This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on 17th April 2015. It has been edited and improved for posting here. Many longsword practitioners choose to buy their first feder or training sword from Péter Regenyei at Regenyei Armory. …
Should I buy a Kingston Arms federschwert?
Question: Is a Kingston Arms federschwert worth buying? My verdict: No, probably not. …
Review: Stryker singlestick from Purpleheart Armoury
The Stryker singlestick is a rattan stick with a plastic basket for fencers who want to train with singlesticks. Leather baskets, although traditional, can be prohibitively expensive, and don't always provide enough protection against impacts to the …
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Responsibility to our training partners
Marc and Alex performing an exercise during a lesson at Liverpool HEMA. Photo by Keith Farrell, 2017. This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on 27th February 2015. It has been edited and improved for posting here. We often take …
Go for the legs!
This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on 16th October 2015. It has been edited and improved for posting here. It is a common piece of advice for shorter fighters who face taller opponents that they should "go for the legs". I …
Sparring is not always the best training method to become better at sparring
This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on 11th October 2013. It has been edited and improved for posting here. I have often come into contact with the idea that the best way to become good at sparring is to practise lots of …
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Five reasons to learn foil fencing
This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on 21st August 2015. It has been edited and improved for posting here. Many practitioners of historical fencing have little interest in modern foil fencing, preferring the historical …
Unhelpful advice 5: Yet more myths of the short person in martial arts
This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on 5th April 2013. It has been edited and improved for posting here. As a relatively short person (5 feet 6 inches, or roughly 167 centimetres in height), I have heard all kinds of “advice” …
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Introducing new students to sparring
This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on 13th February 2015. It has been edited and improved for posting here. Most schools have a particular method for introducing new students to the exercise of sparring. The school will have …
Unhelpful advice 4: More myths of the short person in martial arts
This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on 5th April 2013. It has been edited and improved for posting here. As a relatively short person (5 feet 6 inches, or roughly 167 centimetres in height), I have heard all kinds of “advice” …
Unhelpful advice 4: More myths of the short person in martial artsRead More
What is a “Claymore”?
This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on 6th February 2015. It has been edited and improved for posting here. A question that appears regularly is “what is a claymore?” There is a persistent misunderstanding about what the term …
Unhelpful advice 3: Myths of the short person in martial arts
This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on 5th April 2013. It has been edited and improved for posting here. As a relatively short person (5 feet 6 inches, or roughly 167 centimetres in height), I have heard all kinds of “advice” …
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“If you frighten easily…” and bravery in martial arts
Bravery is an integral part of fencing with the longsword, with Liechtenauer’s Zettel saying explicitly that “if you frighten easily, you will never learn to fight.” Although this may seem like fairly obvious advice (yet it may also seem counter …
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Recognising the early warning signs of pain for HEMA practitioners
As martial artists, we tend to be no strangers to pain. Bruises, bumps, small cuts or grazes, general aches and tiredness – these are nothing so unusual! However, not all pain is equal, and sometimes pain is the body’s way of warning us that we are …
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5 ways to train the Abzug (and to avoid an afterblow)
This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on 31st July 2015. It has been edited and improved for posting here. The medieval and renaissance German martial arts (particularly those with the longsword) include the concept of the Abzug, …
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6 books to help learn the context of medieval HEMA
This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on 18th December 2015. It has been edited and improved for posting here. There are now many publications dealing with the nuts and bolts of different medieval HEMA systems, which is a wonderful …
Short Biography: Johann Justus Runkel (1751-1808)
I am interested in working with antique swords, since studying the original items can tell us much about the construction and use of swords in history. I have a small (but growing!) collection of antique swords, and some of them bear a signature on …
The value of HEMA in the modern world
What is the value of HEMA in the modern world? Why is it worth spending so much time (and so much money) in the pursuit of this activity? Why do we undertake such physical and mental exertion to do what we do? Why not just go to the pub directly and …
Doing it right, or just doing it
This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on the 1st of January 2016. It has been modified a little for reposting here. One of the ideas that causes problems for a lot of people across the world is the idea that whatever you want to …
Five solo practice drills: Scottish broadsword
This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on 23rd September 2016. It has been edited and improved for posting here. If you spend time working on your skills in between your regular weekly sessions, your skill will develop more …