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” …
Unhelpful advice 5: Yet more myths of the short person in martial artsRead More
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
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” …
Unhelpful advice 3: Myths of the short person in martial artsRead More
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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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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Ethical considerations with antique swords, part 3: storage
This is going to be a short article, presenting an ethical consideration. Previous articles in this series discussed the problem of people sparring with antique swords, or using antique swords for cutting; in this article, the focus will be on …
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Ethical considerations with antique swords, part 2: cutting
This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on 12th February 2016. It has been edited and improved for posting here. This is going to be a short article, presenting an ethical consideration. The previous article in this series discussed …
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Ethical considerations with antique swords, part 1: sparring
This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on 29th January 2016. It has been edited and improved for posting here. This is going to be a short article, presenting an ethical consideration. Some HEMA groups who study sabre have …
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Preservation, cleaning, and restoration of blades – historical and otherwise
This is a guest article by Adam Severa. Originally, Adam posted this to Facebook, and I asked if I could host it on my blog to help preserve the article for posterity and for more easy reference and access in the future. He kindly agreed, and gave …
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Review of the Carnage Claymores “technical” sabre
Carnage Claymores is a relatively new smithy that has opened in Scotland recently, with a focus on making Scottish swords for the HEMA community. Thomas McConnell is the smith behind the company; he is also the instructor at the Highland Broadsword …
Review of Lambert & Lambert Antiques
I recently bought an antique sword from Lambert & Lambert Antiques, and have been delighted with every part of the process. …
What is survivor bias?
What is “survivor bias”, and why is it important in the study of historical artefacts? When historical items of any sort are preserved in a collection of any kind, they can give us information about the time period from which they originated. They …
Review of the DOHEMA sword sheath
I was recently given a DOHEMA sword sheath as a gift. The item was not given to me for reviewing, but I would like to take this opportunity to share my thoughts about it. The DOHEMA sheaths by Black Armoury are made from a modern synthetic …