Were Poisoned Weapons ever used in Medieval Warfare?
Last summer, a friend asked me a question that I did not know the answer to. A nagging doubt led me down one of those “rabbit holes” all…
The use of the German battle sword in the late 16th and early 17th century
by Björn Rüther In the course of the 16th century, the armories in German-speaking countries were virtually flooded with large two-handed swords,…
Polish and Czech sources on medieval urban violence
Note to reader: This document complements an essay published on the blog Martial Culture in Medieval town, available here:…
A historical fencer’s primer on late medieval and early modern magic
When you first start reading the medieval fencing manuals, one of the curious things you keep running into is magic. As with so much about these…
A Wonderful Struggle: The 16th Century Art of Civic Combat, Part 2
The procession arrives at the square. Publicans erects their tents and tap their barrels. Musicians collect into bands, and other performers wander…
Meyer’s Four Types of Fencers: How we conceive of them and ourselves
And the first are those who, as soon as they can reach the opponent in the Onset, at once cut and thrust in with violence. The second are somewhat…
A Wonderful Struggle: The 16th Century Art of Civic Combat, Part 1
There is a particular tension at play in the modern Historical European Martial Arts community regarding the the early and later period expressions…
Forerunners of the Fechtschule Pt I : Antiquity
“An average, foundational knowledge of the past helps us understand the 14th-16th c. Fechtschulen [...] that’s why we need researchers and people…
Review: The GFFG Berbekucz Club Sword
Over a decade ago, the great and renowned HEMA maestro Roberto Gotti of the fantastic Gairethinx - Sala d'Arme degli Erranti came…
Some thoughts on playing the victim
A problem that we commonly encounter in the training and teaching of martial arts in general, is the issue of how the "loser" of the training…
Community Interview: Maxime Chouinard
Today's community interview is with Maxime Chouinard who lives in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and who is the leader and main instructor…
On The Five Words and Withdrawal
Mark, this is that before all things you shall rightly undertake and understand these two things, which are the Before and the After, and thereafter…
On fencing societies and charity in the 19th century
At least as early as in the early 17th cent, fencing masters swore to care in particular for widows and orphans, as can be seen in e.g. the oaths of…
Glossary of Late Medieval Terminology (15th Century Baltic)
Over the years I have spent researching Late Medieval Central Europe, I ran across many unfamiliar words which were either academic terms of art or…
The South Italian Longsword of Marc’Antonio Pagano (1553)
This article translates and contextualises the longsword bout detailed in Le tre giornate di Marc'Antonio Pagano gentil'huomo napoletano. Dintorno…
On Individual Lessons in HEMA
Ours are fighting systems that are under (re)construction. Those of us who consider themselves researchers ponder their brains out in order to…
Brief notes on fencing, from the military treatise of Giovanni Alberto Cassani (1603)
Giovanni Alberto Cassani published a military treatise in Naples in 1603.1 In this work he indicates that he was born in the town of Frassinello…
Johann Georg Paschen’s Rapier Lessons: Developing a curriculum for teaching rapier fencing
This article will present an analysis of Johann Georg Paschen’s (1628-1678) Kurtze iedoch Deutliche Beschreibung handlend von Fechten auff den…
Concerning the Reliability of the Waggle Test
[latexpage]Dynamic parameters define a rigid body’s reaction to external forces. While their importance for a sword’s behaviour is known since…
The Dutch Experiment – De Hollandsche Methode, Christiaan Siebenhaar, and fencing in the Netherlands in the 19th Century
