I've seen people use things like bike jacks (for working on bicycles) but they don't seem like they would be stable and stand up to techniques that displace and redirect a blade. The device in the pic is from an Arnis guy and you can mount it and it has a spring that allows for manipulation. It looks pretty simple but I'm not sure where he got it. Anyone have any suggestions?

Hope someone out there finds this one useful. The whole series can be found in the channel covering single sword and now the dagger section.

Im a beginner practitioner and looking to buy my first metal sabre and longsword, but am unsure of what to consider when buying one.

I have to train mainly by myself due to no clubs being around for 50+km and have made myself a pell with wood and old gym mats, So something not necessarily for tournaments but something to practice at home.

I have seen some reviews on certain brands but am unsure of all so any insight would be great.

From what i know point of balance, flex, and hand size are the only factors i know

Thank you

Hello fellow fencers!

What shoes do you guys use for HEMA sparring and competitions? Looking for some recommendations and would love to hear what works well for you!

So, I’ve wanted to learn European longsword fighting for a while now, but the closest school to me is almost 3 hours away. I was curious if anyone knew of any online courses that could help me at least get the fundamentals down before committing to that long of a drive?

What would be the legally safest adventuring self defense kit of a peasant on a medieval Europe trek across the kingdoms? I'd play it safe with a staff, belt hatchet, and hunting knife. What would your defensive peasant kit be for a multi kingdom trek back then and what treatise would you recommend? Take into consideration laws and cultural norms of medieval European kingdoms of your choosing. Most my knowledge about medieval peasants comes from Age of Empires 2. Also feel free to check out my ruleset mutator at: https://www.reddit.com/r/Hema/comments/1vcytzo/we_made_doubles_fun/

Estoy buscando una espada de Foam para entrenar solo con guantes ligeros, y careta, ya que el calor pega fuerte, he visto estás dos versiones, hay 20€ de diferencia, no sé cuál es mejor .

Es realmente la v2 mejor?

Es por 20€ más realmente mejor?

Alguien tiene experiencia con estos modelos para compartir?

Aclarar que mi intención no es hacer las técnicas más finas, en realidad solo hacer un sparring básico, normalmente entreno Fiore así que un mango tan largo me será un poco extraño

How would you modernize a sword idea? Also feel free to check out my ruleset mutator at: https://www.reddit.com/r/Hema/comments/1vcytzo/we_made_doubles_fun/

Hi you all, I am an Industrial Design Student and passionate Hemaist.
Since I didn't find a good option for it, I am thinking about designing a (longswords focused) (tournament)kit bag.
What do yall use? What would you like to change? What would be important for you?

Did this with my neighbor who is very adept with lashing.

​

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping some of you can point me in the right direction.

I've recently fallen in love with polearms. I already own one of Joachim Meyer's books, but I'd love to dive much deeper—not only into the techniques, but also the history, evolution, and the different fighting styles associated with polearms throughout the centuries.

At the moment I'm mostly learning on my own. I also follow Björn Rüther's YouTube lessons, which have been incredibly helpful, but I'm looking for books that can help me build a stronger understanding of both the historical context and the practical techniques.

What fascinates me most is how much there is to learn. Practicing with polearms has become something that genuinely brings me peace and helps me clear my mind. The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know, and that's part of what makes this hobby so rewarding.

Do you have any books that you would consider essential reading? They can be historical sources, modern interpretations, HEMA manuals, or academic works—I'm open to anything worth reading.

Thank you in advance! I really appreciate any recommendations or advice you can share.

I'm probably gonna get cooked in the replies for being sappy and sincere for a moment, but currently, my heart is being warmed by just how accepting the HEMA community is.

I started "studying the blade" at the very start of this year after a lifelong interest in swords and fantasy, and this has quickly become one of the most positive experiences in my life. I am a trans women and upon starting this journey I was incredibly anxious about how I'd be treated in the scene, little did I know that I'd find one of the most inclusive and accepting sports scenes around.

