This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on 21st October 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 swiftly, …
The importance of books 36: Roberto Martinez-Loyo
This is a series of interviews with well-known HEMA practitioners from around the world. The subject is the importance of books in the HEMA community. Personally, I think books are immensely important to the community (and in general!), but I am …
Review of “The Talhoffer Society”
The Talhoffer Society by Michael Edelson is one of the best works of fiction that I have read in the last few years. Well-paced, well-written, and thought provoking. It is an excellent ambassador for HEMA in the world of fiction. …
Review of “Cutting with the Medieval Sword”
I have been looking forward to the publication of Cutting with the Medieval Sword by Michael Edelson, and now that it is finally in print, I bought a copy immediately. It arrived a few days later and I immersed myself in it over the course of an …
The importance of books 35: Mishaël Lopes Cardozo
This is a series of interviews with well-known HEMA practitioners from around the world. The subject is the importance of books in the HEMA community. Personally, I think books are immensely important to the community (and in general!), but I am …
When can we question the masters?
An interesting discussion that arises from time to time in the HEMA community is how much we can trust what the authors of our source material wrote, when we may in fact have better ideas and can improve upon these methods, and generally: when can we …
The importance of books 34: Alen Lovrič
This is a series of interviews with well-known HEMA practitioners from around the world. The subject is the importance of books in the HEMA community. Personally, I think books are immensely important to the community (and in general!), but I am …
Fencing and driving: 5 similarities
This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on 9th December 2016. It has been edited and improved for posting here. I think that fencing with a sword and driving a car involve some very similar skills. If you drive, then you may …
The importance of books 33: Cory Winslow
This is a series of interviews with well-known HEMA practitioners from around the world. The subject is the importance of books in the HEMA community. Personally, I think books are immensely important to the community (and in general!), but I am …
What to read to begin studying longsword
New people are always coming into HEMA, and many want to begin studying longsword. A common question is what sources or books to read? What online resources are there? How to get started? This would be the five resources I would recommend to new …
Review of the Destroyer Modz “Roughneck” gorget
I have used a Destroyer Modz "Roughneck" gorget for protection in sparring for a few months now, and I find it offers me a combination of protection with mobility that I haven’t experienced with any other gorget. …
Review of the PBT gorget
I have used a PBT gorget for protection in sparring for a couple of years, and I am quite satisfied with it. It is reasonably comfortable, it offers sufficient protection, and it has saved me from some quite nasty thrusts. …
The importance of books 32: Daniel Jaquet
This is a series of interviews with well-known HEMA practitioners from around the world. The subject is the importance of books in the HEMA community. Personally, I think books are immensely important to the community (and in general!), but I am …
Fencing with mixed weapons
An idea that seems to be enduringly popular is to see what happens when fencing with mixed weapons; if one person as a longsword and the other a messer, or sabre against rapier, or spear against sword and buckler, for example. Some combinations are …
The importance of books 31: Ties Kool
This is a series of interviews with well-known HEMA practitioners from around the world. The subject is the importance of books in the HEMA community. Personally, I think books are immensely important to the community (and in general!), but I am …
The importance of consistency in your training
When you train martial arts (or indeed, any physical activity), consistency is one of the most important skills to develop. It will improve your training and your resulting skill development in many ways. It will also improve how swiftly your …
The importance of books 30: Ilkka Hartikainen
This is a series of interviews with well-known HEMA practitioners from around the world. The subject is the importance of books in the HEMA community. Personally, I think books are immensely important to the community (and in general!), but I am …
What is HEMA to me?
This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on 10th June 2016. It has been edited and improved for posting here. We all have different motivations behind our practice of HEMA, and we also tend to have slightly different understandings …
The importance of books 29: Anton Kohutovič
This is a series of interviews with well-known HEMA practitioners from around the world. The subject is the importance of books in the HEMA community. Personally, I think books are immensely important to the community (and in general!), but I am …
Curved Swords and “Polish Sabre”
This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on 24th June 2016. It has been edited and improved for posting here. I have a curved sword. When I fence with it, am I practising Polish sabre? The reconstruction of 17th century …