In the mid-19th century, not that long after the Belgian war of independence, an experiment was taking place in fencing in the Netherlands. The main…
How to read minds and the value of tournaments
Some month ago a nearby group decided to run a small longsword tournament as part of some local festivities, that also included a separate beginners…
Awards for Technical Excellence in HEMA Tournaments
Over the past five years, an increasing number of HEMA tournaments have added a new kind of award, aimed at rewarding fighters who display…
The Flower of Battle of Master Fiore Friulano de’i Liberi
Last week, in the same spirit of information freedom that inspired Wiktenauer's creation, I released a free ebook version of The Recital of the…
Fighting as a communicative skill
Since the elements described and explained up to now are properly just a beginning and primer from which all combat devices with the sword can…
The Recital of the Chivalric Art of Fencing of the Grand Master Johannes Liechtenauer
It's been a long road, but the 2015 Wiktenauer Fundraiser is finally, finally winding to a close. All perks are delivered apart from the scan…
The point of sparring
While sounding like a simple thing to define, sparring can have quite a few and very different goals and purposes that are sometimes hard to keep in…
“Take great pains in your knightly practices” – A brief review of Medieval and Renaissance training methodologies
Few men are born brave; many become so through care and force of discipline. - Flavius Vegetius Renatus Many pages have been written on the subject…
Basic Meyer Quarterstaff Techniques 02: Schnappen & Zucken
This video was recorded by the MFFG at the 4th Meyer Symposium in Iowa, USA, 2016 and is yet another small sidetrack from the series. It shows…
Basic Meyer Quarterstaff Techniques 01: Ruck & Truck
This video was recorded by the MFFG at the 4th Meyer Symposium in Iowa, USA, 2016. It is a small sidetrack from the series and shows two basic…
King and Fool – The Vier Leger of Liechtenauer’s Tradition
King and Fool - The Vier Leger of Liechtenauer’s Tradition and their relationship with common medieval German archetypes. Exposition includes…
Basic Meyer Quarterstaff 02: Long & short edge
This second video in the Basic Meyer Quarterstaff series brings up a few topics: First of all the stance and angles of the legs, which has been…
Basic Meyer Quarterstaff series
For the last seven years I have dedicated myself to the study of Joachim Meyer's combat arts, and his quarterstaff in particular. In this I have had…
The Last Duel, Part 2: Death by Sodomy
Part One of this article examined the famous judicial duel between Jean de Carrouges and Jacques Le Gris, which was held in Paris in 1386. As it…
What Really Happened at the Last Duel? Part1
According to the website Deadline Hollywood, Studio 8 has hired a screenwriter to turn Eric Jager’s book The Last Duel into a script for a…
Troublesome Student -The Winner, the Solver, the Heretic
As a teacher, you prepare to show a student a technique from the treatise of your choice. You have art, text, and experience, you're qualified, you…
All is Not Lost; Or HEMA on the Cheap
My first contact with what I know now as HEMA took place in the spring of 2009. I was attending a military re-enactment event at Jamestown Settlement…
When to hit hard in HEMA
Sparring and free play are important tools on our way to becoming more competent fencers, while at the same time the approaches and views on how to…
Florius de Arte Luctandi: Challenges and Discoveries in a Contemporary Latin Translation of Fiore dei Liberi
Florius de Arte Luctandi is formally designated Ms. Latin 11269 by the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris. Based on the content and style of…
How computer based systems can help improve our fencing skills.
