HEMA stands for Historical European Martial Arts.
It is a catch all term for lost martial arts of history of which there are no practicing masters.
Our goal is to join a community that attempts to resurrect these lost martial arts by studying the history, language and culture that shaped their works.
As martial artists, we want to contribute to researching historical martial arts by pressure testing the techniques found in historical treatises. This involves simulating combat with swords, daggers and our bodies inside and outside of armor.
To do this safely, without injuring our training partners, most of our practice involves blunt weapons and padded protective gear.
We also travel and compete in tournaments around Pittsburgh and beyond to test our own skills with these techniques.
What is HEMA?!?
our Approach
Pittsburgh is unique in the HEMA space. We have several clubs through out the city, all with their own approaches to sword fighting. We believe we have two qualities that set us apart.
holistic approach to wellness
Warriors of history used swords as tools to augment their own bodies, but they didn’t ignore their personal fitness. We train our bodies to perform their best so our art can be the best it can be.
We start every class with yoga, and train our minds with visualization exercises before tournaments.
Healthy Competition
We train to beat ourselves of yesterday and to make everyone better. We encourage all of our members to step out of their comfort zones, embrace failure as a point of learning and constantly train to be better.