H.E.M.A.-bond Nederland

The official tumblr page for the federation for Historical European Martial Arts in the Netherlands. Official website | Facebook

[hemabondnl]

Interview with Manuela Beltrami

Each month, we interview one of the members of our federation to give an idea of what’s going on in the Dutch H.E.M.A. scene.

Buongiorno! Manuela here. I am Italian and when I do not train I am a system engineer. I have four cats, one husband, I love contact sports and I moved to the Netherlands from Italy about 10 years ago.

How did you end up doing H.E.M.A?

It was a sunny Sunday almost 3 years ago. I was visiting a knives fair and Petra and Cem from Zwaard & Steen had a stand there with swords and manuals. Cem gave us a quick lesson just behind the stand. I still remember how clumsy I was while trying to understand what to do with the weapon. A few months later I had my first lesson at Zwaard & Steen and am still going strong.

Where (and what) do you train?

I train in longsword with Zwaard & Steen in Nieuwegein, near Utrecht. In the past, I’ve participated in various workshops in sword and buckler, pugilism, quarter staff, military sabre, and rapier and dagger. I would like to start training regularly in pugilism and learning more of rapier and dagger in the future.

What do you like about your club?

Zwaard & Steen is very diverse. We get the opportunity to spar at the end of the lessons and are actively encouraged to do so with experienced and beginning fighters alike. They all have their own way of fighting and every exchange is a learning experience. From time to time instructors do parts of exercises with us, which increases our understanding of the drill and gets us as close as possible to a good execution of it. The instructors also join in with sparring at the end of the class.

You have been to several international events. How would you compare ‘Dutch’ H.E.M.A. to H.E.M.A. in other countries?

I do not see any difference between international events or Dutch ones. Every event is pretty unique and has its own appeal. I like that there are always new events coming out and sometimes it’s difficult to choose! In the end, they’re all good events, and it’s up to the event planners, crew and fighters themselves to make it special. Having trained in Italy as a guest in Davide and Federico’s school, Sala d’arme dell’Appeso, I haven’t found a distinctive difference between Dutch H.E.M.A. practitioners or practitioners from other countries. I was truly happy to see that H.E.M.A. is good no matter where we go or where we train.

You participate in both open and women’s competitions; how would you compare fighting in these competitions?

I like to have the possibility to choose. I fight totally different when I am fighting in a women-only competition or an open tournament. I know most people will despise me for this, but in women-only competitions, all my focus goes into not hurting my opponent, into making sure I am not disappointing her. I feel a very strong mommy–instinct towards my H.E.M.A.-friends. In open tournaments, I am still afraid to hurt my opponent but somehow the feeling is less, the pressure is lower. This makes me enjoy the fight more, even if I don’t stand a chance. As far as fighting women in an open tournament goes, I haven’t had that opportunity yet, but I am looking forward to it!

Do have any ambitions or dreams?

My current goal is to keep learning from my mistakes and to keep on getting fitter and stronger. I have a big crush on pugilism, so my dream is to pick that up seriously. For now, it’s just practicing at home and reading all the materials I can find. I like pugilism because it’s a completion of boxing and I’ve always loved boxing. The difficult part of starting with boxing is accepting that you’re going to be hit. Getting punched is very close and personal.

Do you have any advice/good starting points for others interested in pugilism?

My advice, and I am not an instructor so this is simply a student’s advice, would be to learn to take a punch first. It will make everything else easier. Also never forget to train the neck. The wrestler bridge is my favorite exercise for that.

What does your training schedule look like? How often do you do H.E.M.A. and what do you do outside of H.E.M.A., training-wise?

I train H.E.M.A. three times a week: Monday, Thursday and Friday. Every morning and evening (when I do not train H.E.M.A.) I have a 15 minutes training session, either HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), weight lifting, or simple exercises (push-ups, planks, crunches, squats).

What will H.E.M.A. be like in the future, what are your expectations?