Prolog: Epic Meaning The goal of every HEMA-fighter is to “survive” a duel - fought with protective equipment and as little rules as possible -…
“The Use of Weapons”, René François (1621)
The entry on fencing in René François' 1621 encyclopedia is a rich source of terminology and practices common in the fencing salles of this…
Adolphe Corthey: A French 19th Century HEMA Pioneer
In the introduction to The Sword and the Centuries (1901), ((Hutton, A The Sword through the Centuries (1901, Grant Richards, London), Dover…
Meyer Pilgrimage Part 2 – Basel
Almost exactly a year ago I was lucky enough to be taken on a small journey that has been a long time dream of mine; walking in the footsteps of 16th…
An overview of the Iberian Montante
This article gathers a series of notes written while studying the sources on the Iberian montante sword of the late XV century and following…
The Ringen of Joachim Meyer
This article shall group Joachim Meyer's Ringen into collections of similar throws. Hopefully this will better aid the modern student in learning…
Hack & Slash in the Age of Reason: Italian Rapier Against Multiple Opponents
“Finding yourself assailed by enemies, and supposing there are many of them, the situation demands nothing less than attacks like those of a…
The use of the saber in the army of Napoleon: Part IV – Wounds caused by the saber
Continuing with his four part series on The use of the saber in the army of Napoleon, Dr. Bert Gevaert now presents the…
The use of the saber in the army of Napoleon: Part III
Continuing with his four part series on The use of the saber in the army of Napoleon, Dr. Bert Gevaert now presents the third…
The use of the saber in the army of Napoleon: Part II
Continuing with his series on The use of the saber in the army of Napoleon, Dr. Bert Gevaert now presents the second part: Antoine Fortuné de…
A key to Meyer’s mechanics & footwork – part 1
Here is a rough diagram that tries to explain the core mechanics that go through all of Meyers fencing and which are the foundation for the…
The use of the saber in the army of Napoleon: Part I
“The sword is the weapon in which you should have most confidence, because it rarely fails you by breaking in your hands. Its blows are the more…
Chivalry East of the Elbe, Part I
Introduction: So what happened to the Second Estate? Most of my own HEMA-related historical research in the last ten years has been…
From WHAT to teach to HOW to teach: A coaching contribution for the HEMA of the XXI century
Tactical intelligence tends to be made out to be more complex than it actually is, by being seen as weapon specific. Furthermore, it also tends…
Use of opposite hand and muscle imbalance
A fellow HEMAist shared some thoughts the other day on an important topic; muscle imbalance. But, what is muscle imbalance? The Medical dictionary…
Presenting for Education
The Phoenix Society went to the Arizona Knife Collector Association's big knife-show and we didn't go to recruit. The demographic was mostly…
The importance of tactics in duel & sport
A couple of weeks ago when I was reading the excellent manuscript “La Scherma” by the maestro Francesco Ferdinando Alfieri (1640, translated…
Bored Students
The most knowledgeable of instructors can also be some of the least effective teachers. There are many reasons for this, but today's article will…
Making a wooden dummy for swordsmanship practice
The wooden dummies we use for sword practice are to us what the boxing bag is for a boxer. They are a great tool for practising basic techniques such…
HEMA Pedagogics Part 3: How to create a good learning environment
This is the third part of my brief article series on HEMA and pedagogics. Starting with the first HEMA Pedagogics article where we…
The nature of the work ahead of us
Our personal goals in studying HEMA are varied, complex and individually quite different. For myself, I try to understand how and why it is designed…
Resources on Medieval Literacy Part III
The 14th Century: Famine, war, plague and demographic collapse. The rise of the vernacular and vernacular literature. The paper mill spreads…
Checkmate! A workshop guide
Back in the end of May this year we had the honor to be invited to the internationally renowned event and tournament of SKUNKS, which is organized…
Meyerozzo: The influences of the Bolognese method in German Rappier
There are many reasons why I devote much of my time and my energies on what Joachim Meyer has exhibited in his treatises. But the main reason I…
HEMA Pedagogics Part 2: The implications
Continuing from what we examined in the first HEMA Pedagogics article where we looked at the gymnastics and pedagogics pioneers that laid the…
Polish Hussar Saber
Could one find a more Polish weapon than the Hussar szabla? Literally, when someone thinks of a saber from Poland, he probably thinks of this very…
Introduction to Joachim Meyer’s quarterstaff
Long overdue I've finally posted my booklet on the Meyer quarterstaff, a weapon also used to train spear and halberd. It is tied to the workshops I…
HEMA Pedagogics Part 1: The Pedagogics Pioneers & The Role of a HEMA teacher
This three-piece article, while aimed more at teachers of HEMA is also relevant to students of HEMA, since we are all students and the…
HEMA, Figueiredo (Montante) and … outnumbered combat
I have always fully understood HEMA researchers' reasons for staying mostly away from the topic of outnumbered combat, an issue rarely approached by…
