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PUT YOUR BEARD IN MY MOUTH
trying on a metaphor
he wasn't even looking at me and he found me
Janaina Medeiros
hello vonnie
todays bird
❣ Chile in a Photography ❣
Cosimo Galluzzi
taylor price
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Discoholic 🪩
I'd rather be in outer space 🛸
macklin celebrini has autism
Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
Sweet Seals For You, Always
will byers stan first human second
RMH
Origami Around
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@swordswomen-blog
Written by Fran Terminiello Sales is not a career I would ever consider because I can’t pretend to be enthusiastic about something I don’t care about. But there is a product which I do believ…
How to make us bigger and better! :)
Old time newspaper/magazine ad from 1906. The top reads in all a sans-serif all caps
“WOMEN WHO FENCE ARE TERRORS TO MASHERS”
Below, in a subtly Alfonse Mucha fashion, is a cut-out photograph of Bertha Pollack seated inside of a circle. She is thin, young, and white. Her dark hair is worn up, and she is dressed all in black, with a hint of white lacy collar peaking out. She is holding a long thin sword with a domed guard. With her left, she grips the handle. With her right she holds the tip, flexing the blade. One ankle rests on the other knee.
The caption reads:
Bertha Pollack was a champion fencer in America. In 1906 she advocated that women take up fencing as a sport. It was good exercise and kept women in shape. It was being in good physical condition that led women to be better able to repulse mashers, not the idea of carrying around a sword.
Masher was a term for men who sexually harassed women in public places.
Winner of the Womens Longsword in the HEMA tournament Swordfish 2016, Julia Yli-Hukka!
Julia! Julia! Julia! :D
PS: She does have a sphynx emblem on her jacket, too!
Written by Claudia Krause The views expressed herein are those of the author and not necessarily the views of Esfinges. You want drama? How about having the world’s most powerful men meeting…
One of the less talked about “badass women of history..”
Miss Barry, fencing champion, Friday 7 June 1935
Source: Photo by Stuart Thomson, City of Vancouver Archives #99-5058
[ID: a fencer in old-style uniform, holding her mask and foil.]
reasons why fencing is the best sport
swords
you can use the term “en garde” in context and not sound like a dork
if one of your teammates pisses you off you can legally stab them
wearing fandom stuff to tournaments results in about 5,000,000 compliments
you can literally be any body type and be good at it, i’m 5’1 and chubby and i win almost all my matches
knee-highs
did i mention swords?
build friendships by stabbing each other
stabbing people is a good stress reliever
There is a camaraderie that forms when you fence with someone and enjoy the experience. I’ve seen this in wrestling, sword fighting, and other martial arts.
I sometimes throw my toys out of the pram if I get a bad call by the judges or poor reffing decisions in competition (a bit, and not for long), so this article is a reminder of the importance of sportsmanship in HEMA, as well as the necessity of approaching the values of community leaders with some caution, or at least a critical eye. Being a successful fencer does not necessarily make you a better person.
Sort of a corollary to Wheaton’s law; don’t be a dick, but also, be wary of those who may be dicks.
Good reminder for all of us!
Anna Pighin, of Udine, Italy, has been studying Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) since 2009. She focuses on the Bolognese School, in all its wonderful facets, although the side sword will a…
A success story...
If you want to progress, work hard! :)
These beautiful young heroes from Michigan are a treasure! #heroRT
These kids came to the Hero Round Table from Flint. Their school prioritised taking everyone off for two entire days so they could attend a leadership conference about Heroism.
When asked who still is without clean drinking water, over half of them put their hands up. Yet they were so engaged and positive the whole time, and really awesome people. America is full of much good that doesn’t make the headlines.
P.S. The conference sent them away with galleons and galleons of clean water.
Playing around with sphinx designs that may or may not change. It’s been interesting and tricky and I cannot animals, but I’m trying to learn.
Yusra (mommy) and Hutun (kiddo) are both mine~
For the love of our namesakes. ;)
Mental illness
Now, this is some honest shit coming up.
One year ago, I was a wreck. Suffering from panic attacks, anxiety and depression. At it worse I had 5-6 panic attacks daily and I panicked even when I was out for a walk in the forest that normally helped me get through the anxiety and the stress that was all over me. The motivation for doing things was none, expect for one thing: Training. Training with swords. Even if the rest of the day was a hell for me, I took my ass out and went to train with my club. But believe me, it wasn’t carefree doing that. I think almost all members in my club seen me having panic attacks during training, they’ve seen me burst into tears and my behavior has sometimes been very weird to them. Swordfish 2015 was terrible for me. Not the competing, but to be there. I remember I sat in the audience not being able to speak to anyone, feeling like an empty body that wasn’t really there. I remember how I walked back to the hotel, getting lost at the way. Panicked but found my way back, despite the fact that my entire system just yelled: RUN! You will never find back anyway! You’re lost! Fuck it. But I still made an effort. I competed in the tournament, despite all this. Looking back at it, I can see why people think I’m nuts. And to be honest: Maybe I am.
