Historical European Martial Arts in Tallinn
I’ve been practicing Historical European martial arts (HEMA) for about 3 months now in Tallinn with the club Freifechter Revals. Here I am sharing my experiences with it.
Getting Started
There are hundreds of clubs like Freifechter Revals around the globe for HEMA. You don’t necessarily need your own equipment to begin, I’ve been able to practice with loaned equipment provided by the club.
The first few sessions may prove to be physically demanding as you get used to the weight of the sword. The most commonly used sword in HEMA is the longsword weighing between 1.5–2 kilograms and it is wielded by two hands. There are both steel and nylon swords, neither of which have edges or a sharp tip. With the right kind of protective equipment and precautions, HEMA is relatively safe in comparison to contact sports.
The Experience
I think HEMA has proved to be very enjoyable as a recreational activity in balance with my studies. It is a balance of strength, endurance, and agility as you have to keep up with your footwork and sword movements over two-hour trainings twice a week. I have not yet gotten into full-contact sparring with full protective gear but what I can tell from spectating is that it is very physically demanding.
Martial arts experience helps, depending on what you have practiced. For example I have practiced judo some years back a bit so I am used to the tatami-style training hall. But this is by no means necessary.
What I also like about HEMA training is that how varied the training can get. There are a lot of different variations for sword strikes and there are different ways to train, from training dummy practice to isolated exercises.
Conclusion
With 3 months of training sessions, I can say that I have substantially improved from when I started, but there is still a lot to learn. Progress is not always linear, but what keeps me motivated is knowing that every moment spent training with the longsword benefits my pool of knowledge and muscle memory. I highly recommend HEMA to anyone seeking a unique type of martial arts.
