From the HEMA Blogosphere

A common piece of advice you may have heard is to never let your knee move forward beyond the front of your foot. This is well-meaning, but not actually true. The post Myth of Knees Over Toes appeared first on Sword STEM. ...

Greetings,The following discussion is about accuracy and the assertion that "accuracy is the best weapon". This will be discussed from three different points of view, all of which are relevant to those with an interest in swordplay. Accuracy is an element of which its importance cannot be denied, but for ...

Hello HEMA friends, Today I share with you this beautiful sparring video between Keith Farrell and Mauro Carapacchi which happened this summer here in my Valley. Lots of beautiful exchanges and precise thrusts. Enjoy.   ...

This guide is part of Louis Rupert Wachter’s book Aperçus équestres au point de vue de la méthode Baucher, published in 1862. It was written by Wachter but following the lesson plan of Pierre Billès (named, for some reason, “Billesse” in the book). So this is not only a catalogue ...

Does HEMA gear really wear out? You may be surprised to hear the answer isn’t necessarily yes... The post Do Swords Really Wear Out? appeared first on Sword STEM. ...

Hello HEMA friends! During the years I’ve found more and more people interested in the use of the single Arming Sword. I’ve always found this weapon fascinating too and I’ve used it for many, many years. But I always used … Continue reading → ...

Hello HEMA friends! I decided to put together this video because people seems to really enjoy watching my fencing evolve through my sparring videos. So I’ve searched for as much sparring video as I could find and I’ve been able … Continue reading → ...

The quote “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast” is a good reminder to prioritize learning speed through coordination, but it is seriously misleading if you think that it means you can get away with training slowly all the time. The post Slow is slow and fast is fast. And ...

Hello HEMA friends. Here is the annual sparring between me Keith Farrell. Keith is an Extremely Proficient Instructor and a clean and efficient Fencer. Since three year we shoot the sparring that we end up having while we catch up … Continue reading → ...

Greetings,Much has been said in various manuals and treatises about the combat of the short fencer against the tall fencer and also vice versa. These are considerations of note and need to be taken into account. What does not seem to appear all that often are considerations of teaching a ...

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Hello HEMA friends! Today I’m here with a new video, which shows the sequence of mutatio gladii which starts from the folio 3v and ends in the 4r of our beloved “Walpurgis Manual”. So, for this video you will need … Continue reading → ...

Comparing the archaeological injury patterns from Matzke’s 2011 “Armed and Educated” to statistics from modern HEMA tournaments. The post Historical Injury vs Modern Tournament Targeting appeared first on Sword STEM. ...

Hello HEMA friends! Today we give a look to the sparring I had with one of my Patrons, Simone Normani, almost two months ago. Enjoy! Advertisements ...

In this article, I’ll talk about the role of a squire, my experiences squiring for Jake Norwood at the Deed of Arms at WMAW, and my thoughts on its meaning for the use of harness.

Hello HEMA friends! Finally the longsword beginners guide is back. This time we learn how to counter an extended position (Longa/Langort) using a beat and attack action. Enjoy! Advertisements ...

Hello HEMA friends! I’ve just uploaded the fights (not everyone, two are missing, sadly I had not enough charge on the camera) of the small tournament (Around 20 participants) that my friends of Scherma Storica Firenze ASD organized in July during the … Continue reading → ...

Greetings,The following article is the result of a discussion that I had with Lois Spangler about studying the sources. There are various questions that we all have to ask ourselves when we are studying the sources so that we can understand what we are actually doing. Many of them are ...

A colloquialism associated with generating power is “it’s all in the hips”, but this is a little bit misleading, as the hips themselves aren’t really the source of the power. The post It’s Not “All in the Hips” appeared first on Sword STEM. ...

I just got back from Swordsquatch 2019. I arrived with almost no gear, with the goals of teaching my class, taking classes, and meeting West Coast HEMA people. “Observer mode,” if you will. I advise people to try attending events with these goals some time, it is really a great ...

In some tournament formats a competitor will be given a win and the maximum match points if their opponent doesn’t fight. This is a terrible idea and unfair to all the other competitors. The post Don’t Give Points When People Withdraw From Matches! appeared first on Sword STEM. ...

