What is HEMA?
Historical European Martial Arts: the forgotten fighting traditions of Europe
A Real Martial Art
Most people know about Japanese martial arts. Karate, judo, kendo, aikido. They know about Chinese martial arts: kung fu, tai chi, wing chun. What they do not know is that Europe had its own martial arts traditions that were just as sophisticated, just as well documented, and just as deadly. They were simply forgotten.
Historical European Martial Arts, or HEMA, is the resurrection of those traditions. We study the actual fighting manuals that medieval and Renaissance masters wrote down, and we train those techniques as a living martial art. Not re-enactment, not choreography, not stage combat. Real techniques, tested against resisting partners, with real contact.
The earliest known European fighting manual dates from around 1280. It shows a monk teaching a scholar and a lady how to fight with sword and buckler. From there, the tradition stretches through the medieval period, into the Renaissance, and right through to the 19th century. There are hundreds of surviving treatises covering longsword, rapier, sabre, dagger, wrestling, pollaxe, spear, and mounted combat. HEMA is the umbrella term for all of it.
What We Study at HEMA Penzance
At HEMA Penzance, we focus on one master: Fiore dei Liberi, an Italian knight and master-at-arms who completed his fighting treatise around 1409. His system covers the complete spectrum of medieval combat: unarmed grappling, dagger, longsword in two hands and one, spear, and pollaxe. It is one of the most comprehensive martial arts systems ever written down, and it all connects. The wrestling principles that underpin the unarmed work reappear at the dagger, at the longsword, at the pollaxe. Learn one part and you start to understand the whole.
The longsword is the heart of what we do. Every Tuesday session centres on it. But Fiore’s system is not just a collection of moves with a sword. It is a complete approach to combat, built on principles of timing, distance, structure, and the ability to read what your opponent is about to do before they do it.
Why We Wear What We Wear
If you have ever seen photos of HEMA sparring and wondered why people are wearing what looks like a mix of medieval and modern armour, here is the reason: longswords hit hard. Even blunt training swords deliver serious impact, and the techniques we practise include thrusts, pommel strikes, locks, and throws. The protective gear has to handle all of that.
The core of it is a gambeson: a padded jacket that absorbs the impact of strikes to the torso and arms. On top of that goes a fencing mask with a padded overlay for extra impact protection, because HEMA masks need to handle heavier blows than sport fencing masks ever see. Some practitioners use impact-resistant polymer armour for additional protection on the forearms, shins, and shoulders.
It might look like a lot when you first see it, but every piece is there for a reason. HEMA is a contact martial art with real weapons, and the gear lets us train with genuine intent while keeping everyone safe. Nobody holds back because they are worried about hurting their partner. That honesty is what makes the training work.
Tournaments and Competition
HEMA has a thriving tournament scene across the UK and internationally. Competitors test their skills against practitioners from other clubs in structured bouts judged on clean technique and martial intent. Tournaments range from local one-day events to major international competitions drawing hundreds of fighters.
HEMA Penzance does not compete as a club, but individual members are welcome to enter tournaments on their own. Several practitioners from the club have competed at events around the country. If competition interests you, Steve and Andrew can point you toward upcoming tournaments and help you prepare.
Events and Living History
Beyond regular Tuesday training, the club takes part in living history events and medieval gatherings. These are a chance to bring the art out into the world: demonstrating techniques, talking to the public about what HEMA is, and spending a weekend in good company with swords in hand.
Our instructors Steve and Andrew have been doing this for over a decade, and the club has a presence at events across Cornwall and beyond. If you enjoy the historical side of what we do as much as the martial side, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved.
Worth Watching
If you want to see what HEMA actually looks like in motion, these two YouTube channels are a brilliant place to start.
Dequitem films non-choreographed armoured duels at full speed and full power, shot at historical locations across Europe. No stage fighting. Real techniques, real impact, beautifully filmed. It is the closest thing to seeing what medieval combat actually looked like.
Federico Malagutti is an Italian HEMA practitioner who is genuinely excellent at explaining Fiore’s system. If you want to understand the mechanics behind the techniques we train on a Tuesday evening, his breakdowns are some of the best out there.
And if you want to go deeper into the source material, middleages.hu maintains a searchable database of period martial arts treatises in multiple languages. Our own Andrew recommended it on his very first day of teaching us. It is a remarkable resource.
The HEMA Community
One of the best things about HEMA is the community that comes with it. This is not a mainstream sport with millions of practitioners. It is a global community of people who all discovered the same incredible thing: that Europe had martial arts traditions that rival anything from the East, and that we can still learn them today.
That shared sense of discovery creates a warmth you do not always find in other martial arts. People travel to train at other clubs, share research and translations online, debate interpretations of historical texts, and generally geek out together about swords. Whether you are in Penzance or Prague, the HEMA community will welcome you.
If you want to see what it is all about, the best thing to do is come along on a Tuesday evening. Your first lesson is free, all equipment is provided, and no experience is necessary.