The Institute for Historical Arts

What is HEMA?

Great question! HEMA stands for Historical European Martial Arts – a simpler title may be Historical Fencing, or even just “sword fighting”. Essentially, we look at historical books (and other sources) that describe how to fight, and try to apply that. There’s a free video documentary that explains it quite well.

Starting with a beginners’ course

We occasionally run dedicated beginners’ courses, which will will take place at our usual lesson time. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for when these are happening, as they can be a great way to learn the basics in detail alongside others who are just getting started with the hobby.

Starting with a standard lesson

Even if we don’t have an upcoming beginners’ course, beginners are still welcome to attend our normal Monday lessons. You’ll be taken through the basics by one of our instructors or more advanced students (usually for your first 2-3 weeks of practicing) before moving into the main class.

What to bring

We have plenty of equipment available to borrow, so there’s no requirement to invest money in getting your own kit (however, it can be much nicer to use your own so most of our members do end up buying some).

If you’ve practiced HEMA before elsewhere, you may already have kit you’d like to bring which is fine – but its use will be subject to approval by our instructors.

You only need to bring yourself, with suitable clothes/shoes for athletic activity and a water bottle (we have easy access to drinking water for refills)