I want to see all our disciplines in the Olympics! Having it recognized as a sport was already a huge victory, now I truly place my trust in the bond to make the rest happen.

What is your fondest H.E.M.A. memory?

I don’t have a ‘fondest memory’ yet. I suppose I’m still working on it. If I have to pick the funniest, it was my fight against Michela at swordfish 2015. I had no idea the top 16 fights would start so quickly and I had never made it out of the pools before. I was dead nervous and they had to come find me (I was on the toilet!) and I started the fight with half a protein bar in my mouth. I lost of course, but the thought of that still makes me giggle.

What are you proud of?

Everybody that is making progress makes me proud, from the beginner that put himself in the ring the first time to the students ending the heaviest trainings full of sweat and smiles. Students moving up to become instructors, instructors distinguishing themselves in various tournaments (I am not talking about winning, but putting on a good fight, I’d rather see good technical exchanges than a win just for the sake of winning).

Do you have any advice for those just starting out in H.E.M.A.?

I’d like to say to anybody new starting H.E.M.A. to not be afraid or concerned if they didn’t train in years, or they’re lacking confidence, I’d recommend to just join a school and try it out. If that school is not comfortable or if it just does not feel right, just change school and try somewhere else. Do not give up!

I wrote enough now, let’s go train some more!

[hemabondnl]

Interview with Tim Beerens

Tim Beerens studies archeology in Leiden and is a trainer at the official student and (H.E.M.A.!) sport association Ludolph van Ceulen. He also trains with Historisch Vrijvechten Nederland, sees a future full of growth for H.E.M.A., and would like to study not just the old manuscripts, but the weapons themselves as well.

My name is Tim Beerens. I’m currently 24 years old and originally from the general area of Den Bosch. I started my study in Communication and Multimedia Design there, but stopped after my first year because the focus was less on the creative elements of the field that I enjoyed, and more on subjects I didn’t care as much about. Now, I’ve been studying archeology for the past four years in Leiden and I’m working on my master thesis, which I hope to hand in this year.

How did you end up in H.E.M.A.?

I (sadly) didn’t realize there was such a thing as H.E.M.A. until I started studying. I often talked about weapons with my fellow archeology students, and at one point Casper van Dijk mentioned there being medieval manuscripts about swordfighting. We quickly realized there was quite some interest amongst fellow students, so we started looking for a place for us to practice. Eventually, we ended up with a pile of wooden swords in an area in the faculty that is now a library.

Now, 2,5 years later, we train with nylon and steel in a gym as the official student and sports association Ludolph van Ceulen, where I have spent the past year as both trainer and chairman. The club was named after a mathematics professor of the university in Leiden in the 16th century. Besides being a mathematician, he was also a fencing master. We train mostly in messer, but occasionally try our hand in dagger, quarterstaff or wrestling. Oh, and then there’s also Jasper Boelsma, our Viking, who regularly picks students out of the regular class to experiment with spathae and Viking shields.

Where do you train?

At the moment I train with two clubs. That started, as I said, with the student association Ludolph van Ceulen. Once I knew about H.E.M.A., it wasn’t long until just messer wasn’t enough for me anymore and I wanted to expand my arsenal. That’s how I ended up in Oegstgeest, where I’ve been training since February this year with Historisch Vrijvechten Nederland. I started off going there so that I could train in longsword, but by now I’ve also picked up sabre.

What do you like about your club/school/association?

The nice thing about LvC is the growth we have had in a relatively short time period. We started off training with wooden swords in a dusty room full of building materials and have become an official association in a gym where most members have their own mask and a messer made of nylon or steel. Apart from that it’s nice that the association focusses on less well-known or obvious weaponry.

What I like about HVN is the dedication to the sport, but also the dedication the instructors and members have to the club. The ‘HVN orange’ is often well-represented at events, and the great amount of activities organized within the club itself also creates a good atmosphere. I appreciate as well that there is plenty of room for individual feedback during trainings. Especially when it comes down to the details, I like to hear about where I still have room to grow.

