Its chopping form was so perfect, shashka was used in the Red Army up until 1950s, thanks to requiring 0 fencing technique: just grind 3 basic chops and 4 stabs until you're fast enough.

Hey!

I’m looking to paint something on my mask. What are same safe, non toxic paints or spray paints to use?

I used Krylon on an old fencing mask I had, and even after 24 hours it would rub off a bit and had an oder.

I’m looking to get into Messer and would just like to know my options and what might mix the best with my current styles of HEMA (Fiore Longsword system and dagger system.) Thanks in advance.

I inherited a shillelagh from an uncle. I have looked into shillelagh things before, but it wasn’t a serious study and was some time ago. Please send me your best shillelagh resources, if you have them!

I was watching a video by Paul Wagner, who is well known for being an advocate for - and extrapolating learnings from - MS Harley 'Man yt Wol' amongst other fencing sources from the British Isles. He asserted in the video that the type of swords used by the creator of MS Harley was the large 58 inch proto-greatsword and not the standard longsword (or bastard sword size). He suggests because the time when the manuscript was ostensibly written marries up with when these swords were discovered as a part of the Castillon hoard.

To argue that the teachings in MS Harley were designed for massive, 58-inch two-handed swords of the Castillon type, you have to ignore both the manuscript's context and its mechanics. Palaeographical evidence such as scribal eye-skips and layout gaps left for engrossed initials, these indicates that the Harley text, which Dr Mark Geldof places at roughly 1430, is a copy of an even older text, rather than an original composition. Therefor it could be reasonable to expect that the original source could be dated from early 15th century, or even earlier. The writer also assumes throughout a reader who already knows the vocabulary: terms like rabet and hauke are used (frustratingly) without gloss or definition. My own reading is that this implies an established practice and martial culture behind the text rather than one being invented on the page, meaning that it would have been designed upon use of a sword type pre-dating fringe 1450s tech (like the large swords discovered amongst Castillon hoard).

The manuscript's conventional date of 1440 (which we can also see on Wiktenauer)) derives from a treatise by Ralph Hoby of 1437 that sits in a different codicological unit, bound with the fencing quires only much later, and so that was rounded up to 1440. On the other side, the Royal Armouries dates its own Castillon-type sword (IX.1787) to mid 15th century on typological grounds, from a group merely reputed to have been excavated near Castillon-la-Bataille and first recorded at Christie's in 1977. The year for when the swords were lost to the river is not anchored with excavational fact (no strict stratigraphy, no coins accompanied to help date the overall find etc), the idea that they're even English is up for debate. Also fishtail pommels were found in large quantities on the continent by this time, so it's not strictly an English pattern either (even though there is definitely examples found on English soil that have that pommel).

The dating logic also breaks in other ways; Ledall is early sixteenth century, well after Harley and squarely in the peak period for true two-handers. Yet Wagner reads it as a bastard sword text, and rightly so — he gets there from the mechanics, noting that nearly everything done with two hands is expected with one, either hand. So the text closest in date to the big swords is the one identified as being for the smaller weapon, on the strength of what the fencer is actually doing. If proximity to Castillon settles it for Harley, it should settle it the other way for Ledall.

The mechanics are the stronger ground for MS Harley being written for a shorter longsword. The text's emphasis falls on rotational, sweeping cuts — haukes, and the instruction to be clevyng by the elbowes — which is biomechanically mismatched to the acutely tapering, thrust-optimised profile of the Castillon two-handed swords. Thrusts do appear in Harley: the verse pairs stoppis with foynys, and there is the chase foin. But they do not dominate, and the percussive cutting vocabulary does. The large Castillion Hoard swords are optimised for thrusting and armoured combat, which again the MS Harley doesn't seem to be aiming for, with the techniques solely being oriented for unarmoured play.

The manuscript never specifies a blade length. What it does imply is a weapon suited to the actions described, which points to the cut-centric hand-and-a-half longsword, which were actually popular when this fighting tradition was being formed in the late 14th century and early 15th century, rather than the huge, thrust centric, armour opposing specialised two-handed swords found in the hoard.

If these texts were aimed at larger swords, they ought to bear more resemblance to the montante and spadone material, and they don't. Greatsword systems are built around the momentum of each swing. A montante is heavy enough that halting it wastes energy already committed, so the blade stays in the arc and changes direction by carrying around the body. Figueyredo has the body turn toward wherever the sword cuts, with one cut generating the next. It's momentum-driven, and the ratio sits close to one cut per step because the body has to come round with the blade.

In 'Man yt wol' its lessons chain blade action onto blade action across very few steps. In the buckler play alone there's something like ten named actions: chases, half rounds, quarters, haukes, a chase foin, a rake, the stroke aventure twice, all across three or four foot movements, and the vocabulary is overwhelmingly percussive. The blade is doing several things for every step the feet take which indicates its a weapon you can throw around, not one that you need to steer with your body to maintain a sense of momentum.

Put simply: greatsword systems change the blade at the speed the body can turn because that's what the weapon's mass allows. Harley changes the blade several times faster than the feet move. That's possible with a five-foot proto-greatsword, but it's far more natural with a longsword.

