Interview with Montgomery County Historical Fencing Founder Peter Concannon: The Historical Fencing Community

Sword fighting was something Peter Concannon always wanted to do, ever since his youth. He gravitated towards Society for Creative Anachronism and stage combat, but they were not the stuff he was looking for. Later – two and a half decades later – Concannon received a Groupon for German longsword lessons and was hooked, training … Continue reading Interview with Montgomery County Historical Fencing Founder Peter Concannon: The Historical Fencing Community

Interview with Ram’s Head Fencing Founder Josias Arcadia: Lineages and Competitions, Part II

He had to train in secret at first, but after a move to Minnesota, Josias Arcadia found a school to practice historical fencing. In an effort to learn more of the German tradition of longsword, Arcadia began his Ram’s Head Fencing and began training with James Riley in the Kunst des Fechtens tradition. Recently, he … Continue reading Interview with Ram’s Head Fencing Founder Josias Arcadia: Lineages and Competitions, Part II

Interview with SoCal Swords Founder RJ McKeehan: Training and Supplying HEMA Part I

Swords were always enticing to RJ McKeehan, especially after a friend from Europe told him about the historical fencing events being held in the continent. He finally got the chance to try his hand at historical fencing in 2010 when he attended California State University. There, he learned from Jonathan Mashar and Jason Taylor who … Continue reading Interview with SoCal Swords Founder RJ McKeehan: Training and Supplying HEMA Part I

Interview with Ars Gladii Founder Josh Little: Adventures of Historical Fencing in the Midwest, Part II

Josh Little began sword fighting when his high school physics teacher introduced LARP to him, which led Little to try out the Society for Creative Anachronism and Olympic Fencing. Later, in the late 1990s, he found historical fight manuscripts and never looked back. Around the same time, Little established his Ars Gladii, teaching a myriad … Continue reading Interview with Ars Gladii Founder Josh Little: Adventures of Historical Fencing in the Midwest, Part II

Interview with Ars Gladii Founder Josh Little: Adventures of Historical Fencing in the Midwest, Part I

Josh Little began sword fighting when his high school physics teacher introduced LARP to him, which led Little to try out the Society for Creative Anachronism and Olympic Fencing. Later, in the late 1990s, he found historical fight manuscripts and never looked back. Around the same time, Little established his Ars Gladii, teaching a myriad … Continue reading Interview with Ars Gladii Founder Josh Little: Adventures of Historical Fencing in the Midwest, Part I

Interview with MKDF Lead Instructor Jess Rozek: The East Coast Growth of HEMA, Part I

Jess Rozek just could not find what she wanted to do. She had tried a class or two of various martial arts, but they were not for her. Not until she watched Reclaiming the Blade in 2011, where it connected with her interests with fantasy and science fiction. From there, she found HEMA and Grunberg … Continue reading Interview with MKDF Lead Instructor Jess Rozek: The East Coast Growth of HEMA, Part I

Longtime HEMA Practitioner Richard Marsden: HEMA in Arizona and the Modern Revival Movement

One of the original HEMA practitioners in Arizona, Richard Marsden began studying under Greg Hinchcliff, and later Jim Barrows. In 2011, Marsden and John Patterson established the Phoenix Society of Historical Swordsmanship. More recently, Marsden has authored two HEMA: one on Polish sabers and European martial arts in their contexts. All images provided by Richard … Continue reading Longtime HEMA Practitioner Richard Marsden: HEMA in Arizona and the Modern Revival Movement

Interview with Wiktenauer Editor-in-Chief Michael Chidester: HEMA in the United States

Michael Chidester is the Editor-in-Chief of Wiktenauer and, as Director of the Wiktenauer, an officer of the non-profit HEMA Alliance. Michael is a Research Scholar of the Meyer Freifechter Guild, a founding member of the Society for Historical European Martial Arts Studies (SHEMAS), a member of the Western Martial Arts Coalition (WMAC), and a Lifetime … Continue reading Interview with Wiktenauer Editor-in-Chief Michael Chidester: HEMA in the United States

Interview with Noble Science Academy Founder Michael-Forest Meservy: All About HEMA

Michael-Forest Meservy began training in HEMA in 2001, later founding the Noble Science Academy in 2007, and cofounding the Wiktenauer two years after that. Today, Meservy discusses the fragmented history of HEMA, the scholarship involved in interpreting the sources, and the movement’s future. All images provided by Michael-Forest Meservy. Martial Arts of Yesterday, Today, and … Continue reading Interview with Noble Science Academy Founder Michael-Forest Meservy: All About HEMA

Interview with ARMA Director John Clements: Renaissance Martial Arts and HEMA

John Clements began his journey into historical European martial arts to rediscover the historical basis of techniques and move sets found in Western fencing. In 1995, he took the helm of Hank Reinhardt's Historical Armed Combat Association (HACA) and then, in 2000, reconceived it into the Association of Renaissance Martial Arts (ARMA) and helped spearhead … Continue reading Interview with ARMA Director John Clements: Renaissance Martial Arts and HEMA