Music is a big part of our HEMA (historical European martial arts) club. There is always music playing.

Rule #1 of HEMA: Don't get hit. In one fight, my opponent thrusted their sword into my arm about five times before I figured out how to block it. The bruise from that fight went from my shoulder to my elbow. My body didn't sign up for sword fighting. I don't look like the average longsword wielder in my classes. I don't come across as white, male, tall, or athletic. My body is completely different, and my body is the one who takes the damage. When I get hit, it goes deeper b

I'd been holding my sword incorrectly. My wrist was at the wrong angle, and it made my attacks slower. So I'm unlearning how to hold my sword. It's not easy. I have to think about it. It feels wrong. I am really comfortable holding my sword in an inefficient and potentially harmful way. Unlearning is an active way of being that requires conscious effort. And, if I can unlearn, I will be even better. This isn't just about swords, though. I'm constantly unlearning the role th

It’s getting colder, the holidays are around the corner, and people kind of stop coming to their martial arts classes. It’s not a rule, but it’s certainly a trend. I was waiting for someone (anyone) to show up for a class, and 10 minutes after the scheduled start time, two people showed up. One was a student who had been coming for a couple of months, and he’d brought a friend. I gave them a private lesson, and they both seemed to enjoy it. The friend said she’d had a lot of

I pulled off the Bee Sting this week. While grappling my opponent’s sword, I swung my sword behind my back and stabbed him in his side (Our swords have rounded tips and we wear lots of protective gear. No one got hurt, in fact, we were both laughing!). It's a move that has been used against me many times. This was the first time I used it against someone else. I studied. I practiced. I recognized my moment and I took it. Perseverance paid off and I'm still riding that high da

I've only been doing longsword for a little over a year. This week (for the first time), I saw a sword snap and break during a fight. I just wrote about swords bending to absorb the impact from a thrust , but this sword didn't. This sword had been hit, stabbed, and blocked (probably for years), and it said, "I'm done." The initial lesson in class was, "Swords break. This is why it's important to control your power. Because we're not actually trying to kill each other." My t

Blade against blade, each fighter feeling for an opening, who will give in first? When I'm in a bind, giving in can mean getting hit. It's about maintaining pressure while moving into a more advantageous position, preferably one of the defensive guards. The only way to tell which guard to use is by feeling the pressure on your blade. And the real trick is to do it instinctively. I only have a moment to feel before I continue fighting. But I can't fight without feeling somethi

I was talking to a friend about this blog, and she said, "Do it scared." So I did. It was my first time teaching solo, and I think I did okay. I was scared, and I handled it. Someone asked me to spar. In the ring, he just stood there waiting for my move until he asked, "Why are you scared to hit me?" Then I scored a hit. I taught a lesson on thrusts this week, and two critical components for me are: Knowing my range Committing to the move Essentially, the thrust needs to be p

Last week I helped teach a class on grappling. Essentially, this is when you and your opponent are too close to anything but start wrestling. You can shove their sword away, deliver a strike with your pommel, or swing your blade around for, what's known in our club as, The Bee Sting. When I'm in grappling range, it usually means I've misjudged things. I've made a poor choice, I'm too close, and now things are getting ugly. It's anxiety inducing. What I learned this week, is t

I am not an expert in HEMA (historical European martial arts). I'm a student just trying to keep my body healthy and build community. And I thought it would be neat to take my hobby (sword fighting) and reframe life challenges through that lens. Last week, one lesson was on force. Sure, you can use all your bodyweight, swing the sword like a baseball bat, and try to absolutely chop your opponent in half. However: You could miss and be put in a very bad position. That takes a