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Tournament Results: South African National Sword Fighting Championship

The Results are in from the South African National Sword Fighting Championship and we are glad to finally be reporting them here at steelfighting.com. There were several events in both rebated steel and synthetic weapons, and team combat as well. Congratulations to all of the competitors for their efforts and courage to take part in these chivalrous competitions. It is a passion to train and compete in these martial arts, and you are to be congratulated.

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South African National Sword Combat Championship

We are pleased to announce that the ACSMMA (The Affiliation for Contemporary Swordsmanship and Medieval Martial Arts) will be hosting a combat tournament on Saturday, August 2, 2014. The tournament will take place in Vereeniging, Gauteng, South Africa, and will be held in conjunction with the Vaal Highland Games. There will be both unarmoured and armoured combat events. Unarmoured combat will consist of synthetic long-sword, as well as sword and buckler. Armoured combat with rebated steel weapons will consist of long-sword, sword and buckler, and sword and shield. There will be a champion, 2nd place, and 3rd place awarded in each event. If interested, Contact Grand Master Heinrich Jost at the following link.http://swordfighting.co.za/contact-us

Go an enjoy the competition and display of skill in what will prove to be an exciting tournament.

Review: Crusader Spangen Helm by Get Dressed for Battle

There are many types of period helmets/head protection that one can invest in for Medieval/Renaissance/Historical European Martial Arts. In our martial arts organization you still typically see steel armour helmets. Soon enough there will be more and more heavy fencing H.E.M.A. masks involved in our training sessions, but we like the weight and sensory limitations that a period helm places a fighter under to give us a feel for what out forefathers in these martial arts experienced. The helmet we will be looking at is the get Dressed for Battle, Crusader Spangen Helmet.

I’ve recently decided to try out this helmet as a replacement for my great helm that I have been wearing for around eight years, and I’ve decided to write a review on the helmet after having some freestyle matches utilizing it. Firstly, the helmet is comfortable to wear and mounts very well on the head. There is room for an arming cap and coif, and you will need that for this helmet. The helmet have wonderful visibility and the breathability inside of this helmet is also great. That said, the oculars on the helmet’s face mask (it is not a hinged visor helm) are larger enough that I highly recommend wearing protective eye hardware inside of the helmet. I use hard plastic eye protection made for doing yard/garden work (mowing and edging). It is not a guarantee against injury, but an added element to help keep the wearer safer in sparring with rebated swords, etc… Continue reading “Review: Crusader Spangen Helm by Get Dressed for Battle”

The Unknown Hero

By Jefferson P Webb

Although the names of heroes throughout history have been recorded in both the written traditions of literate cultures, and oral tales of illiterate cultures, there is one hero whose name remains lost to us. His brief mention in the primary sources of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles and the Saga of Harald Hardrada speak of his courage and of his incredible martial skill, but his name is unknown to us. What we do know is that according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, this warrior was a Viking of Norwegian origin who fought at the Battle of Stamford Bridge on 25 September 1066.1 He fought in the Viking army of King Harald Hardrada against the Saxon army of King Harold Godwinson. After the death of Hardrada of Norway, the Viking army was in flight in what was described as a disorganized, perhaps even panicked retreat. In the midst of the Vikings’ retreat, one Viking warrior held his position on a small bridge that has been called Stamford Bridge in what has been speculated to have been a move to buy time for the other Vikings to regroup and reform a new battle line to face the advancing Saxon assault. Another explanation for his actions could be one of religious belief and a desire to die courageously rather than die on the run in retreat of an enemy. Whichever the case may be, the warrior commonly referred to as “The Viking of Stamford Bridge” made the incredibly brave decision to fight the Saxons alone as the Saxons moved to cross the small “bottle-neck” the bridge created in the movement of the Saxon army. Continue reading “The Unknown Hero”

Interesting Perspectives on the Modern Tournament

By: Jefferson P. Webb

Although there is a segment of the HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) community that does not approve of nor are they interested in modern HEMA/Medieval Martial Arts tournaments, utilizing martial skill in tournament fighting (sport-fighting) is in no way a new concept. What reasons do some of the modern HEMA practitioners give for not engaging in competitions and what did fighting for sport mean to the medieval knights as seen through the eyes of one of chivalry’s most celebrated Medieval knights?

One thing that the author of this posting has noticed in researching other blogs, message and review boards, articles and other martial arts sites online is that there is a certain level of hesitation or lack of desire on the part of some (not all) HEMA schools, clubs, and organizations to engage in freestyle combat tournaments. And, when some of them do engage in such events, they are closed events within their own organizations. Naturally there are a number of HEMA schools that do indeed compete in open tournaments, but what is the mindset or philosophy behind others not doing so? There appears to be two main reasons that continue to recur the most as to why some HEMA groups will not engage in the tournament. Continue reading “Interesting Perspectives on the Modern Tournament”