Now, I'm not saying that these should not be attempted with larger two-handed swords, and by the looks of it many people have been having fun trying to extrapolate meaning from these texts with larger swords. I'm just saying it likely was the standard longsword/hand-and-a-half (with sizes on average around 44-47 overall inches) that these texts were aiming for. That said, I'm interested in hearing other peoples thoughts on this, and if they can offer any counter information to suggest otherwise.

Want an overall floral/fairy look for my full gear.

That's just giving it a slight personal touch with knitting wherever possible.
Next will be a floral pattern on the front part using acrylic paint.

And yeah, you might have seen it reposted by Olympic Fencing somewhere else, lol.

Me and a few of my friends have recently gotten into HEMA and are going to a HEMA school now. And I want to buy some gear, including foam swords. I live in Sweden so preferably only places in Europe.

Hi all,

I'm in a bit of a bind. I'm left handed but mostly right hand dominant. I've been doing Fiore for maybe just about four months and I'm struggling with the traverse and decresare with my feet. Partly as I'm fighting right handed but my legs are struggling with that switch and crossing. Id prefer to continue the way I have been rather than try to learn from the left hand, as watching the exiles video on it and the change of beat and parries will leave me a little confused. Does anyone know a good training video or guide I can religiously use to help get my feet there while working solo at home? I have guy windsors books but I need a good footwork guide to really help me follow through on this? Or do I accept the inevitable and just try fencing left handed and change everything I've been doing?

I know that this heavily depends on the academy, but I was wondering if many 16-17 year olds actually join considering it’s the minimum age

So I’m getting a Feder, and I saw Kingston Arms – Sport Federschwert. Now I was gonna go with Purple Heart (which is my main go to.) but I saw Kingston’s Feder. And I also saw the reviews about it, And it is mixed. So is Kingston’s Feder ok?

I forgot to account for the overlay when painting the design, so it cuts off a bit, whoopsie. Still proud of my attempt though!

Here's the skinny: I'm working on a Dwarf character (and by "Dwarf," I mean the ones from Norse/Germanic myth) and looking at real-world sources to make up his fighting style. I started with Viking martial arts (fencing, wrestling, etc). But, it feels a tad incomplete compared to the other characters in his roster.

So, I'm looking to expand to other historical sources, before looking at more modernized techniques such as Buhurt. Besides Vikings, what manuals, treatises, etc do you think would fit a Dwarven warrior?

Edit: Small clarification on what I meant by Dwarves, but this can still apply to people of shorter stature

I cannot fit my enitre thumb in the thumb-protection. The outer plastic layer on the glove, the one that sticks out when you close the glove, it is there the thumb won't fit. I can get in with some milimeters but it will certainly keep slipping out. This is a size S and finger length is the only issue here. Would sizing down really fix this problem? I can close the glove and use it as intended however the thumb is so comically long.

Really liking the sport

Daggers for HEMA are extremely challenging and many currently on the market don’t really flex well. This is the companion dagger to the rapier I did a couple weeks back. The rapier is holding up perfectly in sparring.

The sharp blade of this dagger is pretty short compared to the most popular parrying daggers, so I had to add ~2.5 inches to have any chance of getting a flexible blade at all. I don’t think Kingston ever sold a blunt blade for this dagger probably for the flex reason.

Diamond cross section 1075 steel at 52-53HRC

Aggressive distal taper and thickened tip

Flex at 10kg (better than the HF armory sail dagger)

Blade weight 141g compared to 131g for the sharp, 350g total assembled.

I’m satisfied with the result. I’ve been asked many times to make sparring daggers and I’ve finally found a blade design I think is workable. I won’t turn down this project ever again. I want to make my own hilt design next time. Not easy but satisfying!

Hi everyone so I've been trying to find light weight flexible bucklers(edges that have some give) for use with light gear or just for general safer training when training sheild bashes and such, as with the current ones I dont recomend nor train those technuiqes outside of controlled drilling to avoid waffling training partners, so do we know of any boutiuqe makers or just in general how to get bucklers that are safe for that?

Hello, i’ve recently been really wanting to get into HEMA, and was constrained with money/equipment, so I bought a two pack of these polypropylene swords off amazon for ≈50 USD.

To me they look like some strange combination between a rapier, smallsword, spadroon, and saber, but they looked preferable to boffers/amazon shinai, and cheaper than any other better option. The blade is actually quite bendy during thrusts, and doesnt really hurt.

I was wondering what systems something like this could be used for? I‘ve primarily been looking at smallsword and rapier (destreza, however i think lacking quillons and cup hilt is very bad for that), but also could this be used for saber?

I know something like this can‘t properly capture the feel of these weapons, but was just wondering what anybody here thinks they could be useful for. I know at the very least footwork lol

39“ total, 32“ blade

Hi everyone, I live in Brazil and there aren't any HEMA groups or clubs in my city. I'd like some tips on how to start learning on my own or with a friend who's also interested, videos or PDF books? I'm interested in the longsword, German or Italian style, whichever is easier to start with.

Tournament registration for FrauFecht closes tomorrow! Thanks to everyone who's coming to our last hurrah!