Quote:
Originally Posted by Titan2
Hema?
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Historial European Martial Arts.
If it's weapons you think of as "medieval" (swords, shields, polearms, etc.) and it's European, and you actually try to learn to do it physically with equipment that at least resembles the real thing, it's HEMA. Also includes unarmed combat styles.
It's a catch-all term for a lot of things. Emerged in the nineties really.
Unusual compared to all other forms of martial arts in that there's no living tradition to draw from, everything people are doing now is a recreation from historical sources (manuals, paintings, equipment...) and common sense.
Mostly it's recreating fighting styles from between 14th and 18th century, obviously typically swordsmanship because swords are cool.