Concerning the Dynamics of Swords
There are two major models that specify the point at which a sword should ideally hit its target. One model focusses on the sword’s vibration,…
An open-hearted letter about why I rarely fight in tournaments
Every now and then I get the question why I don't take part in tournaments. The answer to that question is both very personal and complex and I…
System vs Syllabus: Meyer’s 1560 and 1570 sidesword texts
As a professional educator as well as a long-time amateur martial arts instructor, one of the issues that fascinates me about the historical fighting…
Skalastet – Sami quarterstaff & spear fighting tradition in Northern Sweden
Little is known of any indigenous martial arts traditions of Scandinavia, and while the Icelandic tales, Konungs Skuggsjá and Olaus Magnus give us…
The Onion – Basics of European Longsword: Part 10
For practitioners of German longsword it is fairly commonly known that with some stances and cuts we should put our thumb against the flat of the…
Extensive article on basic Meyer dusack added
I have just added a 28 page article based on my dusack workshop. It is entitled Meyer dusack - the dusack in motion. It is a simple introduction to…
Concerning the Rules of Tournaments
This article is to some extent a reply to Γιώργος Ζαχαρόπουλος’s article in which he points out the conflicting requirements…
The Onion – Basics of European Longsword: Part 9
This time I will speak rather briefly about stances and the ideas behind them. This does not just apply to the longsword, but is applicable to…
Fabrice Cognot – Bladesmith & Scholar
Today we are introducing Dr. Fabrice Cognot, Burgundian swordsman, polearms specialist and bladesmith. Many of you already know him well, but perhaps…
Fechtordnung of the City of Solothurn
Below are three versions of the Fencing Ordinance of the Swiss town of Solothurn, first the original, then the English translation, then a German…
Historical overview of the Vadi family
Historical overview of the Vadi family Chronology from the X to the XIX centuries House on which the Prestige of Aristocracy was bestowed, raised…
Is it possible to be a full-time HEMA coach? Part 1
At first I wanted to write only one article that would cover some frequent questions about how to start your own HEMA club and turning it into a job.…
The use of the sword in the Great War: Faded glory or deadly efficiency?
"Now's your change, Charles - after them with the sword!' With a thunder of hooves, Hornby led 1st Troop in hot pursuit of the Germans, followed…
Gaited horses in Fiore’s manuals?
I was originally researching technical aspects of Fiore's mounted combat, staring at the illustrations, when I suddenly noticed the horses’ legs.…
On Tournament rules
Well I guess this is the “hot potato” of the HEMA community! I am sure that a lot of other people before me and surely a lot of others after me…
The Cuts of the Bolognese School of Swordsmanship
Another great video by the amazing Ilkka Hartikainen.…
Resources on Medieval Literacy, Part II
The 13th Century: Commercial numeracy and literacy. Lay literacy and the first public schools. The Beguines of Flanders. The second life of the…
Meyer Pilgrimage Part 1 – Straßburg
We all share the same love for our personal and shared discoveries of a forgotten European martial arts tradition and studying it we all learn to…
Resources on Medieval Literacy, Part I
Resources on Medieval Literacy, Part 1 When we talk about Historical European Martial Arts we obviously tend to focus on the martial first and…
An open letter to members of the HEMA Alliance and some other organizations.
You may believe certain conversations you have on public social media are somehow private or not seen by others. This is not the case. You may also…
The Onion – Basics of European Longsword: Part 8
Although not originally planned to be included in this series, I decided to add an article on a topic that deserves special treatment, since to…
Jogo do Pau as a window to historical fencing’s past: Understanding the effect of combat context on technique
Techniques and tactics in martial arts evolved over the centuries in response to, either prevalent strategies used by the majority of foes, or to a…
Brief description on training weapons in history
A very brief description on training weapons in history, mostly based on a short email to a sports fencer who is researching the topic, although…
The KA-BAR and the Fairbairn-Sykes: two fighting children of different philosophies
The knife is a silent and deadly weapon that is easily concealed and against which, in the hands of an expert, there is no sure defence,…
Florentines Doing “Florentine”: Combat with Two Swords According to Altoni and Docciolini
The sixteenth century saw a proliferation of fencing treatises written and published in the Italian peninsula. Some masters and styles have long been…
Selling the Fencing “Master” – On Georg Hager’s Vers, or: Earning Honours and Social Advancement in the Early Modern Age
In the early 1550s, the Nuremberg Meistersinger Georg Hager wrote: Wer brauchen wil die löblich kunst, von einem meister sol ers leren, Nicht von…
The use of sword behind the shield wall and phalanx
‘…With this, he drew the sharp blade at his side, a powerful longsword, and gathering his limbs together swooped like a high-soaring eagle that…
Sword staff: The sword of the poor!
