THE ART OF HISTORICAL FENCING
Training
Classes at our schools, workshops on the road, and a curriculum built on Meyer’s own words and terms.
01 / WHAT TO EXPECT
A Living Meyer session moves between the book and the floor. We read what Meyer wrote about a cut, a guard, or a device; we drill it with a partner; then we test it in free fencing and see what survives contact.
Instruction is shared across our schools through a common curriculum and a common vocabulary, so a fencer from one city can step into a class in another and know what is being asked.
02 / WEAPONS
The foundation of the system and where most fencers begin.
The one-handed cutting sword, and Meyer’s school for every other single-hand weapon.
Cut and thrust with the long single sword, as Meyer taught it in 1570.
Close work: grips, throws, and the dagger.
Quarterstaff, halberd, and pike.
03 / GEAR
For a first class or workshop: a fencing mask and gloves. Wear as much protection as you would at any HEMA event, or as little as mask and gloves, or anything in between. Swords are provided at our fechtschulen; you are welcome to bring your own for workshops.
Historical fencing is a contact practice. We keep drills controlled and progressive, and we ask every fencer to train at the level of gear and intensity they are ready for.
04 / THE FECHTER EVALUATION
The Fechter evaluation is Living Meyer’s test of a fencer’s command of the system: the terms, the devices, and the fencing itself. It is run at our gatherings, with preparation workshops beforehand.
Written knowledge alone does not pass it. The evaluation is done in person, with a sword, in front of instructors.
Ask about the next evaluation →05 / COME TRAIN
Living Meyer schools train in Madison, Miami, Los Angeles, and New Orleans, and our instructors travel to teach. If there is no school near you, a workshop can come to your club.
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