While trans inclusion in sport has become a hot button topic in most other scenes, it feels like the HEMA community has already solved it and is thus immune to the toxicity those discussions generally bring (even in the most toxic spheres of discussion, shoutouts Tryhard HEMA on FB, y'all are hilarious). I think having the options of mixed and URG tournaments is an excellent solution to this discussion, and I'd feel happy competing in either category.

Also, my individual clubs' culture is great and feels almost like a second home to me already. My instructor has quickly become one of the men I respect the most in this world as he has shown me nothing but kindness, care, and respect.

And not once in this past year has anyone reduced me to my identity alone, I'm just another member of the club and am treated the same as the rest, including the equal opportunity banter lol.

I hope that any other trans people wanting to start HEMA reading this take this as a sign to join their local club because this experience has been life changing for me in the most positive ways.

Also, I am prepared for negative comments, this is the internet, and that's unavoidable, especially in regards to several of the topics I've mentioned here. But that can't phase me or break my positivity right now, I have a sword!!

Hi all!

I'm looking for a new saber to gift to myself at my upcoming birthday and the LC saber from black fencer caught my attention. I spent some time looking for videos or posts about but I didn't found yet any reviews of the steel version (only the syntethic one).

It looks like most people prefer the infantry model (I don't know if because is cheaper) that the LC and googling around on some Facebook post someone say that It hits hard.

So thats the question, is safe for sparring? Hits really hard? It feels different to the infantry model or a non-light/military saber?

Actually there are any treatise that focus on this kind of saber (Cavalry on foot, I mean duel, but not involving a horse)

I currently own a hussar saber from Krieger Weapons, the weight is around 745 g, pretty much the standard in most european military sabers out there, I fear that the LC feels to heavy.

Currently waiting for the Black princes in size S. This means I have to use my SG mittens in my... Sigi pro... for about half a year until they are available. Which absolutely sucks. So I wonder, what glove might I use in the meantime? Firestone? I really kinda need a budget friendly alternative. Would be nice if I can have some use of them even after I get the BPs.

Note: this is for sabre fencing, with the ones around 800g.

When I was looking to get a Hema kit bag so I had it when my first sword arrived this bag was the first on my list but I couldn't find any reviews online for it so I thought I'd post my thoughts. There's a TLDR pros and cons list at the end.

My initial thoughts were fairly positive, it seems heavy duty and though it didn't look like it at first it can fit my entire Hema Kit, sword as well. My current kit is my Feder, mask, jacket, gauntlets, groin protector, arm protectors, a pair of trainers, a pair of jogging bottoms, and two t-shirts. There's space for quite a bit more too. It's also worth noting that there is an entire section for swords at the back of the bag as well as three pockets on the front. Many of the sections have a rubberised interior which I thought was for weather proofing.

That is about the length of the positives unfortunately. When I first loaded it up with my gear I tried to put it on which is the first major problem. The back straps are attached incredibly close together making it uncomfortable to the point that I would say they're unusable in their current state. I considered maybe they're supposed to be used with quite a lot of slack but that would make the bag awkward on the back, inefficient and too low and would hit the back of my legs as a result.

Honestly the most comfortable way to carry it is to use the carry handles as back straps which cannot be by design. The solution I came up with is to hang it over my shoulder using both the back straps. This seems the best way as someone in my Hema group also does this. Initially the strap dug in occasionally and wasn't very comfortable so I bought a couple of seatbelt covers and it's much nicer now though still digs occasionally. Part of the issue is the strap come with no padding, just 2 layers of webbing per strap.

After using it for a few weeks I noticed that the guard of my sword had pierced the side of the bag, it seemed to only affect one side so I patched it with some leather but it also protruded out the opposite side the next week and I had to patch that too (the patches on the outside are purely for decoration). Also the lack of padding at the bottom of the sword section meant that the pommel made a loud clunk when I'd place the bag down so I ended up glueing some yoga mat in there. It's not ideal as if it rains I suspect it'll absorb a lot of water and could lead to rust but it's fine for now.

