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...
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Category: Articles
The use of the German battle sword in the late 16th and early 17th century
The use of the striking German battle sword as found in many armories through out Germany still poses many unanswered questions. This article provides an overview over contemporary sources and proposes an approach to combine the information gained from those sources to determine possible techniques and principles for this weapon.
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Polish and Czech sources on medieval urban violence
Note to reader: This document complements an essay published on the blog Martial Culture in...
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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...
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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....
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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...
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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...
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Forerunners of the Fechtschule Pt I : Antiquity
“An average, foundational knowledge of the past helps us understand the 14th-16th c. Fechtschulen...
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Review: The GFFG Berbekucz Club Sword
Over a decade ago, the great and renowned HEMA maestro Roberto Gotti of the...
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Some thoughts on playing the victim
A problem that we commonly encounter in the training and teaching of martial arts in general, is...
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Community Interview: Maxime Chouinard
Today’s community interview is with Maxime Chouinard who lives in Kingston, Ontario, Canada,...
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On The Five Words and Withdrawal
Mark, this is that before all things you shall rightly undertake and understand these two things,...
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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...
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Glossary of Late Medieval Terminology (15th Century Baltic)
Over the years I have spent researching Late Medieval Central Europe, I ran across many unfamiliar...
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The South Italian Longsword of Marc’Antonio Pagano (1553)
This article translates and contextualises the longsword bout detailed in Le tre giornate di...
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On Individual Lessons in HEMA
Ours are fighting systems that are under (re)construction. Those of us who consider themselves...
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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...
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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...
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Concerning the Reliability of the Waggle Test
Dynamic parameters define a rigid body’s reaction to external forces. While their importance for a sword’s behaviour is known since the 19th century, many data sets of original swords, replicas and training weapons include mass and the centre of mass, but lack a third parameter such as moment of inertia, radius of gyration, or corresponding centres of oscillation/percussion. A third parameter, however, is required to calculate a rigid object’s response.
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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...
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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...
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Riddled in Ink – A Stylistic Comparison of Artwork in MS M.383 and the Novati Facsimile
Proposition This article proposes that Francesco Novati’s 1902 facsimile reproduction of Flos...
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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,...
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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...
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Fighting as a communicative skill
Since the elements described and explained up to now are properly just a beginning and primer...
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The Recital of the Chivalric Art of Fencing of the Grand Master Johannes Liechtenauer
Though long delayed, this book represents the most complete picture possible of the Liechtenauer tradition of foot combat as it was recorded in the mid 15th century. It’s the text I wanted for my students when I was leading a study group, and I’m happy to finally offer it in print. I hope it serves in some small way to advance the study of Johannes Liechtenauer’s art.
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The point of sparring
While sounding like a simple thing to define, sparring can have quite a few and very different...
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“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...
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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...
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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...
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King and Fool – The Vier Leger of Liechtenauer’s Tradition
King and Fool – The Vier Leger of Liechtenauer’s Tradition and their relationship with...
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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...
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Basic Meyer Quarterstaff series
For the last seven years I have dedicated myself to the study of Joachim Meyer’s...
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The Last Duel, Part 2: Death by Sodomy
Part One of this article examined the famous judicial duel between Jean de Carrouges and Jacques...
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What Really Happened at the Last Duel? Part1
According to the website Deadline Hollywood, Studio 8 has hired a screenwriter to turn Eric...
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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...
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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...
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When to hit hard in HEMA
This article describes how full contact martial arts handle sparring intensity like Mixed Martial Arts, Dog Brothers Martial Arts, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Luta Livre, Freestyle wrestling, Kendo and what we can learn from this for HEMA.
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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...
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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...
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“The Use of Weapons”, René François (1621)
The entry on fencing in René François’ 1621 encyclopedia is a rich source of terminology and...
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Adolphe Corthey: A French 19th Century HEMA Pioneer
In the introduction to “The Sword and the Centuries” (1901), Alfred Hutton mentions a curious incident. His fencing group in the London Rifle Brigade were invited to Belgium to put on a display of historical fencing. What can we discover about this Belgian event? What follows is an overview some literary detective work that reveals Adolphe Corthey, a man in every way Hutton’s equal and the powerhouse behind late nineteenth century HEMA in France.
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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...
