Medieval Sword School (HEMA)

German Medieval Martial Arts

Training with Pahlavandles

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Some of you may know I have been working with the HeroicSport guys for nearly a year now. These guys have made the various pahlavandles which are attached to water bottles to create Indian clubs. Filled with water, rice, sand or stones. The handles create an easy tool to improve flexibility but also coordination, range of motion and conditioning.

Clubs were originally made for warriors to condition themselves for combat, so it is no surprise that those of us who train in weapon based martial arts, would look to enhance our training with such tools.

HeroicSport also have a range of exercise programmes to follow and have even created programmes for the historical fencer. These are online videos and some are made specifically for HEMA practitioners to get more flexible, conditioned and stronger..

https://www.heroicsport.com/product/indian-clubs-historical-fencing-hema-longsword-strength-agility/hero/18/

Checkout their other programmes here:

https://www.heroicsport.com/product-category/indian-clubs-tutorials-beginners/

For the handles themselves:

https://www.heroicsport.com/product-category/buy-indian-clubs/

The best option is to look at the starter pack option:

https://www.heroicsport.com/product/indian-clubs-starter-kit/

Medieval Manuscript Workshop

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As HEMA Students, we always refer to the manuscripts of the medieval period, but how were they actually made and how long did it take to create a page or image?  Now you can find out first hand.  We have Julia Baxter who is an experienced calligrapher and illuminator coming to run a hands on workshop at the fechtschule. 

This is an opportunity to work through the process of medieval illumination working towards a finished letter with colour paints and gold leaf. We also plan to draw weaponised medieval bunnies.

Beginning with an initial tracing, laying gold size, applying real gold leaf and building colour paints we will work in the same order as the medieval illuminators. Finally the essential outlining for a finished letter or image. We will work with a pre-designed capital letter. Tools and materials are included. Suitable for all.

£20 per head (includes all materials) at St Georges School on the 23rd November 10am -1pm  Tea, Coffee and Biscuits will be provided.

Interested? Stop by our Facebook Page for details and to book your ticket.

Julius Caesar’s Invasion of Britain

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While this site is predominately about the medieval period, I do like a good book on any period rally and the Roman period is just as fascinating. And when it comes to the Roman invasion of Britain, even more so as we live pretty much slap bang in the middle of the biggest bone of contention right now with where the invasion actually took place.

Roger Nolan’s, book is a very good look at the current thinking based on the best archaeological advice there is. Caesar lands at Dover and chases his main foe Cassivellanus to Hertfordshire. I wish the britons of the time had easier names .

His book shows his research into the route they took, where they set up marching camps, and where the major encounters took place. It is a well researched argument.

The book has maps and photos to highlight routes and locations, it is a great read as the book shows places in Kent I really need to go and see such a Bigbury and Denge Wood.

The book covers the prelude to the invasion with the defeat of the Gauls and then the preparations for invasion. The book also includes a translation of Julius Caesar’s own account of the Gallic wars and invasion of Britain.

This is a great account and includes lots of details that could be used by Wargammers to recreate some of the battles as well as for historians looking to understanding the invasion.

I attended a seminar on the possible invasion site of Thanet last year, which still needs more archaeological evidence to support but this is still a great topic for reading.

You can buy the book here from Pen and Sword books.

Please note I was not paid to write this review but was sent a review copy of the book. All comments are my own, and the publishers have not amended the review in any way.

Stuff We Like: Theatre of War Clothing

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I wanted to introduce a new series I want to run on the site, called “Stuff We Like”. I will be interviewing business owners that have cool stuff we like. Simple really.

In my first email interview, I grill Adam Wilkes at Theatre of War Clothing.

Tell people a little about yourself

My name is Adam Wilkes and for 15 years now I have been involved in museums, archaeology and living history societies. I have studied with two universities and have several published papers on European history. I started Theatre of War to create a medium where I could illustrate my passion for history through visual representations taken from actual artefacts

What is your favourite design?

My favourite design has to be the Nordic boat Petroglyph, it was one of the very first sketches that I did and still remains one of the most popular sellers. Even though it is fairly simplistic it reminds me of the early days of Theatre of War and the scary venture in business!

Can people request their own designs?

Custom work is something I enjoy a great deal as it not only presents me with new challenges but gives me the opportunity to research different areas of history I may have otherwise overlooked or not been aware of. Customisation came about initially in the early days of TOW when I began doing bespoke designs for reenactment groups, admittedly I hated doing it in the beginning! But eventually I honed my craft and now it is an aspect that differentiates my work from other companies and had meant I am able to create one off motifs for use in museums and commercial settings.

Do you just sell clothing?

I mainly sell clothing and patches however I would very interested in doing tattoo designs as for years I drew tattoo flash and wanted to pursue this profession as a career however this wasn’t to be and here I am involved in history and archaeology.

Where can people buy your items?

For anyone interested in purchasing items should visit my official website at theatreofwar.bigcartel.com but also I have an Etsy store at https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TheatreOfWar.

If custom work is required customers should contact me directly on any of my social media platforms or via email at zoskiacultus@hotmail.co.uk.

About Us

KDF Broadstairs (Thanet Fecht Schule) is a German Longsword HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) Group based in Broadstairs, Thanet.

Canterbury Medieval Combat is a HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) Group based in Canterbury, Kent.

Store

Check out our KDF Broadstairs T-shirt store

Check out our Canterbury Medieval Combat T-shirt store

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