Frequently Asked Questions

What is HEMA?

HEMA stands for Historical European Martial Arts. The practice of HEMA includes a wide variety of time spans, places, and weapons systems, but the main goal is the same: learn about historical martial arts by reading primary sources like treatises and manuals, and then experiment with the weapons in question in an attempt to bring those documents back to life.

Our club specializes in German longsword, and it is what one of our weekly practices is devoted to. The wider HEMA world is also tends to use longswords for competitions and learning, but there is a wide array of material to learn about. Our club also has the sources to learn about polearms, sword & buckler, dagger, rapier, saber, and much, much more. HEMA also has a lot of overlap with other organizations devoted to the understanding of historical martial arts, such as HAMA. Our club goes to events that prioritize learning new material we don't teach at home, as well as competitions.

 

German Longsword?

Our main curriculum is based off of the Zettel, a fencing manual written in the 15th century by a master named Lichtenauer. Because it is cryptic and incomplete, our club uses additional sources such as Meyer and Fiore to supplement our curriculum. We strongly believe in the benefit of a diverse background in fencing, and encourage our members to learn from additional sources and experiment with fencing techniques to improve.

A longsword is a two-handed, double-sided sword. The blade is usually about 35-39" long (90-100cm), and the entire sword is about 50" (130cm) tall.

 

Is this safe?

HEMA is a full-contact martial art that includes blunted weaponry. Because of this, we pride ourselves on the strong safety culture we have built. We believe that safety is a communal responsibility, and diligently assess that every member is following the standards of safety we have in place, such as their use of the appropriate level of force, aggression, and how they handle their weapons and selves.

We want to promote a safe and fun learning and sparring environment for everyone. We will teach you how to engage in our full-contact sport while regarding rules to keep yourself and your sparring partners safe. We work with all of our members to encourage confidence and self-regulation in equal measure while fencing.

We start all of our members off with penttis, which are synthetic nylon longswords. They are blunt and stab-resistant (meaning they are very bendy), but they can still causing some light bruising when used with appropraite force. Members are required to wear 350N fencing masks and padded gloves as the mininmum level of protection. Advanced members may engage in steel sparring using feders, which are longswords that have very thin, blunted steel blades. Steel weaponry requires additional levels of protection. Alternate weapons systems all require different levels of protective gear. Our requirements for gear can be found on our gear carts.

 

Can I join?

If you are a current VCU student (undergraduate, graduate, medical, etc.) then the answer is yes! If you are a staff or faculty member then your ability to join relies upon the gym membership availablity congruent with your job. If you are unsure of your ability to join, please reach out to us.

There is no level of experience required, we accept members who have absolutely no martial arts background. We will teach you everything you need to know!

 

How do I join?

We would prefer if you join our RamsConnect. We send newsletters through RamsConnect so you can stay up to date on practices and semesterly updates, and calendar events.

Before you are able to participate in practice, you must join our roster. To do so, go to the IMLeagues website and complete the following instructions:

1. Log in to IMLeagues or make a new account using your VCU credentials and enter your personal information.*
2. Find HEMA amongst the sport clubs, which should be linked above.
3. On the team's homepage, select "Join Team" in the top right corner.
4. Accept the waiver, sign your initials where prompted, and select "Send Request: at the bottom.
5. Return to the HEMA team's homepage. Complete the Recreation & Well-Being Health Status Form linked under the conformation that you have a pending request to join.

IMLeagues is still new to us, too, so please be patient while we get everyone verified onto the roster.

It is required that you have completed BOTH the waiver (request to join) and the Recreation & Well-Being Health Status Form before practice. You will not be permitted to participate unless you have done so.

We do charge dues, but they will not be asked for until the third Friday practice (September 15th). They will be $25. Everyone who votes in the semesterly election is required to have paid them.

* Please note that currently, IMLeagues will force you to enter your gender identity and choose whether you would play under the Women's or Men's League.
We are working on a way to resolve this. HEMA is a gender-neutral sport and we will never use this information to divide our players.

 

When is practice?

Our first practice of the Fall 2023 semester will be Friday, September 1st. After that, we will have three practices per week, at the following times:

Thursdays 4:00pm - 7:00pm

Fridays 6:00pm - 9:00pm

Given the varying amounts of time we have, all of our practices will be used slightly differently. Thursdays are largely open floor sparring, with the opportunity for Rott Captain to teach whilst using club equipment and space, as well as an additional opportunity for conditioning. Fridays are our main longsword instruction day, and will consist of conditioning/warm-ups that are held as a group but with space to go at your own pace, and then instruction and drilling time. Lessons will change weekly and build on each other. Saturdays will follow a similar structure to Fridays, but will focus on lessons in one-handed weapons with more time for open-floor sparring.

