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| Backswords |
There are many popular martial arts today such as MMA, Krav
Maga and Asian disciplines. However, if you have ever been curious about what
happened in Europe before these styles reached our shores, HEMA might be for
you. Historical European Martial Arts is a practical use of old techniques. Best
practice is taught from the rivers of knowledge surrounding combat from Italy,
Germany, Britain and other places.
The focus of HEMA is mostly between 1300 and 1800. The
skills are both technical and physically challenging, so when I went to Wessex
School of Arms in Bath, I was curious about how everything worked.
The lesson on this night was about backsword technique. This
sword is one handed and principally for thrusting and slashing. Sounds simple,
but when someone else had one defence becomes the priority. Being a responsive
style of learning, a pupil must defend themselves before launching an attack.
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| Photo by Richard Isley |
With plastic practice swords, the first part of the lesson
was about different methods of blocking. Though there aren’t a large amount of
stances, the difficultly comes from coordinating hand and foot placement.
Teamed up in twos, the pragmantic use of responding to an opponent was drilled
as myself and my partner worked on a simple block and counter routine.
In this style, less is more. Understanding the arc of attack
an opponent has is vital in blocking effectively and protecting oneself. A lot
of the initial techniques felt counter intuitive, yet they are tried and tested
through hundreds of years of utilisation.
After technique training with the plastic swords, I moved on
to blunt edged metal swords which were a rather different sensation. Heavier
and more powerful, the ring of metal against metal reverberated through my
bones. It was fun, but also developed more concentration with the realism
increasing.
Being my first lesson, I didn’t take part in the group spa
at the end. With three against three, two teams took on each other with plastic
swords in order to score points for contact. Each round was over surprisingly quickly
and it brought home just how fast things would happen in real life.
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| Harmless fun |
On another night the lesson could have been daggers, quarter
staff or hand to hand fighting. Good for fitness and historical awareness,
Wessex School of Arms provides a thrilling experience for people of all
abilities. Sessions cost £8 and last for 1 ½ hours.
You can find out more here:
www.facebook.com/WessexHEMA
Nice writeup - thanks! Was good to have you along :)
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