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.
As most of you know, just over a week ago I had the opportunity to fence and judge at a special event – HEMA in the European Games 2019 in Minsk, Belarus. As I prefer to do, I waited for … Continue reading What happened at Minsk 2019 (Full Report)
And the time has come for the big games this year… The HEMA Minsk invitational gala tournament, part of the cultural programme of the European Games of 2019 in Belarus. Quite a mouthful, isn’t it? But aside from being a … Continue reading This week playing at… Minsk European Games
While there is practically no information on how late medieval fencers practiced, sparred and competed amongst each other (aside from the fact they certainly did all of it), from the 1500s and onwards, better record keeping and a wider fencing … Continue reading Why historical rulesets are not what we need
Are 450 USD too much for the Duke Nukem Forever of HEMA gloves? Maybe so, maybe not, but this is the price of the Pro Gauntlet, as can be seen on the website of American supplier Purpleheart Armory. Sadly, as … Continue reading Is Pro Gauntlet’s price out? Not quite
Those are the words used to describe historical fencing by the deputy director of the Directorate of the 2nd European Games, Anatol Katou, on the website of said European games here. Yes, this is an article about the HEMA Minsk … Continue reading “This is more than a sport. This is a cultural and scientific study.”
I am a big fan of firsts. First sword, first tourney, first time washing a jacket… okay, well, the last one is not exactly pleasant. But a first international event – that is something I really love. My stepfather had … Continue reading This week playing at… Hematolia Istanbul
