Product

The video aspect of my product is a visual accounting of my matches at the Norwich HEMA Tournament in March 2023. 

Points to watch for in the video of the tournament in which I competed: 

Start of video through 1:55:  Notice the swords are made of resin and how quickly motion happens in a fencing match. The padded garments called gambisons; they are a form of padding, heavy gloves, a reinforced fencing mask, and back-up head protection. 

 
1:56 through 3:45: Pay attention to edge alignment. If you hit someone with the flat of the blade, you may give them a bruise, but it is not counted as a clean cut, meaning no point is awarded. 

3:45 through 6:35: This is probably the strongest fencer I faced at the tournament. He had a background in Eastern Martial Arts and was a very skilled swordsman. Notice his aggressive attacks forcing me to remain on the defensive throughout many of our exchanges. 

6:39 through 9:02: I fenced an opponent who was much larger in stature and build than myself. I overcame this with aggressive actions to keep him on the defensive and used quick motions to prevent his increased strength from being a major contending factor. 

9:03 through 11:38: I lost this match. My opponent is stronger and faster than I am, and I failed to capitalize on the opening he leaves when committing too strongly to an attack. 

11:39 through 15:00: This is a very clean decisive match, which I eventually lost to the first person I faced during the tournament. A good thing to focus on here is after blows, which is when you've been hit, but within two-steps, manage to hit your opponent. In these cases, the points awarded from your hits are subtracted from the points for their blows. 

15:00 through 17:40: This is the final match for third place. I am fencing an oppontent who beat me earlier. Early in the match he hits the inside of my elbow, where there is less padding, His blow had significant force behind it, and injured my arm, which forced me to be defensive. I used a series of over cuts and stabs to his arms and hands, allowing me to win the match. 

The video below is of a round robin where you take turns fencing each other until everyone has fenced everyone.  (I am the one in black and pants.)

These are a few examples of the different weapons used in HEMA