WHAT'S ON.
This year we have teamed up with The College of Chivalry and their Battle for Black Cat Bridge Medieval Festival and Market to make HEMAFEST even bigger than before!
But it's not all about fighting! Indulge in delicious food and good company around the campfire and live music in our 'after hours' party! Food is available on site but please bring extra food and snacks and most importantly booze if you wish as Sunday hangovers are not mandatory, but are funny.
Spend your pennies at the multiple medieval merchants and pick up something cool, walk around the living history village or watch some wholesome ferret racing (yeah it's a thing). Bring your tent and enjoy the beautiful surroundings while immersing yourself in the HEMA community. We look forward to seeing you there!
We're back! Smart HEMA Clubs is proud to present HEMAFEST 2025! The festival takes place over two days, on August 30th & 31st, and offers a variety of activities for attendees to enjoy. This years event is held at Black Cat Archery, Roves Farm Lane, Severnhampton, Swindon, SN6 7QG
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TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
THE WORKSHOPS.
This year we are delighted to be able to provide workshops from top names in the HEMA community, who will each bring their unique style and approach to swordsmanship.
Melissa Hainsworth
Losing the bind and winning the fight.
The bind in fencing is an important element you need to know how to use. Many fencers who don't understand how to use it avoid it, some will try to bully their opponents with it - but that can be at their peril. A fencer who can turn a loss in the bind to their advantage cannot be easily bullied.
I am 5ft 5 and not particularly strong so I will share with you the techniques that can be employed against those who are stronger, or more "insistent" in the bind.
I will be examining some of the canonical techniques given by both Fiore and Leichtenauer and sharing some of my variations on those techniques I have developed and been able to apply successfully in my fencing.
Equipment: longsword, mask, gloves as a minimum
Pedro San Miguel
The formula for opposition.
This workshop will be primarily demonstrated with smallsword as the basis, but the content is applicable to any single handed thrusting sword.
A focused study on the use of opposition: We will go through different methods of applying opposition, and work on recognising when opposition is needed, and when it is not. Finally, we go through alternative tools for when forming opposition is not possible.
Miro Lahtela
Ringen guet fesser. Wrestling at the sword, according to Lichtenauer.
In this workshop, we will take a look at how wrestling in longsword fencing should be done according to the Pseudo von Danzig and Ringeck manuscripts. There is no need to have any kind of prior experience with wrestling in order to join this workshop, but at the same time, I wish to inspire even more seasoned grapplers to understand the simple system of body wrestlings in these sources.
Kerri Tamplin
Moulinets - Windmills of death or just tilting at them?
A wide variety of sabre interpretations make mention of the Moulinet, even if its “just to build wrist strength”. Regardless of this, we don't often see it in competitive spaces. This year, I've been trying to dig into that.
In this lesson, we will draw from sources such as Rowarth, Hutton and more to examine the whats, hows and whys of moulinets and where we can bring them into our everyday fencing.
Kit required- mask, gorget, gloves and ideally a sabre or broadsword.
Emilia Skirmuntt
Introduction to Half-Swording Techniques.
This lesson introduces the principles and techniques of half-swording as described by Fiore dei Liberi, a renowned 15th-century Italian knight and master of arms. Half-swording, or "mezza spada," is a technique used in armored combat where the fencer grips the blade of the sword with the off-hand to gain greater control, precision, and leverage.
Participants will explore the historical context of half-swording, its practical applications in armored combat, and the mechanics of executing these techniques safely and effectively.
Patrick Rance
Weaponising Distance Control.
Distance control is a core skill in HEMA that doesn’t always get the focus it deserves. Often the person who controls the distance controls the fight. This is particularly true in sword & buckler and rapier & dagger.
My session will explore ways to train distance control, use it in fights and recognise the tactics used by your opponent.
We will explore elements like applying slow pressure, sudden rushes and (my personal favourite) fighting on retreat.
Equipment: Sword & Buckler, Rapier and Dagger (or single swords). Mask and Glove (as minimum).
Kelsey Dame
The Left-Handed (Dis)Advantage.
Left handed fencers have many advantages in fencing. First and foremost, they regularly train with individuals with opposite handedness, whereas right handed fencers train with individuals of opposite handedness (statistically) only 10% of the time.
Cuts, parries, thrusts, and grapples have different mechanics as a left handed fencer. Regardless of your own handedness, understanding the leftie playbook will prepare you for encountering sinister fencers in sparring and tournament contexts.
In this workshop, we will explore left handed versus right handed longsword fencing (based on the work of Philippo di Vadi) in short and middle distance. Attendees should expect to inhabit the roles of both the left and right handed fencers during this class, regardless of their dominant hand.
Minimum kit: mask, gloves, gorget, longsword
Jordan Mock
An hour of wolves and shattered shields: Explore your inner Condottiere and Landsknecht with a series of Melee games .
Employing small unit tactics and fighting in group formations is a whole different skill set to fencing 1 Vs 1 on a piste. It is hugely rewarding and fun to play with multiple opponents in an uneven environment.
Melee games are often written off as a bit of a lark. However, for those fencers who are interested in the sources, this steps away from fechtbuch, which focuses on the skill of the individual, and leans more into the Kriegsbuch (war book) wherein those skills are expanded upon in a larger context.
For those of you who just want to get involved with the games and have some fun in the woods, we've got you covered as well.
You will need full kit and synthetic weapons.
Note: this is frantic sweaty work, so make sure you have water on hand.
Mark Wilkie
Decoding the fight - how to spot the problems your opponent give you.
This workshop will be with longsword but the drills can be run with any weapon. Full sparring gear is required.
A series of escalating drills to help you work on analysing your opponent and creating a game plan on the fly to deal with any problems they may throw at you.
Jonathan Middleton
Tactics for closing with one-handed swords.
Grappling is most often associated with the longsword but this class will show the specific challenges and opportunities of getting into close play with single handed swords.
Drawing on various sources, we will learn a few simple techniques which can be applied from different positions and adapted for different levels of force.
It’s great to know some fancy grips and disarms, but they are no use if we can’t create the conditions to apply them in fencing. So the class will explore some movements and tactics to get you close enough to make the techniques work.