From the renaissance fencing master Joachim Meyer's Manual, "The Art of Combat." Meyer was so dedicated to his art of fencing that he bankrupted himself making his book in order to help preserve it.
Meyer is one of the most celebrated fencing masters in history, and is our primary source material.
What is HEMA vs historical fencing?
Historical European Martial Arts is a broad term - it encompasses any fighting, fencing or grappling arts developed in Europe, originating anywhere from 1200-1800.
We use the term ‘Historical Fencing’ over HEMA at DHFA because a) “European-ness” isn’t a accurate descriptor for a time period dominated by city-states and regions over continents, b) we don’t want to limit ourselves to a single continent, and c) we’d rather focus on time periods.
And finally, ‘European’ connotes ‘whiteness’, which is inaccurate of Europe at that time - people of color lived and thrived on the continent, and we see their depictions in numerous fencing manuscripts.
How did historical martial arts movement start?
Previously, fight books/fencing manuals were kept mostly in private collections - objects to be admired, but not to be studied. Eventually these books were translated, and once you have that - hey, why not try out a few moves?
Historical Martial Arts exploded at the dawn of the internet - finally manuscripts could be scanned and shared, and translation efforts could be shared across countries.
Skill levels began to increase as fencing knowledge increased. Existing ‘living traditions’ (modern fencing and other living traditions) helped fill in the gaps. The competitive circuit helped iron out interpretations of techniques, and the skill floor is raised year over year.
From the bolognese fencing master Achille Marozzo's "The Art of Arms." His previous work, "Opera Nova," is a critical piece of martial heritage. He taught everything from the longsword, to shield and spear, to grappling, to dagger (above).
Where is historical fencing Now?
Historical Fencing & HEMA have been growing at a face pace, especially with the rise of fantasy in pop culture, with Game of Thrones driving awareness that the two handed longsword and other weapons were fast, nimble, and not at all brutish.
Tournaments, and their appeal, have also played a key role in growing Historical Fencing & HEMA. Being able to test your skill against a non-compliant opponent isn't just critical to being a good martial artist...it's also fun as hell.
Competition also gives some folks an added motivation to train harder, and has bee instrumental in raising the skill floor on all manner of weapons, such as rapier, rapier & dagger, military saber, ringen (german judo), longsword, and a variety of other weapon types.
Where is historical fencing Going?
Historical fencing and HEMA have become an official sport & martial art all across Europe, and is recognized by many existing modern fencing organizations. Most clubs in the USA are seeing triple digit growth, and our tournaments are regularly seeing 100-300 participants from all across the world.
Full time fencing schools are popping up all over the world, even in China and Korea, along with more professional infrastructure to support leagues and governing bodies.
INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT historical fencing?
Contact us at instructor@denverhistoricalfencing.com
If you're ready to take some classes, why not register for our beginner’s course?
Space is limited, so get on our waitlist now.