No, not that kind of sword.

More this kind.

1. Welcome to the wonderful world of HEMA Drama. A quick primer for everyone who is not a terminal history/sword nerd.

HEMA stands for Historical European Martial Arts, basically think swords you would see in Medieval movies all the way up to 18th century Rapiers and Sabers. HEMA is the hobby of practicing from old historical manuals on using these swords, and doing fencing tournaments. It differs a lot from what you see at the Olympics, as an example here is Olympic Fencing

(I didn't watch this, I don't give a shit about Oly fencing)

Here is high level HEMA longsword fencing. Ignore the shitty music, there's something about Eastern Euros that they can't pick appropriate music for things, half the fricking Ukraine videos are over shitty slav electronic music while people die. This is legitimately a good video with some good exchanges and very good use of the Lichtenauer tradition.

You'll see that there are no strings, no electronic scoring, and it is much slower and in full circular movement and not just in a back and forth line. It can be a good bit slower, the swords are much larger and heavier and it requires more intense gear.

This is a second video showing the two different longsword styles.

Martin Fabian, the guy in both videos practices German Longsword (Lichtenauer tradition). Frederico Malagutti (second video) practices Fiore Dei Libieri (Italian Longsword). Fabian is probably one of the best Longsword fencers out there and owns one of the larger companies producing the best feders for sparring. (Feder stands for Federschwert or feather sword, it's the sparring implement.

Picture of a Feder made by Fabians company

You can see the tip is blunted, the blade is thin this is to make thrusts safe.

Overall HEMA is a pretty safe hobby when you use the gear, and are sparring someone who is using a Feder and not a blunted sword that hits like a fricking crowbar. But even with that you can get hurt as the weapons are steel, and if some gorilla gets pissed at you for being better than him he can cave in the front of your mask by going way too hard at it (had this happen to me before.)

Anyway, we are as deep in the weeds and off on a tangent as a @kaamrev post so let's bring it to what everyone is here for.

The DRAMA

I've briefly sperged about Longsword, and HEMA in general but where today's drama comes in is a shitty part of HEMA that no one takes seriously, singlestick.

This is a singlestick

It's 4 oz of Rattan, with a leather cuff. This is not a dangerous part of HEMA, this is incredibly safe and gay. I don't do singlestick, I don't like singlestick, if I wanted to do gay shit I'd larp.

How you may ask can drama come from this dumbshit system? To understand that (and I promise we will get there) you have to understand revenge strikes.

Revenge Strikes

HEMA being a relatively new hobby, and not using electronics normally has judges at tournaments. They call hits, stops to fights etc. Afterblows are a big part of HEMA because when you are fighting you don't neccesarily register you are hit, and even if you do, or the judge calls a halt, it's not so easy to halt your actions in motion. So sometimes you get hit, the bout should stop but your play or action continues on and hits your opponent. That's called an "afterblow" or a "double". Often doubles are penalized in the score because if you are fencing correctly, following the manuals, you would adequately defend yourself after a strike preventing the afterblow. But it's a normal, well accepted part of HEMA fencing.

What is not accepted is a revenge strike. A revenge strike is like an afterblow, but very clearly not just your motion carrying on. It's done by some gorilla out of anger that you did something they didn't like. One of the most famous cases of Revenge Strikes in HEMA was Lee Smith of Blood and Iron. Just watch the video and you'll see exactly what a revenge strike is it takes place around 1:28. Start the video at 1:20. He does a second one at 3:16, start the video around 3:08. If it wasn't his school hosting this, and his students judging he would have been kicked out of the whole event.

Lee Smith was not a small name, he ran a big school in burgerland. After this (a tournament his school was hosting) he had to quit teaching and last I heard he was teaching somewhere in SEA. Revenge strikes are not accepted in HEMA. It's dangerous, it's r-slurred and no one likes it. But they do happen. But these are a really big deal, especially to the back. The back of the head is never a legitimate target due to inadequate safety gear. HEMA gear is just upjumped fencing gear, but I won't further sperg on the unneeded stuff.

Enter SOCAL Swordfight

https://socalswordfight.com/

SOCAL swordfight is the largest tournament in burgerland. They do Longsword, Messer, Open Steel, Rapier, Smallsword, Cutting tournaments (This is an even nerdier side of HEMA), Saber, and they did a Singlestick Boarding action event. Maybe it's something about burgers , or has so deranged the average burger that they can no longer tell what is appropriate, versus what isn't. But another revenge strike incident hit at SOCAL Swordfight during the single stick boarding action event.

The Drama

Here is the set up, 3v3, only head hits count, you have to self call. What this means is you have to say "I was hit" and take yourself out of the event in your bout. Obviously this is rife for abuse among try hard nerds.

https://www.facebook.com/socalswordfight/videos/1900059497069443/

These images are from the HEMA Shitposting group.

Here is the best suggestion (This is a play from Leckuchner's messer treaty)

So what the frick happened?

There is no way to understand this without watching this video

This dumbshit event set up happened, dude on the right hits with his single stick, guy getting hit is not calling the hits (IMO) leading to guy on the right hitting harder and harder, this leads to his gay butt single stick breaking. Guy getting hit gets super pissy about it and revenge strikes the now unarmed fighter after the bout is clearly over. The school leader/coach of the guy who got hit by the revenge strike than tackles the striker, hits him in the side/back of the head with a SPES clamshell glove.

These frickers are heavy, far more dangerous to get beat by this shit than a rattan stick.

This lead to the guy being unconscious for multiple minutes, and taken away in an ambulance.

Something to know about HEMA coaches/instructors/school leaders. They are almost always very insecure, cute twinks. HEMA is not some masculine martial art, it's not Jiu Jitsu, or MMA. It's really just history nerds wanting to learn and practice a completely impractical martial art because they are history nerds/sword nerds. The average athleticism at a HEMA school is not good. You're gonna find more people in the morbidly obese BMI than you will in the healthy BMI. s will outnumber bio-women.

But the coaches think this is a very legitimate serious art, and that they are badasses that must defend their students and could kill you since they have studied the blade so long.

Tackler/School Instructors response:

Concussed boys response:

I can't find this anymore I think he deleted it.

tournament original post

There's a lot more floating around, it hasn't made it to the reddit HEMA subs yet but I'm sure it will. Normally they take awhile, and have the average reddit take on it (probably will just whine there weren't enough women involved in the event as if this hobby is just swimming with women who want to participate.)

I'll also answer any HEMA questions you have in this post, cause it's a fun hobby.

!effortposters

!Jannies I think this is legitimately an effort post, can I get a pin? I never actually write these. Can I also get a badge?