What is your favorite weapon?

Oh, that’s a tough one. I don’t believe I have a favorite, but I have noticed that training with many different weapons really works well. For example, when I started training in longsword at the HVN I recognized a lot of techniques that are also used in messer. Fighting with longsword, and especially fighting in a competitive setting like a tournament, taught me that taking the initiative is not only a good way to score points, but also to prevent them, which obviously is not just applicable to longsword.

Do you also study manuscripts?

When we started training with messer at Ludolph van Ceulen, we based our fighting on Johannes Lecküchner. As trainers, we come together with our ‘reading club’ to go through certain chapters and to discuss our interpretations. Those discussions give us the advantage of being able to try out on the spot what works best and what interpretation is therefore the most logical. The anonymous manuscript from Glasgow also has a modest piece on messer that we have used.

Because the trainers at LvC, myself amongst them, are at the brink of finishing our degrees, we have started going through the lessons with new people who can take over from the current trainers. In doing so we also take inspiration from Fechtregeln, an anonymous manuscript from Cologne, though I have to admit I have not studied it yet myself.

What are your ambitions? Do you have a dream?

I want to be the best I can. I strive to become the best fighter that I can be, whether it’s technique-wise, endurance-wise, or speed and creativity when fighting. I hope, in time, to be able to stand my ground and occasionally be able to step on to a podium here and there.

What are you proud of?

I recently fought in the beginner’s tournament that was held at Castle Hernen. After a close fight over third place I eventually finished fourth, but before that time I hadn’t expected to get even that far. I was glad with my results and it also gave me a sense of satisfaction to notice that I was building up confidence during the fights, and that I felt like I knew what I was doing. I am especially proud of the hits that came forth from good techniques, used at the right moment and in the right way for that specific situation.

What are your expectations for the future of H.E.M.A.?

I expect that H.E.M.A. will only continue to grow. I have noticed that, outside of practitioners, few people realize that sword fighting is an actual sport. However, when you have explained this to people, many are interested. I have noticed that especially at Ludolph, where the membership is very dynamic because many people are only members while they study. That means that we get new members each year, but also that people leave when they have their degrees. That moment is approaching for me as well, though I know I want to continue with this sport no matter where I end up.

What question would you have liked to have answered, that hasn’t been asked?

It might paint a better picture if I elaborate on what I do outside of H.E.M.A.. Before I started studying I spent twelve years doing karate. At that moment I also had about three years experience with archery, but when I moved from Brabant to Leiden to study, both of those things became a lot less practical. Thankfully, I’ve really found my way in H.E.M.A., which I became acquainted with through my studies. After a lifelong interest in history and interesting stories, I finally started studying archeology. That has the added benefit of internships in warehouses that contain actual weaponry from long ago. So besides practicing sword fighting as a sport, I would also like to study and research not just manuscripts, but also the weapons themselves.

[hemabondnl]

Interview with Dirk Maats

The Dutch H.E.M.A. Federation has a board with fixed members, but who are these members? What inspires them? In order to introduce these people to you, we will be interviewing a different board member every two weeks.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

My name is Dirk Maats and I’m 43 (at the moment of writing this). Since February I’m the new secretary, after previously fulfilling the role of treasurer, last year. At the moment I’m mostly responsible for the board’s official communications towards members and clubs, as well as recording board meetings and general assembly meetings.

I’m married, have three kids and live in Leiden. After getting my history degree I decided not to go into education, but instead ended up in project work. I enjoy practical and facilitating work. Thankfully, I’m now better at working with deadlines than I was during my college years. At the moment I work as a project management officer for a detachment agency in Utrecht, where I mostly work on projects for the government.

