How European sword fighting has turned into a surprising fitness trend

Rina Nakano takes us to a gym in Orange specializing in Historical European Martial Arts or HEMA.

[@voiceofkat5063]

“If it’s fun to fight with swords, then fight with swords”. Sold 😆

[@Workinprogressmaxi]

All the health benefits of martial arts while swinging swords around. Who wouldn't like that!

[@AmazingJMS]

It is a martial art.

[@Workinprogressmaxi]

@@AmazingJMSlol bro you got what I meant. Don't be a troll about.

[@totallybastos]

Correction, it's not "olympic" fencing, but it IS fencing. that being said, hell yeah.

[@CrazyChickenFarmer]

Thankfully it isn't because olympic fencing is watered down bs

[@totallybastos]

@CrazyChickenFarmer no need to get rude about it. Olympic fencing is still a sport that requires a lot of skill and ability. It does have history that stems from the same background, just become more sport than martial art/martial combat.

[@CrazyChickenFarmer]

@@totallybastos it's a sport, period.

[@crowe6961]

@@totallybastos Olympic fencers get a lot of respect when they branch out and prove their skills also apply to HEMA. Most do not.

SoCal Swords isn't just a great HEMA club and host to amazing tournaments but also a HEMA supply shop. RJ wasn't trying to put too hard a sell on in this short news report but as a swordfighter from San Diego they're the closest equipment supplier around and really great people. Thanks for representing the community guys.

[@phatphuc4656]

1:41 I'm just here to pay respects to two of the friendliest, most knowledgeable, and most amazing fighters in the community.

[@the_timinator77]

Yes!!!!!!! HEMA getting the recognition it deserves!!!

[@mindhost]

I enjoyed the subtle "because there's no one alive who can confirm what they're doing is exactly correct", as they happily lurch forth, swinging this way and that. Great edit

[@aikighost]

The thing is because they actually spar and do tournaments, what works well will naturally evolve out of the practice just like with modern grapping.

[@alexanderren1097]

Studying historical sources + pressure testing is very effective for reconstructing old martial arts systems and it’s also an effective way to revitalize “living” traditional martial arts systems as we’re seeing with the small but growing movement of practical Karate practitioners like Iain Abernathy

[@petritzky]

Nice video. Thanks for the exposure. I mean. I don't feel like my soccer experience has ever directly translated into my life as well. So I changed to swordz

[@rahsaanthomas7030]

"There can only be one."

[@codeofclaw]

Took some lessons at that gym, terrific teachers and wonderful people. Check out SoCal swords people!

[@Kunstdesfechtens]

Great video! I've been doing HEMA for 20 years, and I love it more every year.

[@calebthefalken7635]

Been practicing HEMA for about a year now and would absolutely recommend to any one who likes swords and history! Look up a HEMA club in your area if you’re interested, anyone and everyone is welcome! P.S. Polish Sabre is the best!! (Jk all the weapons are great)

[@lorenzozapaton4031]

>you will never use this medieval dueling skills Say that after trying to fight hobos with a cane.

[@214redacted]

That looks fun 👀

[@slyley5]

that's so rare to have a swordfighting gym in Los Angeles

[@Savage_to_Sage]

There are at least 5 training academies in Los Angeles

[@te9591]

Wish LA was more affordable.

[@FirebloodDamian]

@@te9591 Look up Hema near you, and you might be surprised to find a club in your area. We're based out of Vegas!

[@hagenanon9484]

What you mean "surprising" fitness trend? We've been doing this for 1500 years :D

[@oxvendivil442]

You can adopt messer techniques to machetes and dagger style to knives, maces and baseball bats are homologues, spears and poles/rakes are also similar, so learning HEMA also helps with self defence using modern implements.

[@Acruxis]

There are 2 types of people in HEMA Those who study old texts and manuscripts, And the ones who just like to swing sticks at each other

[@FirebloodDamian]

Our club is based in Vegas, for anyone interested! Hema is only a little of what we do!

[@luis303]

The journalist thinking that people won't use it in the future. 😅.

[@justanothercomment4701]

It's also called Historical Fencing.

[@CoachMacGlory]

Elden Ring DLC prep complete 😂

[@jamaljohnson1789]

It’s crazy to think about it because I’m an adult now but as a kid I’ve always like swords and shields and weapons of that type so it just blows my mind that a lot of society kind of just forgot about it and doesn’t know that it’s still going on

[@oletrn]

They are getting ready.

[@letsgo529]

nice

[@Morbak546]

I'd say learning grappling against an armed oponent is going to keep getting more and more useful as time goes on

[@therowgawd]

Cool

[@umartdagnir]

I love the comment section.