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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 centuries. The extant sources are listed and analysed. Different approaches to teaching this weapon’s handling are described, stressing those who can provide a context for its use.
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The Ringen of Joachim Meyer
This article shall group Joachim Meyer’s Ringen into collections of similar throws....
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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...
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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....
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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....
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Chivalry East of the Elbe, Part I
Introduction: So what happened to the Second Estate? Most of my own HEMA-related historical...
Read MoreFrom 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 to lack specific and straight forward training guidelines … which has tactical skill...
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Use of opposite hand and muscle imbalance
Should we use our off hand in order to further our skills as a fighter while also balance our muscle growth?
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Presenting for Education
The Phoenix Society went to the Arizona Knife Collector Association’s big knife-show and we...
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The importance of tactics in duel & sport
A couple of weeks ago when I was reading the excellent manuscript “La Scherma” by the maestro...
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Bored Students
The most knowledgeable of instructors can also be some of the least effective teachers. There are...
Read MoreMaking 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 as cuts and thrusts, and improving precision. Construction These wooden...
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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...
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The nature of the work ahead of us
Our personal goals in studying HEMA are varied, complex and individually quite different. For...
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Resources on Medieval Literacy Part III
The 14th Century: Famine, war, plague and demographic collapse. The rise of the vernacular and...
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Checkmate! A workshop guide
Back in the end of May this year we had the honor to be invited to the internationally renowned...
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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...
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HEMA Pedagogics Part 2: The implications
Continuing from what we examined in the first HEMA Pedagogics article where we looked at the...
Read MorePolish 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 specific weapon, that is (not fully accurately) attributed to the famous winged...
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Introduction to Joachim Meyer’s quarterstaff
Long overdue I’ve finally posted my booklet on the Meyer quarterstaff, a weapon also used to...
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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...
Read MoreHEMA, 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 authors and, when talked about, done so in a vague manner. At the same...
Read MoreConcerning 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, particularly the nodes of the fundamental flexural vibration; the node which is...
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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...
Read MoreSystem 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 manuscripts is their approach to teaching. Broadly speaking, there are two...
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Skalastet – Sami quarterstaff & spear fighting tradition in Northern Sweden
Little is known of any indigenous martial arts traditions of Scandinavia, and while the Icelandic...
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The Onion – Basics of European Longsword: Part 10
For practitioners of German longsword it is fairly commonly known that with some stances and cuts...
Read MoreExtensive 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 some of the most basic principles underlying Joachim Meyer’s dusack...
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Concerning the Rules of Tournaments
This article is to some extent a reply to Γιώργος Ζαχαρόπουλος’s article in which he points out...
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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...
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Fabrice Cognot – Bladesmith & Scholar
Today we are introducing Dr. Fabrice Cognot, Burgundian swordsman, polearms specialist and...
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Fechtordnung of the City of Solothurn
Below are three versions of the Fencing Ordinance of the Swiss town of Solothurn, first the...
Read MoreHistorical 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 the banner of Nobility Editor’s note: Philippo di Vadi Pisano was a 15th...
Read MoreIs 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. As I researched the topic more, I noticed that there is no way to put it all...
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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...
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Gaited horses in Fiore’s manuals?
I was originally researching technical aspects of Fiore’s mounted combat, staring at the...
Read MoreOn 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 will deal with the subject. First of all I have to let you know that I never...
Read MoreThe Cuts of the Bolognese School of Swordsmanship
Another great video by the amazing Ilkka Hartikainen. Enjoy!
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Resources on Medieval Literacy, Part II
The 13th Century: Commercial numeracy and literacy. Lay literacy and the first public schools. The...
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Meyer Pilgrimage Part 1 – Straßburg
We all share the same love for our personal and shared discoveries of a forgotten European martial...
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Resources on Medieval Literacy, Part I
Resources on Medieval Literacy, Part 1 When we talk about Historical European Martial Arts we...
Read MoreAn 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 have certain past grievances with a particular well known historical fencing...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
Read MoreFlorentines 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 well known to fencing historians and modern historical fencers. Other masters,...
Read MoreSelling 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 einem winckel[1] fechter; sunst hatt er die kunst nicht mit eren[2]. Which...
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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...
Read MoreSword 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 swords were commonly used as weapons. From the time of the legendary Byzantine hero...