Hello HEMA friends! In this video I spar with my friend and fellow swordsman Nicola Curini, which came here in Valsesia the past month to help me shoot some I.33 related videos. Enjoy!   Advertisements ...

Final Design Project of recording sword impacts for an ECE 4710 university course in the Spring 2015 term. The post Project Smart Sword appeared first on Sword STEM. ...

My girlfriend is disabled,  She has also been sexually assaulted ("touched up") by my esteemed and honourable embezzler of funds when he was a teacher. If he wasn't a massive cunt, she would have a skill and experience at least equal to mine.She was SG-3, she chose Middleton to be ...

It only took me a decade to get off my ass and finish strapping this, but we’ve got one more gorget for the loaner kit. ...

If you have two hands, and only one of them is holding the sword, you might as well have a second weapon. The most common companion weapon for the rapier is the ...

Both my Rapier Workbook series and my Fiore Translation Project series depend on a system called PrettyLinks, where links in the text of the books direct through this website, and are redirected to the target video (or anywhere else). This means that I can update the video, and redirect the ...

We had a bit of a crisis of conscious recently. The club has worked hard to distance itself from old associations. We didn't tell  about the new group who we saw as papercut toxic. The kinds who use gay or girl as insults. The people that define microagressions.We're now big ...

Greetings,The action of holding the sword is one of the most fundamental of fencing, and yet it is one which seems to be passed over in preference for other subjects such as how the rest of the body should be placed. It would seem that holding the sword, or the ...

I have long been troubled by the unarmored spear plays in Talhoffer's Königsegg Codex, as in the picture here, et. seq.:https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Ms.XIX.17-3_45r.pngThe problem with these plays (and there are only a very few—ff. 45r- 49r in MS XIX.17-3—is that there are a few which show the spears being used to strike ...

Hello HEMA friends! In this video I explain my point of view about the I.33 “Durchtreten” or “Durchtrit” which I see as a wide concept instead of a single, defined technique. I also show how to execute the Durchtreten of … Continue reading → ...

You can tell when a sword lands flat. With MATH! The post Geometry of a Flat Hit appeared first on Sword STEM. ...

I often get asked “What’s your favourite sword?” Here’s my answer: How can one possibly choose amongst so many lovely options? And in other news, I finished my sword rack, at last! It’s ...

Hello HEMA friends! Mordhau is a Multiplayer medieval slaher. I wanted to test it to build up my opinion about its fighting system and here is my review, enjoy. Advertisements ...

There are only a couple dozen antique sparring longswords left in the world. This is one of the three that are in North America. Source: ...

It's the Fightcamp planning spree and inbetween comittee and club stuff, constantly more complicated life stuff and so on...  It has always been hard keeping the blog- But nkw harder than ever because things I want to rant about is too sensitive, so it passes without comment until it is ...

Even though we have tournaments all year I kind of felt like we had a tournament season. I was wrong... The post Tournament Season? Tournament Countries? Where and when does HEMA happen appeared first on Sword STEM. ...

Well of course it depends on the blade. But if we’re talking about Japanese swords, we have an excellent source with both historic and scientific information. Just to make things interesting, let me translate an account by another Japanese swordsman. This passage appears in a book by ISHIGAKI Yasuzô, ...

One of the most stylish techniques in the system is the punta falsa, literally “false thrust”. Fiore’s instructions are very detailed: Questo zogo si chiama punta falsa o punta curta, e si ...

Sigi Forge is a relative newcomer to the HEMA scene, but with the backing of high profile fencers like Martin Fabian, I was unsurprisingly excited when mine arrived several weeks ago. Does this sword offer something new to the fencing community? Read on and see. At a Glance The continuing ...

Some Longsword Sparring with my student Fabrizio Oioli   Advertisements ...

I don’t normally use my blog to spread other people’s work or ideas; that’s not what it’s for. But every now and then I come across some things that are too cool, interesting, or important, to keep to myself. Treatises available free online:

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Greetings,Have you ever been in a class performing a drill and a person states that they could counter the action that you are doing with another? How about, that the drill that they are doing is artificial and does not relate to combat? What has happened here is that the ...

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I have just returned from a trip to the USA, centred around Lord Baltimore’s Challenge, a rapier-themed event held in, you guessed it, Baltimore, and organised by David Biggs. Because of the vagaries of international air travel, I flew to New York on Wednesday 3rd, and took the train down ...