Original article by Eytichios Tzirtilakis. Translation into English by George E. Georgas Once upon a time in the Byzantine Empire, the wooden…
Meyer quarterstaff workshop in Florence, Italy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1Envup5Ah8 Here's the workshop on Joachim Meyer's quarterstaff held by me and my fellow GHFS member Mattias Moberg…
Concerning the Sharpness of Blades
A high level of sharpness of cutting tools is preferable, just as it is for edged weapons. While tools are generally used in well defined situations…
The secret, dangerous military life of medieval superstars,
Anglophones are taught from an early age to believe firmly in the notion of the inevitability of progress, which is one of our strongest, albeit…
Free Fencing exercises
In our Meyer staff class we have been forced to develop methods that meet the simple fact that in staff fencing you are actually training with the…
Difference and similarities between “German” and “Italian” traditions – Roundtable review
This small review intends to share some of the outcome and to highlight some of the interesting discussions from the round tables held during the…
Vibration of the blade and how to use it
Everyone is aware of the fact that a sword blade vibrates, at least anyone with a basic level of knowledge of swords. This is especially true for…
Rare illustrations of Byzantine warriors in the Renaissance book Erotokritos
The Renaissance book Erotokritos is a unique preserved manuscript with colour illustrations belonging to the library of the Romanian Academy. The…
Teaching progressions in Meyer’s longsword 1: the attacking skill tree
Over the last five years, I’ve given several workshops in both South Africa and Europe focused on sequencing the teaching of techniques from…
The Onion – Basics of European Longsword: Part 7
This week we will be taking advantage of one of the greatest benefits from reading somewhat later masters, like Joachim Meyer and George…
Towards a new approach in HEMA-tournaments: Let’s fence naked!
The end of a new year and the beginning of a new year is for many people the ultimate occasion to launch new resolutions: losing weight, stop…
Follow some Lessons with Dagger and Rapier
In a previous article, a detailed introduction to manuscript Cod. 264.23 was presented along with an English translation of the first two sections,…
HEMA and politics
Looking at the recent "sexistic HEMA banner debate" I really feel a concern about how quickly these women and men who object have been disregarded…
The Art of Control – Fechtschule Manifesto 2
Fencing with the Sword is nothing other than a discipline, wherein your force strives together with your sword in placement so that one with the…
Art of Control (Fechtschule Manifesto) Part 1
"Fencing with the Sword is nothing other than a discipline, wherein your force strives together with your sword in placement so that one with the…
Some Fencing Rules
The following translation of the manuscript Cod. Guelf. 264.23 contains the notes of an unknown German speaking student about his fencing lessons at…
The Onion – Basics of European Longsword: Part 6
Throughout history going all the way back from at least medieval times up until modern military bayonet training a diagram typically depicting four…
From Treatise to Exercise- a model for turning text into action
An often overlooked aspect of historical fencing is how to go about turning all the information contained in a fencing text into a structured means…
Translation of an Essay on Saint Didier’s Fencing Treatise
... Published in 1573, by George Dubois, Master-of-Arms. Examining the nature of the works by ancient masters of fencing always surprises me.…
The Onion – Basics of European Longsword: Part 5
This week's article will be talking about the topic of various ways of counterstriking against an attack. Different masters and traditions handle…
The Onion – Basics of European Longsword: Part 4
This time we will start moving into somewhat more unexplored and unmapped territory, working with various clues gathered from different places, to…
Longswords and their data
For the past year or so, I have been gathering data on longswords. These come from a wide range of different source, from the dark nooks of the…
The Onion – Basics of European Longsword: Part 3
