of their most popular jackets, in 800N … Continue reading 2 new SPES jackets, finally 800N Light
There is a tendency in HEMA, like in other combat sports, to assume tournaments and free fencing to be the ultimate endgame. And that kind of thinking is not entirely wrong – sparring, competitive or otherwise, is the best way … Continue reading HEMA beyond tournaments: The Motus “Knightly” Obstacle course
I love travelling and meeting HEMA people, and Dijon and Minsk were perhaps two of the best opportunities to become acquainted with a ton of instructors, fighters and scholars from all around the world. But among all of them I … Continue reading Jay Maxwell: A school of fencing with a special concept
Just over 2 years ago, I went to my first tournament. It wasn’t anything too stressful or confusing for me – I had trained HEMA for 8 years by that point and I felt confident enough in my fencing. After … Continue reading First tournament? Train, prepare, learn.
