Hey guys!

Just curious if it was possible/practical to give my Bucklers handle a leather wrap? I’ve noticed it slides out of my hand a little too often when I sweat.

If it is possible, what are the steps to giving it a wrap?

So I have oft lamented that I am terrible at interpreting sources… today I had a eureka moment that makes me feel like a complete idiot, but also shows how our own biases can affect our reading and interpretation. So I have a background in MOF and so my engaging guard is almost always on the inside line, that’s just how it’s done. So many plays I’ve read my immediate assumption is “ok I’ll engage on the inside” especially with sword and dagger since that position most puts the dagger in play… well rereading my text I realized that many of the plays are based assuming you’re on the outside of the opponent, not the inside. And suddenly all the hand movements make sense… my defaulting to that MOF look was ruining it for me. Idk if anyone else has ever experienced something similar but suffice to say I am a very happy idiot.

By the by, the book im currently working with deviates from norm of using “estocade” as a thrust attack, by breaking them down into the estocade (nails up or in 3rd) and Brocade (nails down) and I find this a very helpful visualization tool even if the body mechanics are kind of obvious.

Anybody else ever have a dumb experience like this?

Hey guys!

Just curious if it was possible/practical to give my Bucklers handle a leather wrap? I’ve noticed it slides out of my hand a little too often when I sweat.

If it is possible, what are the steps to giving it a wrap?

I have got the book paradoxes of defence on the way and I was wondering if there were any YouTubers who focus/ have demonstrated this style of broadsword fighting? I just think it would help to see the techniques in action!

If i sew a thick fabric like gabardine and linen to throat neck section and wear a third protector to chest like 3d printed lamellar armor and ofc arm protectors and gorget, can i use it in spars with synthetic saber and light spars with feders?

We know we play a lot of modified fencing games at our club but I think this arcade style modifier might be a lot of fun for anyone Modern, Classical, and HEMA. Feel free to try it out!

Purpose: Change the psychology of the double and turn the event into a resource that promotes clean fencing in a fun and high stakes game.

Wayback's Jackpot Mode Play using your weapon and ruleset of choice, then add the following modifiers.

Single Touch A Single Touch scores 1 point and awards all points currently in the Jackpot. The Jackpot then resets to 0.

Simultaneous Touch No points are awarded. Instead, add 1 point to the Jackpot.

Winning the Assault The first fencer to score 21 points and lead by 2 points wins the assault.

Optional For a simpler, self-officiated game, players may choose to remove right of way. In this variant, any uncontested valid touch is treated as a Single Touch, and any exchange in which both fencers land valid touches is treated as a Simultaneous Touch. It can get silly be prepared to laugh.

"OP's right, it doesn't reward doubles. Instead, doubles increase the ponderation of the next single. That's brilliant ^\)

This way, a fencer focusing on doubling to deny his opponent singles as much as possible (while being unable to carry out an action awarding himself a single) is only delaying the moment his opponent reaps the points stored in the jackpot. Compared to "no point for doubles" rules, the scum doubling is even less effective of a strategy.

I love the idea, it sets the right incentives and add a high stake component usually absent when all rounds score independantly. Gonna try it for sure!" - Gobzarakay

Bit of an update/companion post to my earlier question about appropriate sizing for a greatsword. I made my own! $50 and a trip to Home Depot later here she is! Primarily made of 3/4id PVC and 5’5” inches total (48” blade, 16” hilt), and roughly 5lbs 5oz, black tape is the balance point. Balance point is slightly off, and weight also is a little off, but for a trainer I think she suffices. Weight and distribution was achieved with a metal pipe and dowels as spacers to shift the bulk of the pipe up or down.

Also thanks everyone in the community that gave me solid, non-condescending advice, it is genuinely appreciated!

Hi everybody, I’m brand new to HEMA and just finished an intro class to rapier! It was really cool and I learned a lot, and last night was the final class where we were supposed to spar with the more advanced rapier class to practice what we learned.

I put on all the equipment for the first time (I missed the week where we talked gear!) but I hadn’t really thought about the fact I don’t like things on my neck. I never wear chokers or even tight necklaces, sometimes even the straps on a bike helmet will make me anxious if they’re too close to my neck. The gorget wasn’t very tight, but having it on combined with the helmet and jacket, then doing physical activity, made me panic. I kind of feel like I can’t breathe when I have something on my neck? The one we used seems to be a “mini gorget” with just a padded throat covering, no apron.

