Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) studies and seeks to recreate the lost lineages of fighting arts from Europe. A diverse range of styles and sources are studied which fall under the term HEMA: from 19th century stick fighting to medieval sword and buckler combat, more and more people are taking interest in revitalizing previously forgotten martial traditions.
Our Focus
At Eastside F.v., we focus on German-language sources ranging from the 15th – 16th century, namely the longsword teachings of Johannes Liechtenauer (early 15th century) and also the works of Joachim Meyer (mid to late 16th century). Longsword, grappling, and dussack are our main weapons of focus, but we also look at Meyer’s teachings of dagger, sidesword (“Rappier”), and polearms such as the quarterstaff and halberd.