Sport had been a low priority for me for a while, but I’ve become enthusiastic about it again since discovering H.E.M.A.. The combination of historical fighting techniques and working on your physical ability is important for someone like me, who is mostly motivated by a healthy dose of interest in history and historical weaponry. They have made this sport very appealing, as well as very relaxing (in a way).

How did you end up in H.E.M.A.?

Since I was younger I’ve been interested in history and martial arts. As a teenager I mostly focused on eastern martial arts because it was easily accessible in the town I grew up with. However, I never really felt at home in Eastern philosophy. I only stumbled upon H.E.M.A. fairly recently, when I accidentally ended up on the website for Historisch Vrijvechten Nederland. I read on the website that there were classes in longsword, but also that there were plans to do classes in historical saber fencing as well. I joined in for a training and was immediately sold on the idea. Ever since the regular saber training has started that’s been my main focus and I try to dedicate as much as my time to it as I can, even with how busy it gets at home and at work.

Where do you train?

I train with Historisch Vrijvechten Nederland in Oegstgeest, and I can definitely recommend everyone to try the introductory course for military saber.

What are your interests within H.E.M.A.?

At this moment I’m following classes in military saber fencing according to Siebenhaar, but I’m open to trying other varieties of saber in the future. When I have a little more space in my planner I’d like to start following longsword classes again. Following a jury training course is also high on my wishlist, so that I can work on my understanding and feeling during competitions.

What was your motivation to become a board member?

Early last year our instructor Ties Kool notified us at Historisch Vrijvechten Nederland of an opening as treasurer within the federation. Because I’d filled a similar position before, I inquired if there was anything I could do for them and before I knew it, I was actively working with the federation. That’s how simple it can be. As a board member, you learn a lot about the world of H.E.M.A.. I especially like how you end up working together with a bunch of super invested people to make H.E.M.A. more professional and just ‘more’ in general. Being able to be a part of that is a very special experience and one that I wouldn’t want to miss.

[hemabondnl]

Interview with Rick van Weert

(Photo by Annemieke Goudriaan)

Rick van Weert is 26 and lives in the beautiful province Brabant. He graduated in history and is, in his own words, ‘as expected, not employed in that field at all’. He was somewhat taken aback by the question of whether he would like to be interviewd, but was, thankfully also pleasantly surprised. Rick is a member of Bataille, where he acts as show fighter, training assistant, choreographer and director.

How did you end up in H.E.M.A.?

As a kid I was already fond of knights and castles (and the Wild West, by the way) and of course het Land van Ooit (a theme park) because of the knights. I’ve pretty much kept this youthful fascination, and it led to me deciding to study history. With a focus on the middle ages, of course!

Early in my studies I already felt the urge to dive deeper in to my field of study, and I went looking for a reenactment group to join. That’s how I came across Orde der Noorderwind. They did some reenactment, but mostly focused on medieval showfighting, with real swords, chainmail, colored banners, knights, squires, the whole deal. I knew immediately that this was the group I was looking for. I managed to sign up for the introductory training in the nick of time, and though I didn’t make it through the selection the first time, I tried again the following year. I couldn’t get this group out of my head. I was admitted after my second attempt and we’re four and a half years later now.

Where do you train?

I was a member of Orde der Noorderwind for almost four years, but Noorderwind was dissolved a a little under a year ago. A group of its former members started anew under the name Bataille, and that’s where I train now. For me, Bataile is not just training, it’s not just a sport. What was once a hobby has grown into a lifestyle, something I’m active with almost daily and really enjoy doing.

What do you like about your club?

That’s quite a list. Do you have a moment? One of the best things about Bataille is that it’s my childhood dreams come true. Being able to fight like a knight really gives me a big kick, and several factors just add to that. Learning to handle different medieval weapons, finding out which weapons I like fighting with and of course continuously expanding my collection are incredibly fun aspects of what we do.

In addition, Bataille is a tight-knit group of people who aren’t afraid to trust eachother when necessary. Although I’m fairly withdrawn by nature, I’m able to be myself and grow in this group. That’s worth a lot to me. The bond we build as members and the knowledge that we can rely on eachother makes Bataille a very strong team.