The Longsword Beginners Guide (AKA How to Longsword) keeps going on, if you haven’t watched it yet here’s the first episode. Every episode have the link of the next one attached at the very end of the video! Advertisements ...

That’s right, you heard me. Geometry forbids keeping your edge in line while the tip is below the hands. ...

In Christine de Pizan’s The Book of Deeds of Arms and of Chivalry, Pizan offers a suggestion for the supplies needed to defend a castle. She lists the necessary supplies for 200 men-at-arms, with 400 servants to hold out for six months. We can use this list of supplies ...

The 8th video of my Longsword Beginners Guide is now online, this time I show a simple and usefull way to use Longa (langort) which will give us access to a huge number of action in the future episodes. Enjoy. … Continue reading → ...

Hello HEMA friends, In this new video I give some advices on how to keep a good form in sparring. Enjoy!   Advertisements ...

This is the last episode for a while- I’m off to the states on Wednesday, and will be way too busy going round the Met and teaching at Lord Baltimore’s Challenge to be fiddling about with video cameras. The next episode should be out in a couple of weeks though, ...

It is often pointed out that a purple belt knows almost as many moves as a black belt – he simply does not perform them as well, or combine them aswell, or at the correct time. Also, some fighters do very well with a small collection of moves that they ...

Today’s video is a smorgasbord of topics, ranging from what’s next for Audatia, to bridging the gap between basic set drills and freeplay. As well as what to do with a million dollars, and how I’d introduce students to the Bolognese. Here’s the video! Shownotes: DISCOUNT ENDING VERY SOON: ...

Hi today’s questions are: Joe Propati’s series of questions continue…. Since Knights trained their whole life to become masters of the sword, were there any individuals who stood out as the Grand masters of the sword above everyone else in the world and who were they? Did Squires and Knights ...

Greetings,The following is the third and final part of this subject. I will apologise to my dear reader as this and is preceding parts are quite long. This was the only way for the appropriate information to be included in the document as a whole, and to not drag it ...

Today’s video is a mixed bag of topics, answering the following questions: How thick were rapier blades? How wide were rapier blades? How thick were dagger blades? How wide were dagger blades? Thank you, Brijn, in Colorado And: Dear Dr Guy Windsor I’m sending you pictures of a miniature Spanish sword ...

I know it sounds ridiculous, but I have come across someone who thought they could bat a cut out of the way by hitting the backside of the blade with their hand ...

Which do you prefer- sausage or spaghetti? Mercedes or Ferrari? Today’s questions were: This is Matthew in Michigan and I’m curious about the why one might choose to study longsword from the German tradition over the Italian tradition, and vice/versa? Thank you for undertaking this venture and for your ongoing ...

Today’s AMA topic are solo training, and training with disabilities. Raymond, in Montana, sent in this question: “I really enjoy your video trainings and teaching. I purchased the combo package (complete long sword, complete medieval dagger, and footwork) and a few freebies for my 50th birthday. I watched (and practiced) ...

Hello HEMA friends! Here we are with my seventh episode of the Longsword Beginners Guide, this time I show some exercise to train the mezzani cuts. Enjoy! Advertisements ...

The two-page spread of plays against the thrust continues with the six plays relating to breaking the thrust. I’ll cover them all in order, starting with the 11th play of the master ...

About 6 weeks ago I was lucky enough to get my hands on the “Matt Easton” prototype sabre. How did it fare compared to their standard sabre offering? Read on and find out. At a Glance Most sabreurs will agree that the ideal sabre is a mythical and elusive beast. ...

In today’s video I discuss the problem of mismatched weapons. Swords versus spears, rapiers versus halberds, and so on. The questions were: Thanks for taking questions. I’ve been reading your books for a long time and have more than a few but I’ll stick with two recent ones. 1) I’ve ...

I have had a few questions regarding training children coming in, such as this one: Here’s a question- there are a lot of potentially unscrupulous martial arts clubs out there who’ll give a 5-year-old a black belt if their parents cough up enough cash, but most historical fencing clubs I’ve ...

"You must be well instructed in the four openings, if you wish to fight at all surely. For whatever cuts and devices you may execute, however good they may be, if you do not know how to break off in each quarter, and to transmute the intended devices, transforming them ...

