Welcome to Suffolk HEMA

Suffolk HEMA is a sister club of Suffolk Swords and was founded by a group of Suffolk Swords members who were looking to explore the historical martial techniques that underpin the basis of the re-enactment/show fighting that the main club undertakes.

Sessions are instructor-led, but part of the ethos of the club is that students own their learning progression, and should actively support other students’ learning. There is no room for ego on our training floor.

The club is currently studing Fiore’s Art of Armizare  It uses Guy Windsor’s syllabus as a basis for this.

Classes will cover the empty hands section, the dagger section, and the sword section. Then, if students show interest and required competence, progress onto pole weapons sections.

The mounted section will be just used as a reference for some techniques, and be translated to unmounted situations. This is in line with the general structure of the treatise which needs to be understood as a holistic system, where techniques are presented in sections, but can be applied across the broad.

The club has yet to decide, but if there is interest we may extend its curriculum to include other historic martial styles and weapon sets, like 1.33, or Hutton’s Sabre/single stick.