Read MoreMeyer quarterstaff workshop in Florence, Italy
Here’s the workshop on Joachim Meyer’s quarterstaff held by me and my fellow GHFS member Mattias Moberg at the HEMAC Florentia event in March, in Florence, Italy. It has been edited down from a 3 hour workshop into a...
Read MoreConcerning 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 for which they are optimised, edged weapons, particularly those with longer...
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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...
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Free Fencing exercises
In our Meyer staff class we have been forced to develop methods that meet the simple fact that in...
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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...
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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...
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Rare illustrations of Byzantine warriors in the Renaissance book Erotokritos
The Renaissance book Erotokritos is a unique preserved manuscript with colour illustrations...
Read MoreTeaching 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 Joachim Meyer’s “Gründtliche Beschreibung… der Kunst des Fechtens”[i]. In my view, each...
Read MoreThe 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 Silver, by looking closer at a subject that most early treatises speak little of;...
Read MoreTowards 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 smoking, not spending too much money on certain things etc., etc. Some of us...
Read MoreFollow 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, dealing with the single rapier. In this contribution, a translation is presented...
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HEMA and politics
Looking at the recent “sexistic HEMA banner debate” I really feel a concern about how...
Read MoreThe 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 other, using care and agility, artfulness, delicacy and manliness, are at need the...
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Art of Control (Fechtschule Manifesto) Part 1
“Fencing with the Sword is nothing other than a discipline, wherein your force strives...
Read MoreSome 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 knight academy at Sorø (Ritterakademie Sorø). It was most likely written...
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The Onion – Basics of European Longsword: Part 6
Throughout history going all the way back from at least medieval times up until modern military...
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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...
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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...
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The Onion – Basics of European Longsword: Part 5
This week’s article will be talking about the topic of various ways of counterstriking...
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The Onion – Basics of European Longsword: Part 4
This time we will start moving into somewhat more unexplored and unmapped territory, working with...
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Longswords and their data
For the past year or so, I have been gathering data on longswords. These come from a wide range of...
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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...
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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...
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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...
Read MoreUnfolding 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 climate, and cannot be described appropriately by measures and rules, therefore it...
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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...
Read MoreLecture on swords in daily life of the Renaissance
Another excellent lecture by Jean Chandler, held at the IGX in Boston, USA...
Read MoreFrench 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, New Orleans & Roger Norling, GHFS/MFFG Finally we have here English translations...
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“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...
Read MoreIn 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 Corble and Kpt Emil Fick and some 50 more men around Europe, he struggled to...
Read MoreRegarding 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 Salle Green and Jeff Lord, Tom and John Farmer of the Knoxville Academy of the...
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15th and 16th century Italian wrestling analogies
Wrestling, in any era, culture and geographic era, is an archaic aspect of man, as a game,...
Read MoreFencing 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 combat, or claim direct experience of it, which should not surprise given their...
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Exercises for the Cloak and Rapier
The following are partnered drills for the cloak and rapier. It is vital that the attacker...
Read MoreCombat Glima – Tricks of the Trade
New video of Combat Glima, Norse combat techniques, by the great Glima Master Lars Magnar Enokssen.
Read MoreThe 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 renaissance times. The question, who could have been the first fencing master and...
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Smallsword… for we are many.
“Draw not your Sword but to serve the King, preserve your Honour, or defend your Life.” “Art...
Read MoreBrief 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 sidesword, so this should not be taken as a definitive form for all sword types....
Read MorePhysical 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) made out to be independent, as is the case with the existence of sport specific...
Read MoreJoachim 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 teachings. Similarly to how I worked with his staff teachings I will attempt at systemizing...
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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...
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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...
Read MoreSimple 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 child. I never had any documentation for it, but it was a simple system...
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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...
Read MoreFlower 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 watching, no matter if you focus more on the “Italian” or...
Read MoreDie Vorpal-Klinge!
This short movie shows a glimpse of the world of the Collegiate Fencing, the still living child of the Fechtschule tradition. For more reading, look at the excellent article An overview of German collegiate fencing traditions by...
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Meyer freeflow exercises
To begin with, just for clarification, this is not a typical article per se, but rather a text...
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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...
