Our Favorite Historical European Martial Arts reddit post threads

We thought we’d write a list of some of our favorite reddit threads about HEMA / WMA. You can also share your own reddit posts about HEMA at our subreddit, https://www.reddit.com/r/HemaResources/

#1: Back to the Source r/documentaries thread

Back To The Source (2015) Historical European Martial Arts documentary – How People Actually Fought With Swords from Documentaries

With 166 comments this thread earned a lot of buzz from the general population and helped springboard this documentary into the spotlight.

#2: Longsword disarm during a tournament in r/gifs

Longsword disarm during a HEMA tournament from gifs

An animated gif from a match taken at Edgebana 2017 in Scotland went viral, showing off one of the cooler aspects of historical swordsmanship that the general public is often unaware of.

#3: Alan Padziński’s Ask my anything thread in r/IAmA

I ran from home at the age of 15 and became a swordsmith and a sword instructor. Also, I’m the Sword’s Path on Youtube. Swords, swords, swords. AMA! from IAmA

Alan Padziński, creator of the YouTube channel The Sword’s Path did an AMA thread that got a tremendous response from the general public.

#4: Sword STEM blog thread about optimal targets in HEMA in r/WMA

(Sword STEM) where do sources say you should target? from wma

We enjoyed reading the blog article and the related comments posted by other users of the r/WMA historical fencing subreddit.

#5: Discussion about the different rapier traditions in renaissance era European swordsmanship in r/WMA

What schools of Rapier exists? from wma

This is a great thread packed with lots of information and different opinions on the traditions of rapier fencing and their influences (or lack thereof) on one another.

#5: Cool chart about throwing a hew with a passing step from r/WMA

I made this chart about different ways of throwing a hew in longsword with a passing step, and it took longer than I thought it would, so now I’m posting it here. from wma

The comments to this chart are worth a read, too.

#6: Movie sword fighting choreography done HEMA style from r/WMA

Theatrical sword fighting done right from wma

This is more of a video but it was posted as a thread, and we enjoyed it so it goes on the list.

#7: Cool video clip of some test cutting done in full plate armor from r/wma

Cutting in Harness! from wma

#8: Children in a youth class learning how to form a shield wall from r/wma

Kids learning proper shield work from wma

We think this is how all history should be taught!

#9: Grappling during a long sword match at a tournament, from r/wma

Longpoint 2019: Executing Ringen Am Schwert during High-Level HEMA (GIFs) from wma

#10: Attempting Dungeons & Dragons style grid combat using HEMA in r/DnD

We laid out TWO 5′ by 5′ squares and fought inside of them, for some more perspective on map squares. from DnD

Tabletop RPG games like D&D have long formed the opinion of many sword enthusiasts over how combat with late Middle Age weaponry worked. Two fencers tried it out in real life using historical fencing techniques and we thought the results were interesting. We also like this kind of thread because it gets HEMA out into the wider population of folks most likely to embrace it.

Honorable mention: Historical Weapons virgins Vs chads in r/WMA

Historical Weapons Virgin Vs Chad Style from wma

We thought this thread and meme was very funny and just wanted to share it.

Got any favorite reddit threads of your own related to historical European fencing and swordsmanship? Let us know in the comment section or feel free to submit your own reddit thread at https://www.reddit.com/r/HemaResources/.

Cheers!

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If you’d like to learn more information about historical fencing practices please check out our Learn HEMA page for a guide to learning about the historical weapon that interests you. You can also find more guides we’ve written about other topics at our Helpful Guides page.