HEMA stands for Historical European Martial Arts. It is a broad, overarching term for the study and practice of historical European martial practices, both with weapons and unarmed. This typically spans from medieval times through the classical fencing period.
Individual HEMA schools have their own focus, both in terms of weapon forms practiced and culture/school studied. At Boston Academie d’Armes, we focus primarily on thrust-centric weapons in the Franco-Italian system of fencing of the early-modern period (17th Century) through Victorian era (19th Century), including the rapier and its secondaries, and classical fencing with the smallsword/dueling sword, and the dueling saber.
HEMA includes classes in a school, competitive bouting tournaments, cutting demos & tournaments, workshops, research & translation, and more.
The SCA stands for the Society of Creative Anachronism. It’s an international non-profit volunteer educational organization. The SCA’s goal is to research and re-create pre-17th Century skills, arts, combat, culture, and employ knowledge of history through events, demonstrations, and other educational presentations and activities.
Like HEMA, there is a portion of the SCA that studies and practices historical martial arts such as rapier fencing, equestrian, archery, armored combat, and thrown weapons. Unlike HEMA, the SCA does this while dressed in historical clothing. The SCA also encompasses the studies of more than just historical martial arts, but also garb making, medieval brewing, period cooking, music/theater, dance, and much more.
Many of our students partake in both HEMA and SCA events and tournaments.
Historical fencing refers to any type of self-defense martial arts from pre-modern times, typically referring to European-centric fighting techniques, both armed and unarmed. It’s a very broad term that encompasses that type of fencing practice and study found in Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) and the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). It is sometimes synonymous to the term western martial arts (WMA).
It differs from modern sport fencing you’d see in the Olympics in the weapons used, the protective clothing worn, rule sets, and tournament space, among other things.
Classical fencing is a type of historical fencing that existed during the 19th and early-20th Centuries, covering both military and civilian weapons. It bridges the gap between the fighting techniques of medieval times through the early-modern era and modern sports fencing seen today in the Olympics. The techniques and tactics used also connects the dots between the dueling field for life and death, the academic nature of the fencing salle, and the competitive bouts of a piste.
While modern sport fencing puts an emphasis on speed, timing, and footwork, classical fencing puts a greater emphasis on robust bladework, sure footing, and strong body mechanics. While both include the use of the foil, epee, and saber, classical fencing often includes the study of other military arms such as the bayonet, for example.
You can learn more about Boston Academie d’Armes classical fencing program.
At first, not much. You’ll typically just need to bring athletic clothing and sneakers to your first set of classes. Folks with a penis and/or testes also need to bring their own rigid groin protection like an athletic cup. Boston Academie d’Armes provides the rest of the basic safety gear and weapons you’ll need to start as loaner gear.
Over time, you’ll want to get your own gear, and our staff and student body are more than happy to provide links and advice on what to get and from where.
We strive for a warm, accepting, and inclusive school. Hate, bigotry and harassment has no place in our community. We put a premium on diversity, comradery, and consent.
Secondly, we want to challenge our students to grow in three primary areas:
- The Sword. The technical & tactical aspect of historical fencing and martial arts.
- The Body. Physical literacy and personal athletic ability, such as strength, conditioning, and power.
- The Mind. Cognitive focus and mental load to aid in dynamic, on-the-fly problem solving.
We want our students to be the best possible fencers they can be. This is all done in a progressive and scalable way for the various needs and skill levels of our students. And we balance this keeping the entire experience enjoyable. What good is winning every bout if training becomes a wearisome chore?
We also aim to make training safe for all of our students, both physically and mentally. Every drill, game, and activity we do is completely opt-in, and we encourage our fencers to mind their own minds and bodies and take additional breaks as needed.
Our overarching goal is for our fencers to go home after practice feeling like they’ve put in solid work, had fun, and are progressing toward their goals.
You can learn more about us here, and find our full Community Code of Conduct here.
Absolutely! In fact, most of our students have never fenced before. Historical fencing varies quite a lot from modern sport fencing, so you won’t be at a huge disadvantage if you’ve never picked up a modern foil, epee, or saber before.
We think so! The majority of our fencers never played competitive sports growing up. For many, historical fencing is their first real sport.
That’s not to say that having an athletic background isn’t useful. It is! But we’ve found that with solid pedagogy and consistent practice, technique will trump athletic and genetic ability more times than not.
We also work with our fencers to improve their physical fitness and athletic ability while operating within their current physical limitations, including those caused by injury or disability.
Totally! While we think there’s benefit to testing yourself in tournaments, we don’t think it’s the only way to engage and enjoy historical swordsmanship. Playing with swords for the sheer joy of it is worth it alone.
While a portion of our students enjoy competitive tournaments, we also have students who just want to live out their swashbuckling dreams of being a Musketeer or pirate. Others use historical fencing as a way of getting in regular exercise in a way that they find more engaging than going to the gym.
Historical fencing is fun and we’re happy to let our students find their own joy in it. Not everything has to be about wins & losses in the fencing list.
In the right environment, it totally is!
Groups, such as the IWAS Wheelchair Fencing, have adapted modern sport fencing to work with folks with disabilities. We think historical fencing can achieve the same. And there are already fine examples of folks with physical disabilities doing great work in HEMA, such as Reece Nelson, DrCassowary, and HEMA- Disability on Facebook.
NOTE: While, currently, none of our staff or students fall under this category, we are happy to work with disabled folks to study and practice historical fencing.
Everyone should get a chance to play with swords and live out their swashbuckling fantasies. The Academie is dedicated to working with disabled fencers to make that happen.
Learn more about what historical fencing traditions Boston Academie d’Armes studies.
We do! We love training fencers one on one and are happy to work with new and current students alike in any of the weapon forms we offer. You don’t have to be a tuition-paying student of the Academie to enjoy the benefits of our one-on-one training.
You can learn more about our private training here or email us with any questions.