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 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 …
Ethical considerations with antique swords, part 2: cuttingRead More
A sensible progression for buying longsword equipment
When people begin training at a club, it is only reasonable for them to be able to borrow some equipment from the club. After all, no one can reasonably expect that a complete beginner will run out and buy themselves all the protective gear to …
A sensible progression for buying longsword equipmentRead More
What is the difference between a “350N” fencing mask and a “1600N” fencing mask?
This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on 22nd April 2016. It has been edited and improved for posting here. When looking to buy a fencing mask, there are a huge variety of makes and models, and they all come with some numbers to …
What is the difference between a “350N” fencing mask and a “1600N” fencing mask?Read More
Argue with me if you like, but please argue well
It occurs almost every time I post a blog article: someone disagrees with me and wants to argue with me. That's fine, I really don't mind when this happens. Disagreement that leads to discussion can be one of the things that drives forward our …
Diagnosing a problem in sparring
People often ask me for advice about how to diagnose a problem in sparring, and how to fix it once it has been identified. This can be a tricky thing to do at first, but with some practice and with a reasonably structured method, the process becomes …
You cannot hide from boolean data
One of the most important developments in my practice of fencing was when I started doing test cutting, because this gave me boolean data, and either I succeeded or I failed. There was no longer any way to hide behind an excuse for why a technique …
Reconsidering the buffalo
The Liechtenauer glosses speak of the buffalo, and not in a very complimentary fashion. However, we should not make the naïve assumption that the buffalo is a fencer who is strong but dumb, nor should we assume that the buffalo is a bad fencer. …
Thoughts about the Schaitelhaw and fencing from Alber
The Schaitelhaw is one of the most difficult strikes in the Liechtenauer tradition of fencing, and most people struggle to find a good interpretation of the technique that they can rely upon during sparring and tournaments. I will be the first to …
Thoughts about the Schaitelhaw and fencing from AlberRead More
Learning the position of Vom Tag
When I teach the position of Vom Tag to beginners, I do it very differently these days to what I used to teach even a year ago. My understanding of the Vier Leger (the Four Positions) has changed in general, for the better I think, and my cutting …
Meyer’s four openings drill (aka Meyer’s square)
In his 1570 book, Joachim Meyer included a brief paragraph and a small diagram to describe an exercise for learning how to strike to the four openings (the Vier Blossen) on an opponent. Both the diagram and the exercise have become popular in the …
Knowing when NOT to win
When we are sparring, and certainly when we compete, we want to apply our skills successfully and we want to “win” the fight. This is only reasonable, and it is also the purpose of many sparring exercises, where learning the skill involves learning …
Trying to simulate a real fight
When people design rules for a HEMA tournament, a common idea is that the competition should simulate a real fight as closely as possible. This always involves a series of assumptions about what a “real fight” is, exactly, and also about how a person …
Unhelpful advice 2: “It is alright to take a hit to give a hit”
This is the second article in a short series, discussing common pieces of advice that sound helpful but in fact can be detrimental to your practice of some HEMA systems. A common piece of advice in some unarmed martial arts is that it is alright …
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Are you tough, smart, or both?
A story that I have heard from several people and clubs over the years is that when they began training HEMA, they didn’t bother with much protective gear beyond fencing masks, and they just took the bruises that resulted, because they felt tough …