This coincidence didn’t fright me of. But if I told you I never once hesitated, I am lying to you. I did, many times. After the tournament in Denmark, I wanted to quit. Because it felt like shit, I didn’t do well in that tournament and my entire body shut down afterwards. I sat in the car afterwards when we were going to the hostel. I know I was shaking all over, unable to speak to anyone. It felt like I was in a bubble with no air. Before we went to Finland I know I had a terrible night with anxiety that leapt all over me, with thoughts of suicide coming up. It scared the shit out of me. I remember I contacted my coach, Carl, and told him that I didn’t think it was a good idea for me to follow. He told me this:
“It will get better, and it doesn’t matter if you fence like a one-legged goat. You get experience.“
Those words gave me the strength to go there. To continue doing the things I came to love. Compete, fence and meet new people. I’ve also went to trainings that started thoughts like: What the fuck am I doing? Why am I even here? But I did it. I was there. Every time. I fought a war against myself and my mental illness. I went to therapy, I’ve been telling myself so many times that I’m going to get through this. Once and for all this time. I’ve been suffering from mental illness since I was a teenager, but I never wanted to admit it. I’ve been pushing it aside. Felt bad for a while, then came back and keep doing as I always did: Put a smile on my face and pretend to have energy that I didn’t have. This time was different. And one year later, even if I’m not completely done yet, I can look at myself and consider me as the winner. I know there will be times when I fall back, but this doesn’t fright me anymore. It gets easier to get up every time I fall.
During this year people have asked me many times why I keep going to training. They even told me to not. I’ve also heard things like: You train way too much, it’s not healthy. Sorry dudes, but if it wasn’t for training I am sure I would have been hospitalized. I know you all mean well, but those words is pissing me of. If you are telling me this, you don’t understand me. My training has always been my medication, when I don’t train I get sick. And during this time, it has been the only thing that made me live and get through the shit that was inside me. Don’t question things you don’t understand. Ask instead, please?
I also realized the importance of having friends with you. They are the one who made me continue. I don’t even know how I shall ever return all the things you made for me. All you who listened without judging, who was by my side when I needed. I can’t mention you all, because you are many. And I love you all. Everyone who is just a tiny part of my journey has been of great importance. One man is needed to be mentioned though, even though the risk of strengthening his ego even more is quite big (a risk I am willing to take); Carl. Carl has been my trainer and my coach for almost 2 years now. I would have quit HEMA a long time ago if it wasn’t for him. After all, I meet Carl 3 times a week. He is the one seeing my effort every time I am at training, he is the one who always have time to listen or just give me a hug. He made me keep on fighting, not once but many times. He isn’t just my trainer, he is a mentor and have become almost like a family member. He is one of them who have seen my struggle and helped me get through it. Every. Single. Time. He is one of them who made me get up and keep on fighting. Who never, not even once, considered me being a wierdo even though I sometimes behaved like one. He was the one who never gave up on me, even though I did so myself. I don’t think I can ever thank him or my friends enough. I needed to tell you all this. To raise awareness against mental illness, and get you to understand that you all can do something to prevent and help others get through it. Lots of Love Lotta (Picture of me and Carl at sparring camp, photo taken by Eric Westerdahl)
Yes, HEMA IS good for you!
Find someone who is known to be skilled in combat with shield or buckler. Practice twice a day, if you can. But, safe for holidays, let not a single day pass without training at least once. For this art needs to be mastered to be of good service.
1250 a.d. Norwegian King’s Mirror The text actually talks about how this is what you should do if it’s raining or it’s otherwise not possible to ride horses and train that. It also says that you should use the heaviest weapons you can when training. (via makoivis)
For those of us who wonder how often...
Izsabella and Graham of The Philadelphia Common Fencers Guild practising today.
New T-Shirts available to buy from my DesignByHumans store, available in Red or Green ^.^ Xx
RED - http://www.designbyhumans.com/shop/racerback/save-me-from-a-dragon-red/567768/
GREEN - http://www.designbyhumans.com/shop/t-shirt/men/save-me-from-a-dragon-green/567764/
Either the dragon or the knight in any case! :D
By Neil Byrne – Dublin HEMA Club Foreword: This gem of an article was shared with us in 2013 and has been in our group’s files ever since. We have decided to make it more publicly accessible …
Important to know if you are either A) not comfortable with your current chest protector or B) who could know somebody who isn’t!
Ah, these were the days. FightCamp 2013 or so. Photo by Miri Zaruba
