Some time ago one of our club members posted a Youtube link taken in our regular weekly classes; it takes a deep-dive into the Krieg, dismantling it a piece at a time and teasing out some of the issues we need to consider when devising our training, and implementing it while fencing. This post isRead more about War… What is it Good For?[…]

n this video we look at section 2.96v.1 from Meyer’s 1570 text, which discusses the use of a sequence of three thrusts, one after another. This is an interesting sequence which teaches some great lessons in winding and hanging, as well having elements which are really effective for day-to-day fencing.

A brief video describing the Zirckel (Circle) – an important technique in Joachim Meyer’s longsword system.

SIGI Forge is a relative newcomer to the HEMA scene but with the backing of high profile fencers like Martin Fabian I was predictably quite excited when mine arrived several weeks ago. After thoroughly putting the sword through its paces, let’s find out how the SIGI Feder stacks up. At a Glance The continuing popularityRead more about Review: SIGI Forge Feder[…]

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. The right combination of weight,Read more about Review: Kvetun “Matt Easton” Sabre Prototype[…]

A new translation by Harry R. At a Glance With the advent of Wiktenauer fencing manuals have become easier to come by, but there is still plenty of room for printed translations. One such book by Melbourne’s Harry R. has been released in recent weeks, and provides a fresh new look at Codex 44.A.8 (betterRead more about Review: Peter von Danzig[…]

Abstract (aka TL;DR) Much of early fencing is assumes an accompanying knowledge of mounted combat and general equitation. It may be that there are implicit equestrian ideas taken for granted by fencers of the time which may prove useful in thinking about fencing today. In this post we explore Collected and Extended gaits in riding,Read more about From Equestrian to Pedestrian: Collection & Extension for Fencing on Foot[…]

Decision trees are sometimes derided by practitioners of historical fencing; after all the chaos of a fencing match rarely allows the luxury of time for complex decision making, and even a relatively simple decision tree can have multiple recursive branches and layers.  As a result even a relatively sedate exchange gives precious little opportunity theRead more about Decision Graphs: When You Can’t See the Forest for the Trees[…]

When it comes to Historical Fencing, few things draw more intense community discussion than that of rules and scoring at HEMA events.  This should come as no surprise – everyone’s motives and goals for taking part in Historical Martial Arts are different, and so everyone is looking for the ideal ruleset which captures what it isRead more about Refereeing in Historical Fencing: Consistency & Communication[…]

The video below shows an adaptation of the Zornhut play described below. “If you stand in the right Wrath stance and your opponent strikes from his right to your left, then with a step of your right foot drive with displacement under his blade and over your head, and catch his strike on your flatRead more about Adapting a Zornhut Play[…]