Yup I this is probably the best looking saber look I can find - but how is the protection?
Does anyone have experience with these? Can't find much online. Also does the jacket fit slim or is it bulky, can it look weird in contrast to the trousers? If I were to get them both, both would be black with gold trim.

Hi im interested in starting hema and am wondering where to get good kit on a beget sub £200 total, ideally. Also wondering if there are any good places to learn, im in London Borer of Sutton

https://preview.redd.it/c5bo2ngsxbbe1.png?width=413&format=png&auto=webp&s=2e47f8a67f00ef2029d4a0a8f243cff6fa2d82c9

I already know and read many of the old master's manuscripts, but I'm looking for modern books on the sidesword/rapier of the 16th century (I'm mostly on the Meyer/Marozzo style).

Edit: ok ok, maybe it isn't. I'm developing an interpretation of i33 that is based on basic fencing principles, and not on 'guess what weird positions they are doing in the images'. It is based on the fundamental cuts and thrusts you can perform around the buckler. A key requirement is that both fencers want to kill the other fencer, and that the actions shown are not only logical but are forced upon them by the other fencer. It is obvious taking this approach that many of the actions are horizontal cuts confusingly drawn (or covers made out of distance derived from these cuts), and these are sometimes called Schutzen. I quite like the idea of naming the strikes in i33 with the only names we are given (halpschilt, schutzen and Krucke) becuade it makes the plays easily adjustable - is it a direct attack, or is it a cut out of distance used as a cover?

Original post In i.33 I'm now absolutely convinced that schutzen (meaning 'protect') is a horizontal cut from left or right. It is the equivalent of the zwerchau, or the 'thwart cut'. Schutzen (protect), Zwerchau (thwart), both named because they protect against a downwards cut.

"Evidence!?" I hear you say. Every instance of the word schutzen or schutzin in i33 seems to be refering to a horizontal cut, and although what we see in the images doesn't look like a horizontal cut, I'm sure that's false persepctive and we are seeing the cut being made from directly above. Also, "Where the priests Nucken, the common schutzen", meaning that the priest prefers the shield knock and nucken when making a ripsote after a bind, but the common often just make a horizontal cut to the head, which is more dangerous. Lastly, the thing that proved it for me is the very last play in i33 where a schutzen is used (this time from first ward, under our buckler), which looks different to the other schutzens. It is being used to attack Walpurgis ward, which is held with sword horizontally. While it is not clear to me why you would schutzen to the right side of the opponent (unless walpurgis ward is held centrally, not on the right side as depicted in the image, which is likely if schutzen is being used as an attack and not just gain a bind or make a parry), a schutzen of some sort makes sense as it provides a true cross to this most vertical of wards.

This absolutely solidifies for me that i33 is a system based almost entirely around the use of cuts in opposition, either as attacks, parries, counter wards, feints, feints in time, etc. The names we use for the 'counter wards' - halpschilt, schutzen and Krucke - simply denote oberhau, mittelhau and unterhau respectively. That doesn't mean you can't use these cuts as counter ward positions, clearly a halpschilt position is quite effective as a defensive posture, although perhaps the way modern practitioners use halpschilt is actually what the walpurgis ward is depicting.

Ordered a synthetic sidesword from blackfencer about six weeks ago, and still don't have any shipping costs calculated or order updates. I'm ordering from the US so I expected longer wait times, + holiday season, but is it normal to not even have any updates or shipping information by now? Thanks for any help, never ordered online before so I'm not sure what the standard is.

I'm New to the community and I'm interested in watching HEMA tournaments. However It seems to me that the practice of recording and sharing a full tournament is not common, I want to keep up with what tournaments there are and where can I watch them too!

Much appreciated

For a cheap first entry saber which one would you recommend? I've been recommended the hanwai because if (or rather when) the blade is damaged it can be replaced.

So, I've always been interested in HEMA but there are no clubs or anything near me. Any suggestions to start learning?

I know with hand to hand martial arts youre supposed to fight dominant leg back, but obviously with fencing we isually have.dominant leg forward.

I'm just curious what fencers who also practice other martial arts do. Do you just fight southpaw or do you fight traditional even though it might feel weird b/c of your fencing background.

Thanks

The rules were the winner was the one with the most food and drink by the end of the bout.

I'm new to HEMA and I've bought the nylon simulacrum that my school recommended me so that I could practice ecen at home.

The first I've noticed is even if the sidesword was intended to be used without armor, and so without thick gloves, the whole hand guard thing is very uncomfortable.

While I train with this sword, the space between my thumb and index is under a lot of stress due to the friction and weight of the sword, the same counts for the lower side of my index finger, especially during swings.

I have also tried to put my thumb like in the last picture but it doesn't really help, plus placing it like I would do with a saber allows me to have a better control of the sword.

So I know that they are, or at least can be very similar weapons and there are arguments about how different they are. But what I'm wondering here is how much the skills transfer from one to another. I will soon be receiving Martin fabian's fencing manual and it has a section about Messer and I'm wondering how much of that skill would transfer to falchion.

Thanks

I’m wanting to get into rapier fencing, I’ve been trying to find just the basics on the internet but have come up short. I understand an instructor is a better course but I’m not in the best financial position to go to a school, any tips or paths I should go down in the meantime?

I'm relatively new to HEMA, I mostly train MMA and FMA. I really enjoy grappling and in particular find the subject of closing distance in various martial arts very interesting. I know entries with single stick, but I don't know how it's done with a two-handed weapon such as the longsword (or staff).

In addition, at my last (and so far only) longsword tournament, the rules stated that I needed to keep control of my weapon when grappling. I had no idea on how to do this with the longsword so I just refrained from trying to grapple.

In the FMA systems I train in, I can drop my weapon and continue empty-handed (if I have closed in I usually have negated a long blunt weapon's advantage anyway). I feel like I have to do this for takedowns such as the double leg. I have no idea how to maintain control of a long weapon like a longsword or staff while grappling.

If anyone has tips or links to resources on the topic I would appreciate it!

I was thinking about the differences between a wood splitter axes edge and a swords edge, then I was thinking if you could somehow put those two in one? For example, imagine a double bladed sword, like a longsword. Then imagine one sides spine is thicker more like the on an axe and the one is designed more for chopping and hacking. While the other stays the same for cutting and slicing. Has anything like this ever been made or existed in history? I have a feeling it might have, but I'm not sure. Please tell me your thoughts!

Registration is now open for Arsenal Assault of Arms, Athena School of Arms’ saber focused event. May 2-4, 2025, Boston, MA Planned tournaments include:

• Tiered Open Saber
• Team Napoleonic weapons
• Veteran’s Saber (Age 40+)
• Youth Saber (Age 15-17)
• Under-represented Genders Saber
• Charity Smallsword

In addition, there will be classes and open sparring. Details at the registration link.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/arsenal-assault-of-arms-2025-tickets-1124631295479

Im trynna find something like a leather dussack for sparring with others but more sabre-shaped, like longer