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Dynamic gripping of swords
Here’s a good clip from John Clements focusing on an often forgotten aspect of...
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Meyer’s masters
On this day, 443 years ago, Fechtmeister Joachim Meyer published his magnificent fencing treatise...
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Save the wrestling! A short history of wrestling
In a somewhat surprising decision the Olympic Committee has now decided to exclude both Freestyle...
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Napoleonic Flame-War ‘Cut vs Thrust’
During the late 18th and early 19th century the definition of a proper sword varied from...
Read MoreThe 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 Zetter in Frankfurt with the text translated into German and French. I must confess...
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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...
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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...
Read MoreA 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 even younger than other modern martial arts, since we have no precedent on which...
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The WhatChaMaCallit-Schwert
In Sweden we have a saying; “A loved child has many names” and looking at what is...
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In memory of Cpt. Alfred Hutton
Today we raise our glasses to the memory of the 19th cent. HEMA-pioneer Cpt. Alfred Hutton...
Read MoreRemember 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 had spent the money on a lavish lifestyle, often throwing big parties with...
Read MoreSkill 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 it should there be? The extreme usually goes towards having a minimum of...
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The Dussack – a weapon of war
In my opinion the dussack doesn’t quite get the recognition it deserves in the historical...
Read MoreWhy 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 least to harm the opponent in a way that he couldn’t continue fighting. Preferably...
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Russian test cutting practices
One of the great things about online HEMA research is that you often end up finding interesting...
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The Wreath or the Cash? On Tournament fighting
“Ey fåår Fächtare Krantz förn ändas Manlige Strijden. The Fighter shall not receive the...
Read MoreRope drill for HEMA.
<span data-mce-type=”bookmark” style=”display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;” class=”mce_SELRES_start”></span> This is a very interesting exercise....
Read MoreThe 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 haven’t read the article, it is suggested you do so, before...
Read MoreHeinrich 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, theologian, astrologer, and alchemist, and as it appears a soldier and...
Read MoreThe 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 effect.” – Carl von Clausewitz [3] The gears of war turn throughout...
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Meyer and Marozzo dagger comparison
It has been debated regarding to what extent Meyer was inspired by the Italians, the...
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About the flat parry
In the world of historical fencing, and particularly the fascinating field of research, we...
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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...
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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:...
Read MoreLearning 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 know how they do it. The reason I say this has to do with the fact that: I came...
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Didrik von Porat
For some time now I have searched and collected information about the Swedish fencing Master...
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Teaching martial arts
Quite recently, while exchanging all sorts of points of view with everyone’s good friend Roger...
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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...
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A journey through a technique: the Durchlauffen
The “running through” is mentioned already in the pseudo-Hanko Döbringer (on folio 23), and is...
Read MoreThe 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 tools that work together with our bodies in the appropriate manner. This may...
Read MoreJoachim Meÿer Halben Stangen techniques
The Guards Here are the main guards of Joachim Meÿer’s Halben Stangen: 1. Oberhut (left) 2. Gerader Versatzung (or Mittelhut) 3. Unterhut 4. Wechselhut (Not really a “main” guard, but a key stance) 5. Oberhut...
Read MoreStrengthening 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 Gothenburg Historical Fencing School. Since they are relevant to longsword...
Read MoreThe 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 towards sporting applications or may be practiced for fitness or spiritual...
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Chronicon Helvetiae
Just some brief reflections on images from Chronicon Helvetiae by Christoph...
Read MoreMeyer 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 much for a single 2 hour class and most of it will be practiced repeatedly through various...
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The Secret Fechtbuch of the Little Fuggers.
The famous Augsburg family Fuggers are still considered to have been one of the wealthiest...
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Fechtschwert or a blunt longsword?
What kind of steel longsword should one choose for sparring? There are of course many aspects to...
Read MoreDeutsche 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 the manuscript entitled “Codex Guelf 83.4 August 8°, which still resides in...
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Spinning around Hollywood Style?
Never ever turn your back against your opponent sounds like a good, solid advice, but is it always...
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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...
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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,...
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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...
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How long should a longsword be?
A simple reply would be long enough to reach your opponent. Stupid answer, I know… But the...
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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...
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Sparring swords – Introduction
What defines a good sparring weapon? A common notion is that it should be as close as possible to...
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