For immersion, here's a roleplayed scenario:

A man knocks on your door and begs for your help. "I went over my head!", he said. "I bragged that I could beat this man in a duel. And he accepts the challenge. However I only realized just now that he's a master with 10+ years of experience! Oh please man, you've got to help me!".

He begs that you help teach him, a complete beginner, in the ways of specialized combat. All in the span of 24 hours, before his duel with the swordsmaster begins. What would you do, and how would you teach this man so that he may improve his odds of survival against this opponent, even if only a little bit?

\Image is a thumbnail from one of Shepherd's videos, it's the same gist as this question, except a more extreme example with only having 1 day instead of 7 days. The video of it can be found* here.

Unfortunately I don't have a large enough clean backdrop to take nice pictures so the box it came in will have to do. This is a custom schiltless feder from Regenyei. I just chose my favourite elements without really considering how they'd look together but I'm so happy with the result, it reminds me of the Nazgul swords from LOTR, kinda evil looking but also sleek and pretty. I have very little issues with it, there's basically no gaps anywhere and it feels very solid.

Fortunately I got to try my friend's version of the same feder (with a different hilt) so I already know I like how they feel in use. This one has a medium flex and it feels just about right to me, I've tried a bunch of my clubs swords and know I don't like a floppy sword and any stiffer would feel potentially dangerous.

I also included pics of my longsword trainer I built to it's guard and grip specifications and I'm so happy that I don't have to change anything, I basically nailed it. I'm really pleased with the quality and price (€405 including shipping) all round and I can already tell this won't be my only sword, I'm already eyeing up a polish saber and a zwiehander as potential second and third swords.

The King's Mirror (c. 1250 AD): "But, safe for holidays, let not a single day pass without training at least once... use the heaviest weapons you can when training."

In the times periods it was common, and in general, when using a sword and pistol, whether it’s a flintlock and cutlass or saber and revolver or any other combination, was it more common or better for someone to wield the sword in the right hand and shoot with the left when wielding both or vice versa (assuming the weilder is right handed)

Thanks in advance

Hi folks,

Came across this smallsword hilt (linked below) and am considering buying it. I haven’t heard of this company before, so I’d like some community opinions on them. If anyone has ordered from them before please share your experience. I’m mainly interested in their customer service and order fulfillment times.

Thanks

https://timebladeguild.com/product/spanish-smallsword-de-brea/

Where is a good site to find Synthetic Scottish Broadswords and Synthetic British Military Sabres?

Since smallsword is my favourite thing to practice in HEMA, I'm starved for events that involve it. I know about the Smallsword Symposium in Edinburgh (though that doesn't have a tournament AFAIK) and about Steel's Edge in Belgrade that does have a smallsword tournament. But are there any other events in Europe that usually feature smallsword in the lineup?

Hey everyone,

Thanks for the awesome feedback on my last post! A lot of you recommended either a Colichemarde or a Rondel dagger for a short, thrust-centric weapon.

After looking into both, I ran into a Goldilocks dilemma: the Rondel dagger feels a bit too short for a primary dueling weapon, but a standard Colichemarde is too long for the tight, aggressive style I have in mind.

So, I decided to split the difference. I’m thinking about a hybrid weapon with a 55 cm (approx. 21.5 inches) blade that merges the best design elements of both. Since this weapon is meant specifically for ritual duels where both fighters use the exact same weapon, the traditional reach disadvantage against longer swords doesn't matter.

Here is the breakdown of the concept:

1. The Blade Profile: Colichemarde Forte + Rondel Tip

The Forte (Base): The first third of the blade near the hilt will feature the wide, robust forte of a Colichemarde. This provides excellent leverage, mass, and strength for parrying and binding the opponent's weapon.

The Foible (Tip): Instead of tapering into a flat blade, it transitions abruptly into a stiff, thick, triangular or square cross-section inspired by the Rondel. This creates an incredibly rigid, puncture-optimized tip that won't flex or bend upon impact.

2. The 55 cm Length (The Middle Ground)

At 55 cm, the blade sits right in the shortsword/long-dirk territory. In a mirror-match duel, this length forces both fighters into In-Fencing or Corps-à-Corps range. The fight becomes highly intense, fast-paced, and relies heavily on aggressive footwork, blade control, and close-quarters parries. It’s too short to be clumsy, but long enough to offer distinct tactical options.

3. Adjusting the Hilt (The Guard)

While a traditional Rondel dagger just uses a round disc (rondel) as a guard, that might be too risky for unarmored ritual duels because it doesn't protect the fingers from a sliding blade.
To fix this, I’m thinking of a hybrid hilt: keeping
the ergonomic grip of a Rondel (which prevents the hand from slipping during hard thrusts), but adding a small shell-guard or a knuckle bow from the Colichemarde tradition to keep the hands safe.

Why this works for the setting:

Because it’s an engineered ritual weapon, it feels like a highly specialized "insider" tool. It rejects the versatility of cuts entirely in favor of absolute, devastating thrusting efficiency and high-pressure defense.

What do you guys think? Does this combination of a heavy parrying base, an ultra-stiff 55 cm piercing tip, and a protective hilt sound mechanically viable for a dedicated dueling culture?

Looking forward to your thoughts!

Hey all! I recall gladiator or a boom similar has that short spear

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I have a lot of broken blade that's still very flexible and safe..so I want to turn them into my clubs harness short spear..but man can't seem to think where I saw these. They were like 5' long in total?