The ultimate kick I experience with Bataille is when we perform for an audience. That moment that we’re ‘on stage’, in character, and then get to fight.That moment when you’re high on adrenaline and time seems to slow down… (I swear, on videos I see of myself, everything seems to move a lot faster). During a showfight like that you just go for it full on, completely focused on choreography, your body acts by itself. Only when you are finished do you notice that you’re out of breath and probably steaming with sweat. If, at that moment, the audience applauses, it makes your day.

And then there’s the summer courses! A full week of camping on castlegrounds and giving people who are interested in H.E.M.A. and/or showfighting workshops about what we do. Those are always great weeks, and I’m already looking forward to the next.

What do you train for?

I might have revealed it already, but with Bataille we mostly train in showfighting. Of course we do lots of things outside of this as well: reenactments, campments, workshops, kiddybattles.. But the strongest point of Bataille is the showfighting. Those fights are choreographed with a lot of effort and attention. Why then am I being interviewed by the Dutch H.E.M.A. Federation? Our basis is in H.E.M.A. We use manuscripts to learn about fighting like people in the Middle Ages did. Our goal is to keep that history in tact and to do so on our own way, using showfighting.

(photo by Cliff de Booy)

Do you have a speciality?

Sort of. I’m fairly light weight, agile and I can take a hit. That leads to me being fairly ‘throwable’ and has led me to be the ragdoll of the group. When choreographies and stunts call for people to be thrown around, I’m usually the person who gets to see every corner of the ring.

Apart from that I regularly hear that I pick up things fast. When unforeseen issues arise during events, people drop out, choreographies don’t work well, etc. I’m often the person who jumps in to take on a role, quickly put together a new choreography or otherwise fill in the gaps.

What is your favorite memory?

I definitely need to think back to the movie Michiel de Ruyter. As Noorderwind, we worked on the biggest action scenes of this film, provided stunt work, manned cannons and had a lot of fun. My two favorite memories of this are dragging two main characters to a squae to be executed, and jumping from a ship because the ship is being shot to bits.

Aside from this our shows at the Midwinter Fair in Archeon (a historical open-air museum) are generally very succesful. The shows have a different theme each year and it’s great to be able to build our own show around each theme. It doesn’t matter if we’re in the arena or somewhere in a corner of the park, the Midwinter Fair weekends are always fantastic to be a part of.

What is something you would like to do in the future?

I’m going to be particularly unsubtle for this and say I’d like to be in a leading role sometime in one (or multiple) of our shows. Just putting it out there. I had to be honest, right?

(photo by Anne Moss)

What are your ambitions?

I dream of seeing Bataille grow. I’d love to see the amount of members grow, so that we can put together big camps and shows. Besides that, more swordfighting friends are always welcome!

It is also a personal ambition of mine to become a better show fighter. In the years that I’ve been doing what I do, I have had the chance to meet and work together with a number of people that I admire. These are people who really excel at the finer things in this line of work, expertise with a sword and making a charismatic appearance on stage, and I try to follow their example. It’s a long way to the top, but my goal is clear and I know what I’m doing it for.

What question would you have liked to have answered, but have you not been asked?

Well. Now we’re doing an interview about historical martial arts, and you haven’t even asked me about my favorite weapons. But if you really want to know, I’d have to choose for singlehanded sword. I’m also interested in sword and shield, axes and clubs and I’ve noticed myself developing a light fascination for sickles, but in the end the singlehanded sword is my favorite. Why? In my experience the singlehanded sword requires a different sort of agility than the longsword. I’m not sure how to explain it, but the nice thing about singlehanded is that you always have a hand free to be annoying with. Hitting, grabbing, armlocks, throws.. I really enjoy fighting just a little bit out of the box, a little unorthodox. Now I just need to learn to wrestle decently..