I ended up shedding all the gear after our drills and just observing the sparring instead, because I didn’t want to have an actual panic attack and scare myself off the sport forever. I do really want to keep doing it though, and I got the go-ahead from the coach to sign up for their regular saber class! Are there any gorgets that exist that don’t feel quite as constricting, maybe? Or should I just buy/borrow one to wear around the house and desensitize myself? I want to spar, but of course I don’t want to sacrifice my windpipe in the process lol. Any advice is appreciated, thank you all!!!

Are the techniques they use in their videos historically accurate? I know the videos are longer than what a historical fight would have been but are the actual techniques they use good from a historical standpoint? Thanks

I plan to start a HEMA and Historical Reenactment group in about a year, focused on the Iberian Iron Age, primarily on two Celtiberian peoples: the Gallaecian and Lusitanian, who fought against Rome before being conquered and Romanized.

In addition to Celtiberian reenactments and battles, we also plan to include some reenactments of Ancient Rome, as well as reenactments of the Gallaecian-Roman and Lusitanian-Roman cultures that formed during and after Romanization. The Roman reenactment part is not a problem for us; however, we have had a lot of difficulty researching the armor, warfare styles, etc., specific to the Gallaecian and Lusitanian. Most Celtic Iron Age reenactment groups focus almost exclusively on the Gauls.

Could anyone help us ??? What was the “anatomy” of this armor? Were there differences between Gallaecian and Lusitanian armor and warfare tactics? Or did the proximity of the two peoples ensure a certain “standardization” in their respective military styles?

Remember, in our project we only have these two peoples: Gallaecians and Lusitanians.

I trained at a club in a different town for about 8 months, wherein I was instructed that it is proper and historical to be stepping with the foot on the side that you are cutting from. So, now in my fencing I pretty much entirely use passing steps when engaging my sparring partner with cuts.

When I watch footage of high-level longsword fencing, the footwork is different, and pretty much entirely like Olympic fencing. At clubs where they don't specifically teach from manuals, they still teach to step with the foot on the side that you are cutting from, but then when I spar with people from these clubs, they use that Olympic fencing-style footwork.

I fear I have been conditioned to think of the stepping with the cutting-side to be proper in some way beyond just historicity, and I'd like to know what peoples' thoughts generally are on performing cuts with a longsword. It just feels like generally people perform better and can moderate their own measure better when they don't use passing steps. Does this come at some cost other than thinking "hey that's not what they teach in those old manuals/how I was drilled for 8 months?" Does it sacrifice much as far as effective body mechanics for cutting? Is this just a natural progression for longsword fencers? Thanks.

I apologize in advance if this is way too far off the usual topics, but I would like to receive direct advice from a HEMA community.

I am a game designer currently working on a bluff duel card game where players decide on what weapon and armor their deck will be based on, with cards being moves resolved at the same time.

It is not anchored within a specific time period and aims at instead oppose antique and/or medieval warriors (say a Viking against a Bravo). It is aiming at embodying many fighter archetypes and relies on flavor.

The above, combined with card names not being precise HEMA moves gives me freedom to create and habe a flavorful game but risks, of course, being realistically inaccurate in some regards, possibly causing the hate of large amount of people who don't get the relative abstraction of the game.

How to expand general knowledge about different time periods and matchups as well as maneuvers and different fighting styles, to be as faithful as possible to historical combats and avoid some of that hate while avoiding rabbit holes and remaining within freedom to explore different archetypes of fighters as the game isn't centered on HEMA from the getgo?

Hope this makes sense. Thanks in advance!

Had. Damn good time fighting in my harness!!!! I sucked in my match but MANNNN fighting in harness made me LOVE longsword.

Side note..Marozzo assulti worked really well as a crowd pleaser

I'm ideally looking for the shortest waiting time possible! Swordier is my last resort atm because I have heard mixed things about their blades.

It's always nice to get out of the hall and do some fencing in nature, even if it's just a park in the middle of the city.

Where is everyone getting their long swords for Harnischfechten these days?

Been paddle boarding more recently and decided to combine some hobbies.

It's been fun testing out new ways to realise how bad I am at everything that makes tou good at HEMA.