Schlüssel Historical Fencing Group

About

In today’s society, when someone refers to ‘martial arts,’ one often pictures some form of eastern tradition such as Karate, Taekwondo, or Kung-Fu. However, there was also a vibrant tradition of martial arts that originated in Europe during the middle ages. These martial arts were gradually sidelined by the advent of gunpowder, and evolved into many of the fighting sports seen today in the Olympics, such as fencing, boxing, and Greco-roman wrestling, and once this happened, the living tradition of western martial arts fizzled out. Fortunately for us, there were a number of European martial arts masters who preserved their knowledge by writing it down in manuals and treatises which have survived to today. By utilizing these manuals, we seek to revive these lost martial arts and develop a greater understanding of single combat as it was back then. This desire is shared by many all over the globe, from Austria to Australia, and collectively the practitioners of these martial arts have dubbed them Historical European Martial Arts, or HEMA.

In German, Schlüssel means ‘the key.’ The Schlüssel Historical Fencing Group seeks to unlock the techniques of old fencing masters through careful study of extant manuals which describe and depict the martial arts as they were in the later middle ages and renaissance. Our approach to training goes from the book, and seeks an environment in which everyone learns from each other and makes their own contribution to understanding the manuals. Learning HEMA is a fun way to stay fit and encourage discussion about all things related to medieval history.

We primarily focus on the ‘German’ school of HEMA, also known as KDF or ‘Kunst des Fechtens’ (the art of fencing), including a myriad of weapons ranging from longsword, sword and buckler, saber, sidesword, spear, rapier, dagger, armored combat, and many more. Beginners start with longsword in order to learn the fundamentals of swordplay, but a typical practice will involve lessons for at least two weapons. We also enjoy sparring immensely. When done safely and with the proper protective equipment, sparring is not only an excellent way to apply the techniques of HEMA and test them against an uncooperative opponent, but also super fun!

Come down to one of our practices. We have loaner gear so that newcomers can participate, even if they don’t have their own fencing equipment. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at our gmail address or on Facebook to find out more about our club, our meetings, or anything else related to Historical European Martial arts. Contact information is below. Hope to see you soon!

Speakers

Anchor 1

Group Leadership

Tom Morin has always loved the Middle Ages, ever since he was a small child. He discovered HEMA completely by accident sometime in 2013, and immediately knew it was for him. The idea of learning real swordfighting skills was too great an opportunity to pass up. From then on, Tom has practiced HEMA wherever he could find others who shared his interest. Tom has trained with HEMA groups all over the Western United States, from Houston, TX to Los Angeles, CA. After leaving Austin in 2014, Tom helped found the Tucson Historic Fencing Club in Tucson, AZ with some of his friends there. Since then, Tom has competed in several international tournaments in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Tucson and Phoenix, and is currently ranked by the HEMAA as among the top Sword and Buckler, Longsword, and Saber fencers in the world. Tom uses his military experience to create an effective training regimen that is also accessible and fun.