[@Jannik-augustus]

Nice to see historie 🇩🇰🇩🇰🇩🇰

[@WhyName]

1:20 well, it certainly isn't the only way, but definitely the first step.

[@cb2291]

You can literally slice the pounds away i hear 🙉

[@suburbohemian]

Join the SCA, Society for Creative Anachronism.

[@proyectoajax]

Buenardo

[@justanothercomment4701]

There are at least two living lineages for some weapons. Have a look at the Martinez Academy and the Fencing Masters program at Sonoma State University and San Jose State University

[@jaketheasianguy3307]

There's no living lineages for medieval swords. Most guys who claim they're part of living lineages that practice these weapons think classical Victorian fencing principles can be transferred to weapons 4 5 centuries ago. Literally saw a sport fencer think practicing foil alone can teach you all the important things about fencing with longsword , there's no need for the manuscripts because people back then apparently "still figuring things out"

[@justanothercomment4701]

@@jaketheasianguy3307 I did say 'some weapons' in my comment. I meant HEMA in general, not just what's shown here in the video. Have a look at the Italian and French epee, smallsword and sabre sources used by the groups that I pointed out. A lot of the use has been more focused on the sport and "salle fencing." Italian epee and foil are direct descendants of the rapier linage in Rome, Naples and Sicily.

[@justanothercomment4701]

@@jaketheasianguy3307 I don't have any comments on your interaction with that foil fencer since I probably don't know the person and likely don't think along the same lines. I will say that for some lineages in the German tradition at least, we know that Dussack is the training tool to teach the system. Italian foil is the training tool for Italian epee. French foil is the training tool for the french smallsword.

[@AmazingJMS]

" New "

[@johndastoli8572]

Of course this will be useful when the zombie apocalypse happens andnyou eventually run out of ammo.

[@watchonjar]

"ancient" lol i always find it funny how Americans contextualise history

[@andrejka_talking_out_loud]

swinging those swords around in close formation, that big guy oblivious to those smaller people around him seems risky, hopefully is was for the news.

[@farkasmactavish]

It's mostly the camera angle.

[@Daniel-os9tb]

To say there are no masters of hema are false. Before ww2. Hema was highly popular. But the nazis elite were among the most practicers of this art. But they took it further wearing special masks. They would fight with real swords and cause wounds to their faces. To show they had a type of facial battle scars. Because of this connection. The art was basically shunned across Europe. In England there are four masters left, in Germany there are several left. France has 12. Unfortunately in France. All martial arts are regulated and any practitioners of martial arts have to be licensed, weapons registered and anyone looking to learn. Must register get licenses and pass background checks. In espana there are unknown left. Only because they are members of the monastery. Because of this. Only the church has record of who they are.

[@bruceparker6142]

Secretly preparing the indigenous population to repel invaders.

[@mutsuzawa]

John Clements is a master. He can teach it

[@alexanderren1097]

“Flat a mah strong”

[@baboon_baboon_baboon]

Wait until the sports community starts this and it becomes sportified. It’ll be super ruined as a self defense and hobby.

[@justanothercomment4701]

It's been around for more than a decade all over the world. There are clubs and events that cater more for sport, more for living history, more for "martial arts", just for the fun of swinging swords around and a mix of different reasons. Some manuscripts do include stuff on the sport with the tools and conventions available at the time. Even the sport-focused crowd today don't fall neatly into one group: some want a more Olympic fencing-like approach while some want a more MMA-like approach.

[@whiterabit09]

Because they gave up their guns 🤣

[@gthreesix]

Brutal!!!

[@mattparke4370]

Great…. What I’ve been doing for years and made fun of for is now going to be mainstream

[@manubishe]

1:06 a bit too much with the facial expressions

[@iReadings]

interesting that the newscasters we are allowed to see ore one demographic, those featured as a story item are another demographic. Is SoCal news really representing the demographics of Orange County in who they allow to be seen providing the news today?

[@MontChevalier]

Shame the community is so ridiculously toxic.

[@crowe6961]

In comparison to what?

[@MontChevalier]

@@crowe6961 In comparison to itself. When you treat new people like trash, then obviously don't expect to get a good reputation.

[@crowe6961]

@@MontChevalier Complete opposite of my personal experience, but the quality of clubs is definitely spotty

[@MontChevalier]

@@crowe6961 Congratulations. You are the minority.

[@crowe6961]

@@MontChevalier Expectations are also important. I knew full well what I was getting into, for the most part, and did not just walk into some entirely random place to start.

[@Crmsnraider]

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