Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) isn’t cosplay — it’s combat. Based on surviving medieval and Renaissance fighting manuals, HEMA brings back the grappling, striking, and weapon work that once kept people alive in real fights. It’s not a sport, and it’s not a fantasy — it’s a serious martial practice rooted in history and tested through pressure.

At the Self-Defense Collective, we train HEMA as a living, evolving discipline. That means fencing with longswords, sabers, or messers — but it also means wrestling from the manuals, applying leverage, timing, and intent. We pressure-test what we train, using modern gear and informed consent to push our limits safely.

You don’t have to be a historian. You just have to be ready to work. HEMA builds precision, awareness, control — and a connection to a martial lineage that’s been buried for centuries. We’re here to bring it back, not as museum material, but as a tool for strength, clarity, and community.