Time for part 3 in the Onion Article Series, this time taking a closer look at the parts of the weapon and how it relates to handling of distance and…
A tear in our beer for Sir Richard Burton
With no little shame, and for lack of time, I would today just very briefly like to suggest a toast for one of the more colourful, and bad-ass…
The Onion – Basics of European Longsword: Part 2
Continuing with part 2 in the Onion series of articles we will now focus on the topic of controlling the fight, or lack thereof and regaining it. In…
Unfolding the cape
Neither a real weapon, nor a simple cloth: the cape in Italian martial arts. The cape is an item of clothing, subject to the rules of fashion and…
The Onion: Basics of European Longsword: Part 1
For the last year or so I have been working on a group of primarily longsword exercises based on studying fechtmeister Joachim Meyer's…
Lecture on swords in daily life of the Renaissance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwsUVaa9lKo Another excellent lecture by Jean Chandler, held at the IGX in Boston, USA…
French fencing guilds
French fencing guilds of Paris, Lille, and Amiens in the 16th and 17th century Translated by Pierre Pichon Edited by Jean Chandler, SDA NOLA,…
“Contenders ready!” The Gladiator Revival of Belle Epoque France
During the Belle Epoque of France gladiators were held up as the very model of physical perfection due to their athletic ability, aesthetic form and…
In memory of Lt. Egerton Castle
On this day Sep 16 1920 one of our greatest HEMA Pioneers, Egerton Castle died. Together with men like Cpt Alfred Hutton, Baron de Cosson, Archibald…
Regarding the USFCA HEMA instructors program.
With all due respect to those who have opposing views regarding the new USFCA Master title, and to Ken Mondschein, Jerry Benson, Walter Green of of…
15th and 16th century Italian wrestling analogies
Wrestling, in any era, culture and geographic era, is an archaic aspect of man, as a game, during the growth, and also as a ritual and…
Fencing Culture, Duelling and Violence
Armed civilian conflict was a reality of early modern life, both arranged duels and spontaneous violence. Many masters speak lucidly of deadly…
Exercises for the Cloak and Rapier
The following are partnered drills for the cloak and rapier. It is vital that the attacker providing the techniques you are working against…
Combat Glima – Tricks of the Trade
New video of Combat Glima, Norse combat techniques, by the great Glima Master Lars Magnar…
The chronology of fencing books
At various points discussions have surfaced again and again, which question the chronology of the fencing styles and schools of late medieval and…
Smallsword… for we are many.
“Draw not your Sword but to serve the King, preserve your Honour, or defend your Life.” "Art of Fencing", Monsieur L'Abbat, 1696 (Andrew…
Brief Notes on Using the Cloak with the Rapier
The following are some suggestions for using the cloak with the rapier. Please note, the techniques will vary from those which can be used with a…
Physical conditioning, health & sport readiness
Humans attempt to make sense of their environment results, quite often, in the systematization of knowledge into boxes commonly (and quite wrongly)…
Joachim Meyer’s dagger system
Note: This is a working document and will continuously be updated as we work with our interpretations of Joachim Meyer's dagger…
A short note on strengeren, or “gaining the blade”.
What's our problem? The main purpose of any fencing art is to keep the fencer safe from the hostile intentions of his opponent(s), i.e. defense.…
Lady Fencers – transcript of an article in The Harmsworth Magazine, issue July 1899
I sought this article out of simple curiosity and was intrigued and surprised by the content. At face-value it seems a charming snapshot of Victorian…
Simple Staff Method and Drills
I first learned staff in the late eighties, and although I was not that interested in the provenance, as I recall my master learned it in Scouts as a…
A mentality of fear – and its importance to fighting
"If you want to learn how to fight properly and effectively with the long sword, so that you may, without gloves and without all armour, guard your…
Flower of Battle
Here is an excellent lecture on Fiore Furlano de Liberi, Ludwig von Eyb and more, by Michael Chidester, held at Fechtschule America 2013. Well worth…
Die Vorpal-Klinge!