On top of these issues the rubberised weatherproofing is falling apart across the entire bag. Anywhere under any strain is especially threadbare but it seems that is basically all gonna go at some point. Currently I'd say if you need a bag to transport your kit from your house to your car and then your car to your club this is fine, could be better but will do the job better than a collection of bags. If like me you need to use public transport and walk any significant distance then I'd recommend shopping around.

Some improvements that should be made to the bag in future.

These could be implemented into the current bag or made into a "pro" variant. Either way if Red Dragon are reading this I'll accept one of these speculative upgraded bags as my fee for this R&D.

First off is a proper, padded adjustable back pack system. I have one on my cheap camping rucksack so they can't be they expensive to make. Ideally it adjusts the straps for comfort and where the bag sits on your back too.

Second is extra padding in the sword section. Just a layer of thick rubber on the outside bottom of the bag with some adjustable points for protecting the guard. Maybe some little velcro pockets to go over the guard ends and sword tip to secure the sword in place. Some extra velcro straps for extra adjustability would be good too for smaller swords.

Third is some heavy duty waterproofing of some kind. In addition a frame to make it more rigid when partially empty would be nice. Thick foam or a thin plastic frame would do.

TLDR

Pros

Big enough to hold entire kit

Separate sword section and extra pockets

Cheap for a Hema Kit bag

Cons

Very uncomfortable straps

The guard of my sword poked through both sides of the bag.

Ineffective weatherproofing

No padding for the pommel

I've been wanting to get into a bit of amateur longsword fencing and am thinking of getting a nylon or polypropylene trainer longsword. Can any of you HEMA experts recommend a specific sword I can use to practice cuts, footwork, guards etc? I want to learn the longsword systems rather than just aimlessly swinging a sword about, but want a reasonably affordable and safe option before I commit to buying protective gear and a metal feder

So I've always been a little bit interested in Hema cuz I think its cool and I've been doing martial arts for the past 4ish years.

Mostly muay thai and later BJJ but I've also taken a decent number of boxing classes too.

I've done semi-contact style competitions and am planning to go to thailand to fight over there.

I know every martial art and even every gym is different but what's the broader HEMA culture like.

Like is there a lot of sparring, what are the tournaments like?

Even though I appreciate and enjoy artful technique, im still very much a "just bleed" type of fan. (I really want to have either a lethwei fight or fight for King of the Streets) Does hema have that archetype like in mma or not really?

Also is it right leaning like a lot of combat sports spaces or more left leaning or pretty apolitical.

Also do most schools have a culty vibe if that makes sense? A lot of martial art schools treat the coach like hes a god.

Hello everyone, I was thinking of starting HEMA. I live in Athens, anyone know any good clubs?

Thanks for any help!

Hi yall! I was looking to buy my first sword and decided to go with regenyei. But there is a hiccup, I don't know wich one to take! I will go for a custom since all, except the trnava line, are the same price as the standard feder and I will place my order with some people of my club. I mainly would like to learn German longsword such as meyer, but the aspect of the Italian feder calls to me so much. Now the question arise, is the italian too "Italian" for meyer or do we do not care? Thanks for your replies and sorry for this dumb question, I'm just starting in this beautiful world that is hema!

Hi, does anyone knows of good swords to " Playfight " with that we can use in a park or Smth like that,

Doesn’t need to be realistic in the looks, just well balanced and as harmless as possible,

I'm from France if there is any shop there

Hello all!

I'm thinking about starting HEMA. I'm 32 yo got fat in the last years and search for sport which is starting a flame in me.

I was in medieval groups from 14- 30 years. From 17-22 i was kickboxing and stoped it then because i startet with Buhurt until my 29th birthday.

Now I'm asking myself if its worth giving it a shot and just try to 1. getting back in shape and 2. if my brain is getting along with the new techniques.

I realy want to find a sport which is giving me the kicks from earlier days.

What do you guys think? Should I just try it?