Greetings,The following is the second of three parts of this subject. I will apologise to my dear reader as these are quite long. This was the only way for the appropriate information to be included in the document as a whole, and to not drag it out into more parts. ...

Today’s episode has just one question: What is your opinion on the force levels in HEMA. Especially in regards to the research into the cumulative effects of repeated sub-concussive hits to the head. It seems there are no end of people reporting broken swords or bashed in helmets and I ...

Today’s episode has me talking about left-handers, and the one-handed long thrust with a longsword. Enjoy!   Shownotes: Fiore Facsimile (the closest you can get to owning the manuscript): https://amzn.to/2MOowWH The Flower of Battle (Leoni translation) http://www.freelanceacademypress.com/flowersofbattlethecompletemartialworksoffioredeiliberi.aspx The Rapier, part Four: Sword and Dagger and Sword and Cape Workbook: ...

The shownotes for this episode: Fighting Depression Personal Update: Mental Health Learning Rapier: your free workbook video The Unconquered Knight: A Chronicle of the Deeds of Don Pero Niño, Count of Buelna Alan Williams, The Knight and the Blast Furnace Fiore Facsimile (the closest you can get to owning ...

Having kicked our opponent in the groin, we turn the page to see this spread: [Note, this image is not a photograph of the manuscript opened up; I have just put the ...

Hello HEMA friends! The sixth video of my Longsword Beginners Guide is now free-to-watch on my YouTube channel. This time, I talk about the true edge and the false edge and I teach how to use this two edges with … Continue reading → ...

Here we go again!   ...

Here you go! Some rambling on training with sharps, and the ethics of martial arts… Links from this episode: Bullshit post Training with Sharp Swords: article on the CFAA blog My book Swordfighting for Writers, Game Designers, and Martial Artists My book the Theory and Practice of Historical Martial ...

Hello HEMA friends! In this fifth episode of the Longsword Beginners Guide we will discover together a simple parry and riposte against a thrust. Enjoy.   Advertisements ...

Greetings,The following is the first of three parts of this subject. I will apologise to my dear reader as these are quite long. This was the only way for the appropriate information to be included in the document as a whole, and to not drag it out into more parts. ...

Hi yesterday I sent an AMA email out to my mailing list, and got inundated with questions. The first two are answered in this video. I hope you like the intro-outro music. If you want to put questions to me, then join the list and drop me a line! ...

It was the first two words that got you hooked, right? ...

I’ve had my woodworking bench for twelve years now. It’s been a good workhorse, small enough to fit into my bijou little workshop spaces but big enough to be useful. It first lived in a corner in the old salle, then the tatami shed in the ‘new’ salle: ...

Some exchanges that I had with Pedro Velasco Arévalo during HEMAics Dolomiti (Feltre). We fought two beautiful sparring matches which I greatly enjoyed. Check Pedro’s HEMA club here: https://www.facebook.com/saladearmaspedrodelmonte/ Advertisements ...

If you have been following The Fiore Translation Project from the beginning, you may recall that I gave myself permission to skip about in the treatise as the whimsy takes me. I had a nagging feeling that I ought to include the plays of the dagger against the sword, and ...

I was cleaning up my computer and I found yet more data that I had tabulated for my own interest. And then I remembered that time I threw some random data I found into an article and it became one of my most viewed posts. ...

The Fiore Translation Project is growing apace; I’m almost through the zogho largo section already. I compiled the translation, transcription, commentary and video clips for the Sword in One Hand plays ...

Hello HEMA friends! The 4th episode of my Longsword Beginners guide is now available on my YouTube channel. This time we will build up our first parry and riposte action, from the very beginning. Enjoy. Advertisements ...

The seventh play of the sword in two hands in zogho largo punishes the opponent for offences against geometry. Pythagoras is widely credited with establishing the relationship between the lengths ...

Hello HEMA friends! My friend and Fellow Instructor Mauro Carapacchi keeps going with his Fiore Dagger series of video.  He is analyzing Fiore’s dagger in a really deep way, explaining theory and showing exercises. So if you, like me, are … Continue reading → ...

Hello HEMA friends! I’ve uploaded all the fights which I had during the “HEMAics Dolomiti” Tournament, held during the past weekend in Feltre. I’m quite happy of the Results, i’m happy to show the style which I love and practice (Fiore) … Continue reading → ...

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