This short movie shows a glimpse of the world of the Collegiate Fencing, the still living child of the Fechtschule…
Meyer freeflow exercises
To begin with, just for clarification, this is not a typical article per se, but rather a text sorted under the Meyer Research Project, thus a more…
The Saber’s Many Travels (The Origins of the Cross-Cutting Art)
Before you engage in combat, mind this: the blade of your saber is nothing else – and cannot be anything else – but an extension of your own…
Dynamic gripping of swords
Here's a good clip from John Clements focusing on an often forgotten aspect of swordfighting; the dynamic gripping of swords. Some time ago I wrote…
Meyer’s masters
On this day, 443 years ago, Fechtmeister Joachim Meyer published his magnificent fencing treatise 'Gründliche Beschreibung der Freyen Ritterlichen…
Save the wrestling! A short history of wrestling
In a somewhat surprising decision the Olympic Committee has now decided to exclude both Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling from the Olympic Games,…
Napoleonic Flame-War ‘Cut vs Thrust’
During the late 18th and early 19th century the definition of a proper sword varied from nation to nation. Initially, nations sought to…
The Plagiarism by Nicolleto Giganti.
A few years ago I translated the first book of Mr. Nicolleto Giganti into Castilian. The book I used for the translation was printed in 1644 by…
Giovanni Battista Gaiani (1619) – An Italian Perspective on Competitive Fencing
The relative benefit and importance of competition in modern HEMA is a frequent subject of debate. Despite differences in context, it is…
The genealogy of the Glima masters recognized by the Viking Glima Federation
Lars Magnar Enoksen (b. 1960) is president of the Viking Glima Federation and its master instructor. The following text is a short presentation of…
A theory-based approach to teaching HEMA
HEMA, it can be said, is only in its second generation by now, though some claim to be in the fourth already. This makes us a very young Art, and…
The WhatChaMaCallit-Schwert
In Sweden we have a saying; "A loved child has many names" and looking at what is today called a federschwert this seems to be true for this type of…
In memory of Cpt. Alfred Hutton
Today we raise our glasses to the memory of the 19th cent. HEMA-pioneer Cpt. Alfred Hutton who died on this very day, at the age of 71,…
Remember Mair
On this day, December 10, 433 years ago, Paul Hektor Mair was hung at the age of 62, convicted of embezzlement of the city of Augsburg's funds. He…
Skill training vs. strength training
This is a debate that has been heard by all of us one time or another, I believe: Should strength training be incorporated into HEMA, and how much of…
The Dussack – a weapon of war
In my opinion the dussack doesn't quite get the recognition it deserves in the historical fencing community, despite the fact that it was a highly…
Why Fight? The Objectives of Liechtenauer’s Fencing
When we hear how people describe the art of fencing in the Middle Ages, we often hear them say that it was all about fighting to the death, or at…
Russian test cutting practices
One of the great things about online HEMA research is that you often end up finding interesting material that you weren't really looking for. I was…
The Wreath or the Cash? On Tournament fighting
"Ey fåår Fächtare Krantz förn ändas Manlige Strijden. The Fighter shall not receive the wreath until the manly battle is ended (according to…
Rope drill for HEMA.
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The Rose and the Pentagram
This article is written to accompany the recent article about the mysticist, and possibly even fencer and a Freyfechter, Heinrich Agrippa. If you…
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, a fine student, black magician – and a Freyfechter?
