Class in Wycombe Ringeck

Discussion in 'Western Martial Arts' started by Mangosteen, Feb 25, 2015.

  1. Mangosteen

    Mangosteen Hold strong not

    I've found this HEMA group near me.
    Simon has opened my eyes to the wonders of weapons work and I was wondering if anyone had experience with this group?

    http://ringeck.org/school.html

    Is there any advice when starting HEMA about training mentality?
     
  2. Langenschwert

    Langenschwert Molon Labe

    Mr. Willaume has been around a long time in HEMA circles, and I've never heard anything negative about his instruction over the past decade, so I think you'd be in good hands. He's using my favourite manual, which I think is cool.

    However, no news is not necessarily good news. Try it out and see. If you're an experienced martial artist, you'll notice right away.

    Watch a lot of HEMA videos to get an idea of what it should look like. For the most part, there is wide agreement on how most of the techniques work so anything widely different should be examined closely. That doesn't mean it's wrong though. My interpretation of the Scheitelhau is different than most others, but obviously I think it's pretty good.

    For weapon arts, in general you have to avoid the mentality of "take a hit to score a hit". There is no trading blows in classical sword work, since the first blow landed should ideally incapacitate. If the group does tournament style fighting, they should be up front about it and be able to show the difference between the orthodox 15th Century techniques and their modern counterparts, assuming they've optimized for tourneys. Also, the timing may be different than what you're used to if your only experience is unarmed arts. Look up "true time" to see how most people interpret body movement in HEMA. The video by Hammaborg is particularly useful.

    For the most part, it will be like any other martial arts school. Have fun!
     

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