[hemabondnl]

Interview with Anouk Post

The Dutch H.E.M.A. Federation has a board with fixed members, but who are these members? What inspires them? In order to introduce these people to you, we will be interviewing a different board member every two weeks.

Read this post on our official website here.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

My name is Anouk Post, I’m 28 years old and I’m the new board member for external communications. I’m responsible mostly for the Communications Commission, which is in charge of keeping the Facebook page up-to-date, making sure members are informed of what’s going on, and spreading interesting news and articles.

I live in Waddinxveen with Martin de Jong, who, like me, practices H.E.M.A. (which prevents a lot of irritation about weapons and books lying around). In my day-to-day life I work as an audiology technician in a laboratory in Haarlem. I make custom earpieces for, amongst other things, hearing aids, and ear protection for festivals. It’s incredibly fun and varied work, but I do need to be extra careful with my fingers because I work with my hands a lot. This doesn’t make it quite an ideal combination with longsword and military sabre training.

In spite of my sedentary work I like to be physically active. I go to the gym regularly and also like to run. In my free time I enjoy reading, writing and partaking in other creative endeavors like leatherworking and costume design. In addition to this all, I have a fulltime job in keeping my two Abessinian cats happy. They see me as their personal valet, which is, of course, completely justified.

How did you end up in H.E.M.A.?

I’ve always been active in sports, which started with fifteen years of fanatic horse riding. After that came running and kickboxing – until, when I was 21, I was told that I had a vague issue with my joints, which meant they were too unstable for me to be able to exercise without any pain or issues. This was hard for me to take and for a long time I thought the doctors were right. Because of this, I didn’t participate in sports for almost two years. In 2012 a friend told me that I should be able to sword fight if I used an altered training. I was skeptical at first, but a ten-minute lesson turned into half an hour, half an hour turned in to an hour with sparring, and before I knew it I was actively exercising again.

Where do you train?

At the moment I mostly train with Historisch Vrijvechten Nederland in Oegstgeest. Besides the fact that it’s on my route from work to my house, training at HVN also gives me the ability to choose between longsword and sabre, which is my other great love. I also train at show and performance group Bataille in Utrecht, which is a fantastic group that focuses on using H.E.M.A. in stunt and fighting choreography.

What are your interests within H.E.M.A.?

As I mentioned before, I mostly train in longsword. My focus used to be very much on competitions. I went to the gym, trained multiple times a week and fought in any match I could. I took great pleasure from the challenges that competitions bring with them: the ambition, the drive to reach goals and the pressure that can greatly motivate you (or work against you). I didn’t only focus on the physical aspect, the training, but also on the psychological side; why am I nervous? How do I deal with performance anxiety and why do I have it? I was very busy with the sports aspect, and less so with, for example, reading the sources.

Recently my focus has been changing. In the past year and a half I’ve been training in sabre as well. I noticed that I was becoming tired of competitions, but I was also risking injury with every match. That’s something I can’t afford right now. Time-wise, my new focus also works better for me since I now work fulltime in a city that requires some traveling. When you’re sitting in a train, it’s a lot easier to read a treatise than it is to practice with a sword.

My love for sabre was awakened after a workshop in Siebenhaar sabre by Ties Kool during Swordfish 2015. I had already been looking around for a different weapon to train with in order to broaden my horizon, and during the workshop something just clicked. I dove in to research about different sources and styles as soon as I got home, and went on from there.

I enjoy and have an interest in every kind of sabre. It’s like having found a toy store and being allowed to choose just one item to play with. Because choosing to study ‘everything’ is a bit ambitious, I’m currently focusing on Roworth’s saber, an English style from circa 1800. I also have the ambition to some day continue with Radaelli’s North-Italian military-style sabre, but I can hardly do everything at once.

