About HEMA

What is HEMA?

HEMA is a generic term/acronym for Historical European Martial Arts. Whilst there are a few ‘living’ lineages for some arts, HEMA is predominantly the reconstructive study of historical martial arts sytems from the 14th century onwards, based off interpretations from surviving manuscripts. Depending on the club, it might be a 14th century swordfighting manuscript they work from, or it might be a WW1 combatives manual. The range is enormous and covers many many fighting styles. Most HEMA clubs and groups will only teach a small handful, and 15th/16th century European longsword is by far the most common weapon trained on the island.

Do I need to study the manuscripts myself?

No! Whilst no club in HEMA Ireland will object if you do, all of our instructors are well versed in the historical sources for the weapons they teach and will guide you through the techniques.

Do you train in bohurt/Battle of the Nations style armoured combat?

Whilst there’s some overlap, and some HEMA sources covered armoured techniques, HEMA is a different discipline and doesn’t cover bohurt/armoured melee.

Is HEMA sparring full contact?

Yes, in the sense that in sparring with full gear on, people will be swinging swords with enough intensity that they would cut if they were sharp. And also no, in the sense that no-one should be swinging as hard as they possibly can – there’s no particular reason to with a sword!

Do I have to wear period clothing to train in?

No – HEMA makes use of modern protective equipment and clothing, and tends to focus on getting the use of the weapon as accurate as possible in terms of how the historical techniques are described, rather than accurate appearance of clothing. Some of the protective equipment is available in styles that mimic historical styles.

Are you a set of Living History groups?

HEMA is it’s own distinct thing, though with a certain amount of overlap with Living History and other historical interests. For Living History, generally, the look and appearance of clothing and armour will be accurate, and fighting is part performance to educate and entertain onlookers. This often means that the actual technical side of the fighting is compromised in certain ways to ensure the safety of everyone involved. HEMA, on the other hand, tries to make the technical side of the fighting accurate, but in doing so compromises the historical appearance in favour of modern protective equipment.

Do I need to buy any equipment beforehand?

No! In fact most of our clubs and groups would actually rather you didn’t! Generally you’ll find our member clubs provide loaner gear for everything. There’s a lot of equipment out there that looks good, but isn’t suitable for training with. We’d much prefer you used loaner gear for a while before buying anything, rather than our instructors having to have the awkward conversation of “We can’t actually let you use the expensive thing you’ve just spent lots of money on…” Find a club, get training, and then start thinking about equipment!

I’m not that fit, do I need to be to start training in HEMA?
No! Whilst a certain level of physical fitness is helpful, that will come with time and getting used to the training. We encourage everyone to work to their own fitness level, and everyone will make progress. Getting stuck in and getting started is always a much better idea than “I want to get fit before joining”.

Are injuries likely?

Minor injuries like occasional bruising and scrapes will happen! We are training in a weapons based martial art after all, and sparring will always involve a certain amount of contact. More serious injuries can’t be discounted, but HEMA Ireland clubs and groups have an excellent safety record, and a large part of the training is making sure everyone is safe when drilling and sparring.