San Diego Swordfighters is a group dedicated to the study and practice of Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA), also known as Historical Fencing or Western Martial Arts (WMA). If you are looking to take up a challenging and exciting new hobby, San Diego Swordfighters is open for all to explore the martial arts of bygone ages.

Working from primary historical documents and fighting manuals written by knights, scholars, and fencing masters of the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Early Modern periods, the HEMA movement revives centuries old fighting arts, teaches their principles of armed combat, and practices them as a modern martial art and sporting competition. Watch and learn more below:

San Diego Swordfighters primarily studies and teaches Kunst des Fechtens (Art of Combat) a system of combat based on the use of the two-handed longsword which has its origins in 14th century Germany (learn more here). This sophisticated swordfighting method lasted well into the 1600s and its principles have been preserved in a number of surviving historical manuscripts which have been rediscovered, translated, and made available to modern day historians and martial artists. San Diego Swordfighters holds regular classes on fencing with the longsword and other weapons from the era. We also have a number of study groups dedicated to researching new weapon styles and traditions in order to expand our martial arts repertoire.

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