Our motto
People join Steelbound for a variety of reasons. Some are dedicated tournament fighters; some are scholars or historical enthusiasts; some just want a fun, safe and social way to stay in shape. And of course, some just love swords and that’s good enough for them! All of us value being part of a diverse and inclusive community.
Steelbound runs on volunteer power, so we shape our culture together. We engage enthusiastically with the rest of the H.E.M.A. community too: you can find us at public events, tournaments, even at other H.E.M.A. clubs!
Study: a H.E.M.A. school
H.E.M.A. stands for Historical European Martial Arts. This can include everything from ancient Greek wrestling to Napoleonic mounted combat, but typically what people think about are swords. Lots and lots of swords.
What makes it historical is that all our knowledge of these martial arts is derived from written sources of the time. Think of a 13th century Iberian manuscript on dueling, or a treatise on Swiss mercenaries from the 18th century. From these texts we derive the martial techniques and training methods of the time and put them into practice, but we also learn about the context and lifestyles of the times. Cultural, philosophical and culinary understanding of history all informs our interpretation of the various weapons disciplines. Think of it as a form of experimental archeology and sports fusion.
At Steelbound we focus on the longsword and the broadsword, but we regularly dip into all kinds of weaponry as long as we can trace their use to a source. Many of our students have their own weapon specialties which they study and practice after class, including sidesword, messer, montante, saber, sword & buckler, dagger, poleaxe, bearded axe, quarterstaff… it just goes on.
Fight: sparring, tournaments or personal growth
Our lessons are designed to grow those students who wish to engage in sparring and tournament fighting into effective combatants. It is in these settings that a martial artist can test their interpretations and challenge their skills. Sparring happens after the lessons, sometimes with mixed weapon combinations! Steelbound is regularly represented in national and international competitions, and local interclub practice, with some of our students in top 20% of H.E.M.A. fighters in the world!
There is of course plenty of room for those who are not aiming at competition. The fighting spirit is just as important in overcoming personal challenges. Students focused on personal growth may engage in solo exercise after the lessons, training their body to handle the blade with grace and poise, others may use the time to play in paired exercises with friends.
Feast: an inclusive, social and diverse sport community
It’s important to regularly come together to re-establish the human connections which are so often are de-emphasized in a busy world, and that is what remains so attractive about Steelbound. We feast to warm the heart and share our joy of the art. Whether it’s drinks after class, informal gatherings at museums or ren-fairs, or official Steelbound events, we value the support and grounding that an accepting community gives.
