What are Western Martial Arts (WMA) and Historical European Swordsmanship (HES)?
The term Western Martial Arts refers to the overall compilation of arts, while Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) or Historical European Swordsmanship (HES) refers to those branches of the WMA that focus upon traditional weapons and related unarmed techniques. How do we know about them? From the late 13th Century, European Masters at Arms recorded their techniques and methods into print, detailing theories, principles, approaches and techniques of their particular weapons and teaching styles. It is directly from these historical treatises that we can research and revive these same systems and techniques. These can be used to instruct students in unarmed combat, knife fighting and defence, swordplay, the use of polearms, and even mounted combat. There are numerous treatises; many have been translated and more are currently undergoing translation and interpretation by a growing world-wide community of enthusiasts, martial artists, and scholars. We are proud to be part of the re-disc
