A category for op/ed pieces on HEMA topics.
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
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
Yet again, the HEMA community had a Nazi panic attack this week. A topic from a white supremacy forum revealed that plenty of its denizens have an interest in our hobby; some practice it, others maybe even teach it. That … Continue reading Are Nazis invading HEMA? Not really
One of the things I have learned about confidence is when you fake it long enough, you can actually bring out the real thing with a bit of effort. While there was plenty of babbling, many details I want to … Continue reading Teaching a first workshop – how it went & full video
Recently, I have noticed that more and more people with miniscule or complete lack of experience in HEMA partake most loudly and actively in online discussions. One could say that this is a typical characteristic of online discussion – the … Continue reading Authority in HEMA
Last week, I told you all about a first for me – teaching a small workshop at a small event outside of my school. The plan in the meantime was to do some testing with the planned lesson. Teaching a … Continue reading Teaching a workshop for the first time – testing and last touches
It starts so simple – you see someone twisting their wrist like a pretzel or their feet pointing towards the “enemy” three rows from them, you go and correct them, and a decade later you are an assistant-instructor and you … Continue reading Teaching a workshop for the first time: Planning
What is the goal? That is it. That is the question. Let me explain why it is so useful. HEMA is a term that encompasses a vast array of different activities. You can define them by era, weapon, tradition. That … Continue reading HEMA can be defined by answering one question
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