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim (15 September 1486 – 18 February 1535) was a German knight, an ambassador, magician, occult writer,…
The OODA Loop & HEMA
"Knowledge is not power. Power alone is power. What knowledge does is provide the means to determine where to focus that power, for maximum…
Meyer and Marozzo dagger comparison
It has been debated regarding to what extent Meyer was inspired by the Italians, the Napolitans and the Bolognese fighting systems and…
About the flat parry
In the world of historical fencing, and particularly the fascinating field of research, we sometimes face scholars who express less well-founded…
Travel diary from visiting Sint Michielsgilde /Hallebardiers – the oldest European Fencing School in Brugge, Belgium
Last week I visited the Hallebardiers/Sint Michielsgilde in Brugge, Belgium having been invited to assist the excellent Kevin Maurer of the Meyer…
Doing what we are told or what we are taught?
Here's an old but still always relevant question for us HEMA practitioners to ask ourselves: When we read the old fencing treatises, should we only…
Learning may be tough, extremely tough… Time to wise up!!!
Throughout my years involved with martial arts I have seen, time and time again, instructors in the most varied arts who spar effectively but do not…
Didrik von Porat
For some time now I have searched and collected information about the Swedish fencing Master Didrik von Porat. This is what I have found…
Teaching martial arts
Quite recently, while exchanging all sorts of points of view with everyone’s good friend Roger Norling of GHFS, and upon stating that Jogo do…
The history of Joachim Meyer’s fencing treatise to Otto von Solms.
The Joachim Meyer fechtbuch named MS A.4°.2, a beautiful hand-written and watercolour-illustrated fencing treatise dedicated to Herrn Otto von…
A journey through a technique: the Durchlauffen
The “running through” is mentioned already in the pseudo-Hanko Döbringer (on folio 23), and is universally transposed throughout the so-called…
The tools for the job
To understand the body mechanics involved in a technique we not only have to train our bodies so we are strong and agile enough, we also need to use…
Joachim Meÿer Halben Stangen techniques
The Guards https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2cG-U1mLfI Here are the main guards of Joachim Meÿer's Halben Stangen: 1. Oberhut (left) 2. Gerader…
Strengthening exercises
Here are some very crude video clips we shot today of the strengthening exercises we have begun working with in the Meÿer Halben Stangen class at…
The Rules of the Fight and Effective Training
The Rules of Martial Arts There are rules in martial arts. The rules in modern martial arts are many and varied. These arts are often oriented…
Chronicon Helvetiae
Just some brief reflections on images from Chronicon Helvetiae by Christoph Silberysen, dated to 1576, currently kept in…
Meyer quarterstaff – A lesson plan
I thought it might interest some to see how a typical lesson plan for our Meÿer staff class in GHFS looks like. This is of course too…
The Secret Fechtbuch of the Little Fuggers.
The famous Augsburg family Fuggers are still considered to have been one of the wealthiest families in the world of all times, and since they were…
Fechtschwert or a blunt longsword?
What kind of steel longsword should one choose for sparring? There are of course many aspects to consider. However, many instinctively discount the…
Deutsche Fechtkunst im 16. Jahrhundert.
What was it like in a German 16th Century Fechtboden? Here is a glimpse written by Prof. Dr. G Panconcelli-Calzia in 1926, based on his studies of…
Spinning around Hollywood Style?
Never ever turn your back against your opponent sounds like a good, solid advice, but is it always so? What do you do for instance, when you face…
Knightly Arts: A true-hearted letter of warning of the sad state of current Christianity.
How did one train soldiers and horses for war in the 17th century? These images give a small glimpse of how this was done in Germany, quite possibly…
Is there really a Left Vom Tag?
Well there is a right Vom Tag, and a middle one... so there has to be a left Vom Tag as well, hasn't there? We make all master cuts cut from both…
How do you do the Vom Tag?
No, it's not the hottest, new move on the dance floor. It's just the old High Guard as it is taught by Master Liechtenauer and his disciples, may God…
How long should a longsword be?
A simple reply would be long enough to reach your opponent. Stupid answer, I know... But the question is also stupid... sort of. Let me…
How do you grip a sword?
Gripping a sword may sound like the easiest part of fencing; I mean it is just a matter of grabbing a sword and holding on to it. However, as we will…
Sparring swords – Introduction
What defines a good sparring weapon? A common notion is that it should be as close as possible to the real, sharp weapon it simulates, but be…