Recently I have been offered the chance to teach workshops during various events. Teaching, putting together workshops, translating information I find interesting into something useable, is a completely new challenge. I’ve noticed that my enthusiasm, which has seen a bit of a decline after choosing to compete less, has definitely been revived. I had to find a new way to give color to my hobby, and I think teaching workshops and being part of the board of the federation is definitely a way to do so.

What was your motivation to become a board member?

I realized that I had no idea what the federation did, or why we even had a federation in the first place. I was a member but didn’t feel involved at all. That’s what was on my mind when I applied for the position of board member for external communications. I knew that I now had the time and energy to dedicate myself to the federation, especially now that I was looking for a different way to be a part of H.E.M.A. besides training and competing. I wanted to make the federation more visible. More fun. I wanted to engage members by providing articles, interviews and news, by having a clear and structured website. I hope to have managed to do so by the end of these two years.

[hemabondnl]

Interview with Remco van Gulik

The Dutch H.E.M.A. Federation has a board with fixed members, but who are these members? What inspires them? In order to introduce these people to you, we will be interviewing a different board member every two weeks.

We’re going to start off with Remco van Gulik. Starting February 25th, Remco is our board member for general internal communications, which means he facilitates the communications between the board and its members as well as the different committees.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

My name is Remco van Gulik, I’m 35 years old. I’ve been married to Tessa Beukelaar since 2014, have been living in Gouda since September and have been father to Benjamin since 9 months ago. Because I’ve been unemployed for a while I’m currently a fulltime dad. Thankfully, that’s no punishment with such a happy boy! Sword fighting is currently my main hobby and because of this I’ve been trying to get more physically fit. That’s not easy after such a long time of drinking beer and yelling ‘SCHIJT!’, two other great hobbies. Nowadays, sadly, I don’t have as much time to play the guitar, but I’m sure I will be able to do so again eventually.

How did you end up in H.E.M.A.?

Tessa is an archeologist and likes Fantasy. She followed a Dagger Defense Class at the Irish Discworld Convention in 2013 and enjoyed it so much that she started looking for something similar when she returned. She found Zwaard & Steen in Rotterdam and wanted to do an introductory class. That’s nice and all, but of course she wasn’t going to do so alone. Soon enough, we were at the introductory class in Rotterdam together, and we haven’t stopped since. Tessa hasn’t trained since her pregnancy, but she is planning to pick it up again starting next season.

Where do you train?

At Zwaard & Steen. I train once a week in the regular classes and every other week in the competition training. During the competition training the focus is on strength and conditioning. I’ve always said that I wanted to be physically fit before my 35th. I’m not there yet, but at least I’ve now finally found the flow and feel like I’m improving.

What are your interests?

My focus is currently on longsword only. I want to master this weapon first before I unleash all the others. Aside from that I’m also currently dealing with a shoulder injury. Longsword fighting is thankfully still possible, but I have to be sure not to overdo it. My main priority is becoming physically fit and pain free. This year I will also participate in my first tournaments; the Dutch Lions Cup and HEFFAC are on my list.

What was your motivation to become a board member of the Dutch H.E.M.A. federation?

As mentioned before, I’m good at drinking beer and providing useless commentary. Thankfully, I also enjoy giving constructive and structured commentary, which I thought was a more useful skill to utilize. As a Business Controller/Consultant I have quite a bit of project and coaching experience, which is quite useful in my role as General Internal Communications Board Member, or project manager of the board.

Why is the federation so important to you?

H.E.M.A. is a young and fast-growing sport. To be able to turn it into something greater we rely on the enthusiasm and commitment of volunteers. There are a bunch of fantastic clubs in the Netherlands and there are many yet to come. To be seen as a fully-fledged and independent sport we need an impartial and overarching organization that can represent all clubs and all fighters. That’s a difficult task, because the number of members is growing fast and is becoming more and more diverse. Everyone has their own ideas about the sport itself and what they want to do with it. Our task as federation will therefore be to listen to everyone and to keep these things in mind. Hopefully, we will also be able to make sure everyone is happy and to make H.E.M.A. more well-known to a wider audience.