Practice is always located at the Cary St. Gym on the MAC (the indoor soccer field on the second floor)

 

What should I bring?

We reccommend coming in athletic clothing (or else something non-restrictive), sneakers, and to bring a water bottle. In HEMA we pride ourselves on making this sport accessible to all but be prepared to break a sweat, regardless of your fitness level. You are allowed to wear whatever you are comfortable in, but do note that we do not allow anyone to fence wearing heels, open-toed shoes, or dangling articles (such as lanyards, long necklaces, etc.) for safety reasons. We also ask that skirts and dresses fall above mid-calf.

HEMA is a high-impact, cardio-intensive, full-contact sport, so we lightly recommend that you wear long-sleeved clothes as an additional layer of protection, especially if you are wary of bruising or the rare scrape. All members with external genitalia are required to wear protective cups for this reason.

We provide all the other starting equipment you'll need, including fencing masks, swords, and protective gloves in a variety of sizes. We also have a variety of weapons if longsword is not your interest.

 

I'm concerned about my ability to participate, can I still join?

We accept members of all types, including those of varying abilities. If you are concerned about your ability to participate in practices, we will happily work with you to make accomodations. We have already worked to accomodate a variety of mobility aids, and will work with people based on their needs to join our sport. If you have concerns, contact an officer and we will make sure that you can join practice in a safe, fun, and engaging way.

 

What is a Rott Captain? How is the club structured?

Our club is led by a team of six officers, each of which presides over a specific area: President, Vice President, Chief Safety Officer, Treasurer, Logistics, and Media. The president is the main instructor during club practices, with support from the VP. During our third semester practice, we divide our club members evenly into Rotts. Rotts are groups of 8-12 people each led by a Rott Captain.

Rott Captain are experienced members of the club whose job is to provide closer instruction, as well as offer alternative perspectives on fencing techniques to supplement the president's curriculum. Rotts also function as social groups and we promote them to bond as a team and engage in friendly competition within themselves and against other Rotts.

 

Are there competitions?

Yes, we hold multiple competitions per semester. We offer at least one club-specific competition where fencers accrue points both individually and as Rotts per semester. We also offer at least one larger competition per semester. During the Fall, we host Fight Night, which is a club competition where members compete only as individuals. In the Spring, we host Lambpoint, wherein we invite other HEMA clubs to VCU to come and compete.

We have a wide variation of competitiveness between club members, so we try to offer multiple levels of stakes to competitions. No members are required to compete, but all are encouraged to. Competitions are a great way to put all of your training to the test, grow as a fencer, and conquer your fears.

 

What happens if I notice something unsafe?

The comfort and safety of our members is of extreme important to us. Violations of any of our safety rules, both regarding fencing-specific situations (such as appropriate force, aggression, targeting, etc.) and non-sport related situations (such as use of hatespeech, bigotry, unsportsmanlike conduct, etc.) will be met with disciplinary action. We incorporate a three-strike system for enforcing our safety structure:

1. Upon the first violation, the offender receives a warning.
2. Upon the second violation, the offender is benched up to the remainder of practice.
3. Upon the third violation, the offender is dismissed from practice.

In addition, we operate under the rule that "if your partner can't fence, you can't fence" meaning that if a member strikes with the result of injuring their opponent to the point where they can no longer spar, then both are benched until the injured party has healed enough to fence again.

Once again, we believe that safety is a communal responsibility. That means that everyone is responsible not just for their own safety, but the safety of their teammates. Because of this, we take violations to our safety rules very seriously. If you feel unsafe in club spaces (online or in-person) for any reason at all, please do not hesitate to get in contact with an officer or Rott Captain. Please note that all instructors and coaches are mandatory reporters. Other officers and Rott Captain are not.

Each practice is required to have at least one Risk Management Officer (RMO) present. RMOs are First Aid/CPR/AED certified. In case of injury (yourself or others), seek out an RMO immediately. In the case of severe medical emergency, call 911. If you are experiencing harassment, discrimination based on sex, race, gender, etc., or bullying, you are encouraged to file a Title IX Incident Reporting Form.

 

Last Updated: August 24, 2023