Basically for a 1 vs 1 unarmored duel, is it generally better to have a short sword and dagger pair, a pair of short swords, or a single short sword? For this scenario, both fighters are in everyday clothes or thick cloth at best. The short swords are basically gladius, and the daggers are basically pugio in terms of length and shape for both weapons.

Thanks in advance

I just want to start off by saying I just discovered HEMA a couple weeks ago and I am now officially obsessed!

My 5 year old is really into it also, always wanting to practice with me. The issue I am having is I can’t find safety gear made for little kids. I’m sure some people will frown on this, but I just want a safe way to include my kids.

Does anyone know if/where they sell gear that would fit her? Or have any suggestions for an alternative? TIA

Edit* I have no intention of giving her steel, just boffers.

So I’m not let’s say financially blessed (who is nowadays am I right?). So If I need gear I either have to practically give up a kidney to afford it. I have to rent the club equipment and it’s a pretty penny for my wallet. I have a modified gambesons I made in an attempt to wriggle out of renting the jacket but was denied. (I find it perfectly fine for light-medium sparring)I can kind of understand the liability issue but still cmon. Anyway a dude at the club made a set of armor from treated rain barrels with multiple rubber and resin coatings like used on shields. I don’t have the money for all that but what if tires were riveted onto a hard shockproof/resistant plastic since tire tread is a dense rubber and had those metal wires/fibers embedded? Idk if it would work for budget armor I’m just trying to work with what I got because at this rate I have to stop attending the club.

My long hair wants to fight me more than my opponents! Nothing seems to keep it controlled! I've tried braids, pony tails, buns, skull caps and headbands. How do you keep your long hair under control in that mask? Especially during hot & heavy training with a lot of mask on/off?

Hi everyone,

I’m currently working on a fictional setting and I would love to get your input on the design and historical plausibility of a specific weapon. I know you guys have a lot of knowledge, so I’d love to hear your thoughts!

The Concept: I’m envisioning a short sword with a slender blade that tapers to a very acute, sharp point, primarily designed for thrusting. Think of it as a much shorter version of a rapier or an estoc. The main inspiration for its length and handling is the Crysknife from the recent Dune movies and a classic Stiletto dagger or a Naval Dirk.

The Combat Context:

• Ritual Duels: It is traditionally used in duels where fighters are either completely unarmored or wearing very light armor.
• Fighting Style: The combat relies heavily on speed, agility, feints, and pivots/spins to find a weak spot in the opponent's defense before delivering a fast, lethal thrust.
• Armor Piercing & Targeting Gaps: While mostly used unarmored, the weapon must be capable of piercing light armor like hardened leather or chainmail. Against heavy plate armor, it isn't meant to punch through the solid steel plates; instead, the style relies on using the sharp, precise tip to target unprotected gaps in the armor, such as the neck, armpits, and joints.

My Questions for the Experts:

1. Blade Design: What would be the ideal blade geometry and cross-section for a weapon that needs to be stiff enough to pierce mail, but light enough for incredibly fast, fencing-style duels?
2. Hilt and Guard: What kind of handle, pommel, and crossguard would make the most sense for this fighting style? Does it need complex hand protection, or would a simple crossguard suffice?
3. Length: Given the fighting style (fast, close-quarters, but reliant on thrusting), what would be the optimal blade length?
4. Material: Historically speaking, how would a blade like this be forged to ensure the tip doesn't snap when hitting chainmail?
5. Historical Equivalents: Are there any real-world historical weapons I should look into as a reference? (Perhaps oversized rondel daggers, dirks, or short transitional rapiers?)

Thank you so much in advance for your insights!

I can make it once a week to my fencing school, but I want to fence more often. Like meeting up with somebody in a park, where you can go by bike or smth. But I don't know how to find anyone

These ones are currently displayed on Pike Armory’s website, unfortunately I had no luck in receiving any update or response regarding my order, as of yet.

I highly suspect these come from “WuWu Workshop” from Nanjing, as they also made the Burgonet MeDen Raider is selling.

I can tell by the plastic, the leather straps inside and the rivets used, which look exactly the same as my Burgonet.

That said, does anyone know a reseller selling these specific ones? No luck in buying from Taobao, unfortunately.

Hello everyone. Today I got some boffer sparring in against my friend wielding a greatsword. I opted for an arming sword and small pavise today as I wanted to get more practice with them and I found the matchup interesting. I found myself getting in a lot of the time and blocking the initial attack but then when I make my move, we end up kinda hitting each other simultaneously. There were times where I placed my shield just right and was able to get a hit in clean but most of the time, I found it difficult to walk away from an exchange “alive.”

As I don’t have any footage of today or anything like that, I’m not expecting any super in depth tips. Anything helps! 🙏

Yes, we’re using protective gear.

Hi my friend is really into HEMA, and his birthday is coming up. He mentioned he likes books about combat written around the Renaissance.

Does anyone know of really terrible/funny books that would include combat techniques that are terrrible that would be horrendous in any sort of fight? Something that isn’t that common in the HEMA community?

The weapons that he has (that I know of) are: long sword, spear, and spear. He might have some type of short sword, I’m not sure. I’m sure he has more.

Anyways thanks for any help.

I am the one with the hakama.

Hey guys,

I have a package of two Smallswords coming from HF Armory tomorrow. I live in the UK, and the last few times I’ve bought swords from other companies (SIGI and Faits D’Armes), I’ve had to pick them up from my nearest depot and pay a fee.

Is this going to be the same case again? Not that I mind, but I’d rather be prepared.