Swordplay – where it’s just not fun and games until someone gets stabbed in the face.
Saturday brought with it the start of the formal tournaments, meaning that results were counted towards the National as well as International HEMA rankings. After a Continue reading
And you thought running with scissors was risky.
As mentioned in a previous post, I came out of the UWM test event with a burning desire to improve my weapon fighting skills. I could tell you how I structured my training towards this goal by joining the HEMA school Collegium in Armis, studying longsword techniques and other European weapon systems. I could go through in detail how I pimped my basement into a mancave-slash-dojo (‘The Mojo’ for short) and set up a sparring arena in the backyard. But I won’t bore you with details, nor will I be the guy that rambles on about what supplements and dietary regime he follows. Let’s just say it’s been my main focus for some time now – and after about a year’s training, it was time to put the skills to the test.
In Sweden we have a saying about having ‘blood on your teeth’, meaning that you’ve sunk your teeth into something and now want more of it. Here Joshua ‘Ironheart’ Bekker tells of his recent and upcoming fights.
– How did you personally find VTC1?
This was an amazing experience and I was so excited to be a part of it. If I’m being honest, it was probably the highlight of 2016 for me, if not my entire fight career. Continue reading
Burak ‘Ronin’ Urgancioglu really took to his ring name, having spent the majority of his time since UWM travelling (and training) around the world. Master-less samurai indeed. If you want to follow his adventures, check out his page The Journal of a Ronin on Facebook.
– How did you personally find VTC1?
VTC1 was an amazing experience with multiple aspects for me. Travelling so far for the first time, meeting with fellow fighters for the first time, testing my skills in the outside world for the first time. A lot of first times.
I was naive, you see, compared to you at least. When I Continue reading
I convinced Jim ‘Fierce’ Campbell to take a break from holding classes at his school, House Darksun, to share his thoughts on competing in UWM.
– How did you personally find VTC1?
VTC1 was a great event, I had a brilliant time. It wasn’t Continue reading
Next entry in the Chronicles. The UWM event had now finished; where to from here?
Leading up to the Unified Weapons Master event, I had put as much focus as I could on my training. This enabled me to get into good shape and a decent technical level, which was obviously of great value to me when the time came to fight in the VTC (Vital Target Combat) event. However, this gain came at a price – for some time I had barely scraped by at work and at home, as the training and diet often left me mentally and physically drained. Continue reading
In preparation of a more in-depth article on HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts), I wanted to share this recent and excellent free-to-watch documentary on this rapidly growing martial art.
Although BACK TO THE SOURCE focuses on historical fencing (as opposed to modern sport fencing) and thus only covers a part of the various styles that would be considered HEMA, it is still a great introduction for those wanting to know more.
So grab thine popped corn, sheath thy longsword and enjoyeth the watch!
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