Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) refers to both the academic research and physical training associated with the combat arts of medieval Europe. This includes a variety of cultures and martial styles, from German and Italian Longsword styles, to Dutch dagger, Scottish broadsword, and Portuguese staff fighting (Jogo Do Pau). HEMA is also sometimes referred to as Western martial Arts (WMA), however this term expands on historical European martial art by including studies in Military Sabre, Native American fighting systems and WWII knife or trench fighting.
Before the proliferation of digital scans of medieval fighting manuals on the internet, the study of HEMA was limited to small groups with local access to libraries containing original medieval manuscripts. Today, study groups throughout the world trade videos and research papers on HEMA, testing each others interpretations and encouraging new research questions.
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