What is your goal while you’re on the board?

I look forward to working together with a group of enthusiastic members who want to help promote the visibility, safety and growth of our sport, from the perspective of their area of expertise or interest. Besides fixed committee members, I’d also like to put enthusiastic members to work for one-time contributions. However, the aforementioned volunteer status does not mean being free of responsibility. If you agree to do something, others will expect you to follow through. I’d also like to use my ‘controller’s hat’ to look at internal processes within the federation and to address these where necessary.

There are a lot of great things we can do with H.E.M.A., both within the sport itself and outside of it. I think we will be able to book some great progress this year when it comes to, amongst other things, safety and arbitration. I will work hard this year to organize events for the benefit of all our members, as well as for the image of H.E.M.A. to the outside world. I look forward to get to know this sport and the different clubs a little better.

Is there anything else you would like to say?

See you in the ring!

Photo by  Silvana Burnes/Fabled Photography.

[hemabondnl]

Interview with Majken Roelfszema

From April onwards we will be posting an interview with one of our members on our website monthly. In this way, we hope to show the world what is happening in the Dutch world of H.E.M.A.

Majken Roelfszema is our first candidate. This 22 year old longsword fencer won a silver medal in the ladies competition in Helsinki, making her the first Dutch woman to win a medal in a Nordic League Competition. Having become curious about what motivates her as a fencer, we decided to ask her a few questions.

How did you end up in H.E.M.A.?

In my second study year a friend of mine wanted to go to sword fighting training, but didn’t know anybody there. Very scary of course. So, he asked if I wanted to join him and I did. I stayed because of the great group of people. Only later did I learn what H.E.M.A. is all about and did I realize it’s fantastic.

Where do you train and what do you train?

I mostly train in longsword with a focus on Ringeck at MARS in northern Netherlands. Sometimes we also train with dagger and ringen. In the past year we have trained a lot with dussack in our free hour, and we also organized a dussack tournament when one of our oldest members left.

What do you like about your club/school/organization?

MARS has very friendly atmosphere but also trains hard. The shared fascination for this sport, love for pushups and the great group dynamic make MARS the best sports club that exists, to me.

What do you train for?

I train because I want to be a better swordfighter. That includes wanting to be physically fit, have good control and balance and wanting to be able to use the right technique at the right moment. Tournaments, to me, are an important way to test if I have mastered techniques under pressure, and to see how fast I can make choices.

Do you also study manuscripts?

I bought my first book about swordfighting not too long ago, which I am currently studying. I’ve also studied the zettel. I wouldn’t say that I’ve studied a lot of manuscripts, but I expect to be spending more time doing so.

What are your ambitions?

I’d like to win a tournament, but above all I think it’s important to fight, according to my own definitions, technically. That means, amongst other things, trying to take the vor only when I can (and when I have it) and not by simply trying to be faster.

What are your expectations for the future of H.E.M.A.?

H.E.M.A. will continue to grow. I think H.E.M.A. will come to be seen as a real sport more and more, partially because instructors are becoming more official and structured. However, I do hope that we will keep plenty of room for discussion about manuscripts and about what specific movement is used by what specific bit of text. Apart from that, I hope that there will never be an official European or World Championship, because the tournament structure as it is now has its charm, but also because it’s very difficult to determine what makes a good swordfighter.

What are you proud of?

A while ago, I had a lot of difficulty getting the hang of swordfighting, and I thought about quitting. I didn’t. Besides that, I started off thinking pushups were horrible, but by now I enjoy them and wouldn’t want to miss them. Burpees, on the other hand, haven’t won me over yet.

What is your dream?

It’s my dream to be a serious contender at Swordfish in a couple of years. I’d like to be able to see the big names like Kristian Ruokonen and Carl Ryrberg as rivals.

We thank Majken for her time and wish her a lot of luck!