What I Wish I Knew Before Starting HEMA

If I had to start HEMA all over again, I would train completely differently. After 8 years in Historical European Martial Arts, multiple Austrian championship titles, and competing internationally in longsword and sword & buckler, I’ve realized that many of the things I focused on as a beginner actually slowed my progress down. In this video, I break down exactly what I would do differently if I started HEMA from zero today — from gear choices and training methods to sparring mindset, footwork, source work, strength training, and competition experience. Whether you’re a complete beginner, an experienced fencer, or a HEMA coach looking for better ways to teach new students, this video covers the fundamentals that actually matter if your goal is to improve quickly in longsword fencing HEMA Sources Mentioned: 📜 Peter von Danzig (44 A 8) 📜 I.33 / Tower Fechtbuch High level fencing matches:    • Black Horns Cup 2024 HEMA Tournament - Lon...      • Tyrnhaw 2025 finals      • London Hema Open 2026 - Antoni Olbrychski ...   If you’re training longsword, sword & buckler, or historical fencing in general, this roadmap will help you avoid years of wasted time and focus on the things that actually build good fencing. 👇 Let me know in the comments: What’s the ONE thing you wish you knew before starting HEMA? #HEMA #Longsword #HistoricalFencing #SwordFighting #MartialArts #LongswordHEMA #HEMATraining #SwordAndBuckler #Fechtbuch #HistoricalEuropeanMartialArts