books | swords | teaching
A question that arises on a fairly regular basis is about what “counts as” historical fencing: how old does something have to be to consider it HEMA? Sometimes people give answers such as “before WW2”, or “at least a hundred years ago”, or even …
How old does something have to be to consider it HEMA?Read More
I believe that honesty is incredibly important in the pursuit of martial arts. Of course, honesty is an important characteristic in real life as well – dealing with people fairly is better than being underhanded and devious. Dishonest people quickly …
The terms modern fencing, classical fencing, and historical fencing can all be used to refer to different types of fencing or different approaches to the activity. However, there is no concrete definition for any of these terms, and most people will …
Modern fencing, classical fencing, and historical fencingRead More
I have bought a couple of antique swords from Richard Wales at Bygone Blades, an antique dealer in Scotland, and have only the best things to say about his knowledge, helpfulness, and the ease of doing business with him. …
The discussion about tricks and systems in HEMA seems to be recurring quite regularly at the moment. I recently saw something while reading an article about business productivity that gave me a new avenue of ideas to pursue, so I’d like to share …
More thoughts about tricks and systems (in real life too!)Read More
Warming up before training is something we should all do, to prepare for the lesson and to avoid injuries. Although this is usually common knowledge, information about HOW to warm up before martial arts practice is perhaps less common, and there is …
Many HEMA clubs have a very tight budget when starting out. This can make it quite difficult to get a club off the ground if you don’t have the spare money to invest in equipment, or if you aren’t sure that enough people will join for it to make …
Since the new year is upon us, I’d like to set myself some goals for 2019. I could do that quietly and privately, but I want to try and give myself a little public accountability, to make sure I actually get these things done! …
Test cutting with sharp swords is a valuable exercise for HEMA practitioners. However, as with any exercise or skill, there must be development and progression in the skill, so that it becomes better and more relevant to the activity in …
Although I’m currently based in Liverpool, I am responsible for all the paperwork and business admin for a full-time training centre that teaches HEMA in Glasgow, as well as offering archery and blacksmithing activities. The Vanguard Centre is …
The experience of running a full-time HEMA school in GlasgowRead More
From time to time, clubs may have the opportunity to do some community outreach and give some HEMA demonstrations for the public. This is a great opportunity to raise the profile of your club in your local area while helping to entertain and educate …
Sometimes there is a question about technique and its importance, compared with other elements of fighting, martial arts, and/or sports. Often some people will suggest that historically accurate technique is what verifies our practice of HEMA; other …
Back in September, Kaja Sadowski posted quite an interesting question to Facebook for discussion by her friends and colleagues: Honest question for my HEMA friends: if you consider the totality of the sources you work from, to what extent is the …
This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on 12th August 2011. It has been edited and improved for posting here. I used to be involved with a historical re-enactment group before I began to practise HEMA. More recently, I have taught …
This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on 13th January 2017. It has been edited and improved for posting here. Following on from my article about how to make techniques work in sparring, I would like to present a case study from my …
I recently had the opportunity to test and review the Superior Fencing padded shin guards. They are very protective, although the standard size were a bit too large for me. …
This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on 6th January 2017. It has been edited and improved for posting here. One of the common problems faced by many practitioners of historical fencing is that while we know and have learned many …
I recently had the opportunity to test and review the Superior Fencing forearm and padded elbow guards. They are very protective, and are not as bulky as some other forearm guards, although the standard size is perhaps a little too large for smaller …
Review of the Superior Fencing forearm & padded elbow guardsRead More
This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on 20th May 2016. It has been edited and improved for posting here. Can good fencing ever be considered “bad fencing” or “incorrect fencing” at the same time? Sometimes people integrate …
I have been using the Superior Fencing leather mask overlay pro for a while for both drilling and sparring. I like it a lot, and it has already protected my head from a few quite heavy hits. …
Review of the Superior Fencing leather mask overlay proRead More
