Hi everyone!

I'm looking for some gloves for metal sparring , and ideally some gloves that can wistand metal longswords. Do you have some recocmendations?

Hey so im looking to get new spes trousers in the brown colour option but im not sure what it actually looks like in person, they show pictures of the brown but it is in bright light and have no pictures of the trousers. Just the jacket Reason i ask is im scared that if i order it, it will be too reddish or maybe too shiny or light

Was wondering if anyone has any they can show off either jacket or trousers just need a picture in more realistic lighting

I love HEMA a lot. I just don't want to join a school because in my country the only schools are 2 and they are quite against each other and I don't want to associate with either of them for different reasons. I don't like some practices of 1 school and the other seems a bit unfriendly or competitive.

To b honest this has put me off of practicing for some time now becuase I don't have anyone to practice with since I don't want to go and take lessons at either school...

My dream would be to start a study group and then later maybe develop it in a independent school. in the quit distant future The issue is I don't even know if starting a study group would be a viable option in 2024.

Do you think that I am wrong in thinking like that? Am I too "strict"?
I just like this hobby so much that I want to do it without any second thoughts but at the same time I am currently not practicing at all because of this...

Hello,

My club recommended that once I get out of their beginner class, the first pieces of gear I should look into buying is gloves and a helmet. I've been looking for a good 1600N helmet, and the PBT HEMA Fencing Mask seems good, but I've heard that they dent easily/easier than other brands.

When looking at posts that said this, they seemed to all be a few years old at least, and so I was wondering if this was still an issue with PBT, and if so, are there any other brands that you all recommend over them?

Im sure a lot of people have seen these images floating around. But I’m personally pretty obsessed with shields. I have a decent little collection and love training with them.

I feel like a, basically, polearm like this would combine some shield, staff, and free weights in a fun way for my training as well as be a great piece to look at in my home.

Question is, how the hell do I get one? Does anyone sell something like this, or would it be some kind of commission I need to reach out for? I’m not looking for practical, obviously with a giant shield, but would love something that can hold up to basic training.

If anyone can point me in the right direction I would super appreciate it. Hope everyone is having a nice day!

Greetings, amateur HEMA practitioner here (8 months Longsword, and I've dabbled into S&B as well). As you can see from the image below, this is supposed to be a ward from I.33, which is, to my understanding, one of the quintessential S&B manuals. My question is basically "What the hell is this supposed to accomplish?" I tried assuming this stance, and not only was my balance trash, my knee started to hurt, as opposed to the more traditional stance of both feet forming a right triangle. The center of balance is all over the place, and the weight is almost entirely concentrated on the bent knee. So what gives? Thanks in advance.

https://preview.redd.it/u398rb64orbd1.png?width=905&format=png&auto=webp&s=3f1f796294a7aedc02377817083d976b26c1517c

I just started with a HEMA club, primarily doing longsword. After finishing the beginner's course, we are swiftly moving to steel, and I want to avoid club gear as much as possible. I used some recently, and it wasn't great.

I was leaning heavily towards the RENAISSANCE HEMA DOUBLET MASTER 350N jacket, but I have heard some concerns about collarbone protection. Does anyone have suggestions for good supplementary gear? I already have the helmet and sparring glove mittens.

Also, I was torn between a few jackets in case people would recommend these instead.
AP SELLSWORD LIGHT HEMA JACKET 350N
AP LIGHT PLUS HEMA JACKET 350N

Planning on using it to do pracrice with longsword, since I primarily fight rapier + offhand... Besides the Meyer square, anyone know of any drills?

Hi everyone, anyone got any good solo drills for single rapier? Cheers :-)

Do clipped points on messers, falchions, etc have a tactical use? I know they have subtle advantages like easier thrusting, but I’m asking from a martial perspective. Why choose a clipped profile for a fencing blunt blade beyond looks considering blunts shouldn’t penetrate? Do they aid in hooking or blade binds?

I just started with a club very recently and am still extremely new to HEMA, I've only sparred with gear once and I'm mostly interested in saber, which I know very little about. The club is just a group of friends doing it for fun, so I have a leader who knows more than me, but not really a teacher per say. I was wondering when in my skill journey I should start reading sword manuals, or if there are any other very useful resources I can use to learn about how to fence on my own.

Has anyone done any extensive bayonet fencing? Also, what did you use to practice? I can only recall two companies that produce bayonet trainers: Purpleheart and Blackfencer. The former is solid wood, while the latter has an actual removable bayonet. There is this video of practitioners using what I believe are original springloaded bayonet trainers. I would love to see some trainers either modernizing the spring idea or sparring safe knife/sword bayonets that can be attached to good rifle simulators.

Title says it all

What style of hilt would you put on this blade?

I've got some down time at work and I've had this bare blade kicking around for a while now. This seems like a good time to make a guard for it, but i'm undecided on what sort of guard to make for it.

I was told its for an arming sword, but it seems a little long and light for that to me. It's got a 32" blade, and is 38" overall. Maybe a sidesword? Or a spadroon/small sword? A mortuary sword? I dont know.

What're your thoughts?

At least a decade ago I remember a brief vogue for training longsword windings & thrusts with a fencing pear -- a bulb-shaped brass pendulum used as a small hard pell. Having no luck via reddit/youtube/google dredging up the blog posts and videos I remember. Would appreciate anything the community can point me toward. Thanks.

Anyone know if Bloss is still making their Dussacks or if it's a special order situation now?

And if anyone has their dussacks, what's been your experience with them?

