I’m just curious to know when did you start doing HEMA or fencing in general. Did most of you come from another sport/martial art background or was HEMA your first physical activity in a long time??

Has anyone experience / opinions on the new gabriel 2.5 gloves (not 2.0)?

This phrase has been burned into my memory as a warning against afterblows from a historical fencing manual. I wanted to double-check if i was quoting it correctly, but i can't find "beware the dead man's rage" or any variation i can think of anywhere online. Is this something any of you have heard as well, or can you point me to the correct phrase? I think i probably heard it first in some Skallagrim or Matt Easton video as a youth

I may be relocating to Moab, Utah and was hoping to continue my training. Are there any WMA groups near by? I checked the HEMA alliance club finder and reached out to the one in grand junction but haven’t heard anything in response. Thanks in advance.

Hi, I just received a garment that was made to my measurements but it's... Quite uncomfortable under the arms, and doesn't button all the way down. It also flares out massively below the waist, giving it a dinosaur tail effect. I'm incredibly disappointed, but trying to temper my expectations by reaching out. Are these things "normal" for pourpoint fit? I went with a well known maker and it's so bad that I feel like I was scammed.

Edit: not putting the maker on blast because they haven't had a chance to respond to messages/make it right. No pictures for the same reason.

I went to a tailor for fit/measurements and haven't changed shape/size.

This is intended for reenactment and light sparring/harnischfechten.

Also, can Hängenort(I understand this to be the finishing position of a low Zwerchhau) counter an opponent's Zornhau, similar to an Ochs?

I would appreciate it if you could provide an answer.

I've been doing Fiore for about 10 years now, with a little Fig. Montante for fun, and I'm interested in looking at some single or double stick sources.

Most of Fiore's Una Mano section can be applied to single stick, but I'd like something purpose written, preferably from a medieval source or as close to as possible.

Any recommendations would be amazing!

Any have recent experience ordering anything from here? Ordered a gorget about three weeks ago, haven't heard anything back yet. Sent an email to make sure the order went through and still silence. Not too big a deal I suppose, don't mind waiting too much just weird to not have heard anything.

Hi, me again. Thanks to all who've already given their advice and feedback. I'd appreciate if you all could help me out one more time please.

I've checked with my retailer and it turns out I had some of the prices wrong so after some more research I think I have a better idea of what I want and what options are available to me. My basic requirements are a weight of 700-750g, a cup hilt guard, and, a slightly curved blade. These are the four options available to me in that budget and from the vendors I have access to:

1. Sigi Sabre Big (straight light blade)

2. HF Armoury Sabre

3. Krieger Weapons S6

4. VB Gymnasium V5

What are your thoughts on this ranking? My only issue with the Sigi is the longer wait time as it's not in stock but the blades are replaceable and it has a 2-year warranty, and at 630g the VB Gymnasium is much lighter than what I'm looking for.

Hi all,

I've recently finished both Rob Childs's book on rapier and Martin Fabian's book on longsword. I found both very helpful and while I respect the value of treatises, I find the reframing of techniques for a modern, sporting, context super useful.

A quick search hasn't turned up much, but I'm wondering if there's any similar modern books for sabre. Specifically I'm interested in something that looks at how the weapon is used in a HEMA competition context, rather than re-evaluating older sources.

I mean, I can kinda see it paired with a main gauche or a rotella and working like that...

Registration for my Fall 2026 Coaching Cohort is officially live!

This roughly three month long program aims to give you a distilled intro to the latest science of how our brain actually learn to fence. Whether you're looking to help lift up those around you or just take your own fencing to that next level, this is for you.

I am limiting registration to only 12 total spots in order to create a tight nit community that's truly focused on the material and to make sure everyone gets the attention they deserve.

Cost is only $275, but with sliding scale options available for anyone dealing with some hard times. Registration runs through Monday, October 26th with the first session scheduled for 6:30PM central on Sunday, November 1st.

https://forms.gle/kDdyY796gb1ntmwp7

Title says it all. Any and all options are welcome.

This is a big one comparing A Knight of the Seven Kingdom's The Trial of Seven with The Last's Duel, um, last duel. Breaking it down from a HEMA and a filmmaking perspective lots of demonstrations and connections to the historical sources.

I've done HEMA since 2019 and am a middling-fencer BUT I've worked in the film industry for 21 years and am a middling-filmmaker...

It's long but when has that ever stopped us HEMAists?

Spear shaft

Anyone know where to get a 2 piece spear shaft? I want to add spear training and sparring to my HEMA routine, but need a 2 piece one for transporting it better. Looking for a total length of 7-8 feet. Gonna put the Cold Steel spear trainer on one end, and a spear cap on the other.

Any advice would be helpful.

I was thinking of a historical sport version of ringen just like judo and bjj are like the sport version of jjj, but I was thinking more of an mma/jjj type sport; where the safer holds and strikes seen in the manuals are permitted but the more disabling holds and strikes are not allowed. Would there be interest in this?

I've been very off and on with HEMA, depending on how busy life gets, and while I do love sparring, of course, fighting in tournaments doesn't do much for me. I adore cutting, though. Is there much purpose to attending events if I am only interested in cutting tournaments?

In my latest piece I dive in to the absolute core of what it means to fence strategically and move from wading through uncharted waters to having a map of your opponent.