One of the advantages of our art is that we get to ‘stand up again’ after a mistake … or after meeting a better fighter.
Yes, one does improve in fitness, reactive muscle memory, swordplay technique and ‘tactical thinking’ as one ‘spars’, practices and drills … but we must never lose sight that in medieval and renaissance times, HEMA/WMA were very much killing arts.
A sword duel between unarmoured foes was more like a western high noon pistol duel than we might think – be fast, be accurate … be first to hit!
We fight … Winner is the best out of … One?
MAINPOST (Würzburg, Germany) 21 August 13 Fechten wie ein Ritter: Thomas Hönle macht es vor (Theresa Müller)
Thomas Hönle is in the (very) enviable position of being able to demonstrate his art during the 100th anniversary of the Mainfränkisches museum … held on the grounds of medieval Marienberg Fortress!
Using Manuscript I.33 as his muse, Hönle will go through the various guards, attacks and bindings of the medieval swordplay that he studies and teaches during his workshops.
“The stereotype of the eternally long sword fights belong to legend … sword fights were pretty quick to end because … the first hit was decisive.”
Getting up to Fight Again!
JOURNAL-STAR (Peoria, Illinois) 19 August 13 Peoria martial arts instructor trains fighters for the Battle of Nations (Ron Johnson)
There’s some debate in our community as to whether the Battle of the Nations is actually HEMA/WMA, or is it an armoured version of the MMA Xtreme Fighting Championships?
Regardless, Robert Roach’s description is of what actually happens to you when you’re wrapped in 50 kilos of metal facing a line of fighters similarly clad – all intent on doing you a physical indignity – if not actual bodily harm. The violence exhibited during this competition is “on another order of magnitude”.
“There are virtually no rules except that weapons must be blunted. Even so, in the sport’s early years deaths were not unheard of, so fighters must have health insurance and arrangements should their corpse need transporting home, Roach said”.
Fighting Their Way Up.
КП УЛЬЯНОВСК / MOSAIC (Ulyanovsk, Russia) 25 August 13 Ульяновские ролевики наведались в «Древний мир» (Игорь Улитин)
Swordplay groups ‘Flint’ and ‘Falcon Brigade’ showed up loaded for Russian bear for the recent ‘2013 Sword of the Volga’ competition to fight with various sword and dagger combinations in an effort to qualify for the ‘nationals’ ... the “Sword of Russia” competition later in September.
Lucky 13?
BBC (London, UK) 21 August 13 Carisbrooke Castle hosts medieval jousting event
A veteran of 13 years of mounted lance work, Stacey Evans describes in this video what it is like to participate in the "Formula 1" of modern jousting events.
“…charge at each other on horseback at 30mph (48.28 km/h) while in armour worth up to £25,000.” (near $41,000!)
Smaller ‘stick’, but lots of them.
RAVALLI REPUBLIC (Hamilton, Montana) 19 August 13 Mounted archery competition set for Hamilton
Last week the Kassai USA School of Mounted Archery presented Hamilton’s International Mounted Archery Competition, and attendance included international competitors … including actual Hungarian archers!
Mounted archery is a martial discipline dating back more than 2,500 years and is one of the fastest growing new equestrian sports in several different countries.
Snippets
Let’s see, we’ve been smashed with a shield, stabbed with a lance and stuck with an arrow … time for a cold one!
“Unfortunately, try as we might, most of us do not have sabers just sitting around our houses.”
Good idea ... intend to reignite in youth an interest in their sword-related history.
Bad idea … give out swords to unsupervised youth in batches of 500!