Hi everyone, I wanted to start practicing spanish rapier (destreza) and I was looking for a rapier maker based in europe. I’ve seen on here that people generally suggest rapiers from pike or regenyei on the cheaper side and from destrezania when talking specifically about the spanish tradition. That said basically everyone at my club uses and swears by Malleus martialis swords (specifically their longsword since we mostly practice Fiore), I’ve also seen many threads talking about their sideswords but not much about their rapiers. I’m sure they’re wonderful swords like most of their products but I’d like to hear from someone who has experience with a number of rapiers and who had the pleasure to try one from Malleus

Hey ya'll. I'm about to replace the handle on my reginiey feder and thought to pick your brain for tips or things I should look out for.

Which type of wood is best (I already have a block of oak and mahogany and some softer but very oak looking piece)

Should I make scales or a more traditional handle? (Combi of both?)

Leather wrap? Epoxy coated cord? Leather strap wrap?

What tools would I need (considering limited budget and no woodworking tools)

Any help is appreciated and I'll pay back with hugs and a spar if we mest at a tournament, should be easy to spot me, not alot of Icelanders doing HEMA

Does anyone use SG mittons on single handed swords?

I intend messer. But interested in dussack as well.

I have heard it's not ideal. But I have also spent hours looking through Reddit and reviews and it seems 5 finger gloves of any kind even the expensive ones are inadequate protection for the hands.

5 finger gloves seem to exist not because they are an effective design, but only because they are a highly "desired" design. And yet no manufacturer hasn't had people report gore and injuries. Even segmented plastic gauntlets are one twisted digit or funky hit away from being as good as zero gloves.

And I like the SG because it has has no liner so the fingers get mobility inside, and hard plastic seems overkill.

The infinity gauntlets, the Thokk weaponmaster, Red dragons, and any similar models seem to be less dependable for safety.

And I know SG will struggle to fit in sabre knucklebows, but it should matter with messer.

TL:DR

So has anyone used them? What is the mobility like? I know people complain but there aren't alternatives that hit the same balance of protection and mobility without being overkill or underkill.

I guess I'm asking if there are any dealbreakers. Like, are there any messer techniques that become impossible or does it fall out of your hand or something completely non-negotiable?

Hello,

For some reason I was wondering this question, are there any of you in several HEMA clubs? If so, what's it like? Do you think it's better or worse than just being in one club?

I will start by saying that I am a total beginner who is practicing longsword. I have the basic gear—mask and cover, arm guards, black knight gloves, etc. However, I am running into an issue that I find it harder to get into the basic guards when wearing my gear. in particular, my mask makes it hard for guards like the ox. It feels clunky, is the best way I can put it. It feels like my mask is in the way and I can't get under proper cover. I struggle with maneuvering my sword around it. don't know if it's my movement that is wrong, or maybe my gear is the wrong size. I'm unsure. I just know that it's hard to spar with it. (I'm not saying that I don't want to not use a helmet, that would be insane. I just want some advice on how to correct this issue.)

Sadly, there are no clubs around where I live so there's not someone I can ask. It's just myself and a few of my friends. Is there something I'm doing wrong? Is there any advice anyone could give me on how to correct this? I would be very appreciative. Maybe It will get better as I practice more, but I thought I'd ask anyway. Thank you.

I'm posting this question primarily for people focusing on Fiore's longsword, but I'm welcome to the opinion of others.

For situations where you are in one of the Pulsativa guards (either of the 2 Posta Di Dona or Tutta Porta di Ferro), and have to parry immediately:

1. How often would you say that you are able to beat away the incoming blow vs ending up in a bind? By beat away, I mean both hard and medium parries, as long as the opponent's blade deviates away from you enough that it isn't a direct threat in that tempo/action.

2. Do you find any difference between using feders vs using longsword blunts vs using federised longswords (longsword shape but feder flex like the VB ones, Malleus Martialis Todesca or Sigi King) in your beats?

Hello HEMA hivemind!

I'm working on improving my fencing with a one-handed sword with relatively little hand protection (e.g. medieval arming sword or side sword). Because I have more experience with longsword, I find myself sometimes comparing my one-handed sword mechanics to my longsword mechanics by supporting the wrist of my dominant arm with my non-dominant hand similar to these illustrations from Meyer:

• Example 1: https://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Gr%C3%BCndtliche_Beschreibung_der_Kunst_des_Fechtens_(Joachim_Meyer)#/media/File:Meyer_1570_Dussack_B.png
• Example 2: https://wiktenauer.com/wiki/File:MS_Bibl._2465_024v.jpg

I find that going through the motions as if I had two hands on the one-handed sword makes it easier for me to translate what I want to do (learned in a longsword context) to the one-handed sword. The non-dominant arm being "tied" to the sword forces me to turn my upper body in certain circumstances analogously to in longsword where I might forget to do this with only one hand tied to the weapon. I also find that the added support of the second hand actually makes cutting and parrying easier even if I'm only supporting my arm rather than gripping the sword.

I recognize that keeping the non-dominant hand tethered to the one-handed sword reduces my reach (at least in certain positions) and prevents a more profiled stance. I also imagine that if I were more familiar with one-handed swords, I wouldn't need the second arm as a "training wheel" so to speak. However, I'm curious if there is any historical advice regarding supporting the dominant arm with the non-dominant one (as shown in Meyer).

With that in mind, I have two questions:

1. Does Meyer say anything about this support of the dominant arm with the non-dominant one, or is it just portrayed without comment (perhaps as a personal or an artistic choice)?
2. Do any other (medieval or early renaissance) sources you know of discuss using the non-dominant arm in this way?

I'm getting back into rapier, and wanted to get a decent, tournament ready sail dagger (preferred) or other parrying dagger. It seems like everywhere I look daggers are out of stock, or 3 to 5 months lead time. Any help appreciated.