Any Hema Enthusiasts in the Chicagoland Area? Do y'all want to meet up and train?
What's hema? Historical European Martial Arts aka sword fighting/historical fencing. I am looking for any other Hema enthusiasts in the Chicagoland area that have full kit and are willing to train and spar. Also if there are any secert club/groups that isn't on Hema Alliance I would love to meet y'all.
I know of 3 clubs in the Chicagoland area. Forteza, the vampire one, and Lake Forest. I respect what Forteza is doing and they do have a lot of good fencers. I just don't agree with their approach to hema. Lake Forest is great but they're far from me. I'm not at that level of nerd so no vampire larpers for me.
For the record, I (35M) to tend lean toward the "sporty" side of hema. I've practicing hema for about 2+ years and I do longsword and a little bit military saber. I tend to blend my sources for my fencing. I've been to a couple tournaments and have done okay. I haven't gotten past elimins but I haven't embarrassed my self either. I am not willing teach.