This is a question that comes back again and again. “I am interested in taking up sabre. What is the…
Let the sparks fly: How was the briquet used?
The briquet is an iconic blade of revolutionary France. Developed in 1767 to replace the longer grenadier sabres it was…
How to care for your sword like a Victorian trooper
Yesterday, I explored a few French sources telling us how to clean and care for swords. Now let’s look at…
How to care for your sword like a Napoleonic soldier
A few rules on how to care for your sword like a member of the Old Guard.
Men in white: The history of the fencing uniform
Olympic fencing is white, HEMA is black…but what was it historically?
Masiello’s sword exercise and the medical profession
In 1895, the British army released a new sword exercise for the use of its officers, which had been in…
Inflamed with authority: The knife fighting of the Argentinian Gaucho
Continuing in my presentation of knife fighting traditions, I found these two detailed descriptions of Argentinian Gaucho dagger fencing from the…
Practiced with knives: Italian knife fighting in New York
Monday, October 3, 1904 Watertown Daily Times Fencing bouts indulged in by Italians with blunt weapons Man Suspected of Baddato’s (sic)…
The Broad Swordsman’s Pocket Companion
A small colored booklet on broadsword fencing published in 1830 by Capt. Frederick Wroughton.
Keyboard warriors: Martial arts in the age of participatory culture
What makes HEMA truly unique in the martial arts world is how it is community driven.
