​Several historical manuscripts discuss the importance of other workout routines that improve swordsmanship. We have already discussed De Re Militari but another manuscript covering workout routines for swordsmen is the Poem of the Pel. In that poem, it discusses: 

I think many of us would agree on the health benefits running provides and how better cardio could help our fencing. But here is the thing, it is one thing to point to manuscripts and say “this is why we should run”, it's another to do it.
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Today, we will discuss my personal experience with running and HEMA. But don’t just take my word for it! We have a special guest writer. Beau Hulgan, multi-medal-winning HEMA competitor, good friend to Funky Buckler, and all-around great guy, will also be sharing his experience with running and HEMA.

I was a runner before I was a fencer. Throughout high school and college, I competed in various sports like Cross Country, Track and Field, and Triathlon. However, when I started HEMA, my running took a backseat. On top of that, ankle instability led to multiple injuries, making running consistently even more challenging.

After my surgery, I began running and training for 5Ks again. As my pace improved, I noticed that my fencing became snappier and quicker, and the added cardio allowed me to compete at a higher intensity for longer periods.

A teammate and I began training for my first half-marathon in over ten years. Most of the training focused on increasing my total mileage, and all my workouts revolved around my long run. I stopped training for pace because getting enough miles in a week to avoid injury at the race was the name of the game. During this time, because all of my workouts for the week revolved around prepping for my weekly long runs, I felt my fencing feel more sluggish. In biomechanical terminology, my slow-twitch muscles were building at the expense of my fast-twitch muscles.
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However, now that the half-marathon is complete, I have pivoted back to training for pace and racing 5Ks. The mileage base I built during the half-marathon has led to longer runs at increased paces. So my big takeaway is that adding a half-marathon once a year, outside of HEMA tournament season, will help improve my quick-running training, which directly contributes to my fencing.

After winning gold at Gessellen Fechten 2022, someone made a comment, “It was so quiet. All we could hear was your breathing.” I watched the replay with the sound on, and sure enough, even on tape, I could hear myself blowing hard through the mask. Someone else said, “I was worried about you wearing out; you were breathing so hard.”
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The ironic thing was, the week before that tournament, I ran a 13.1-mile Spartan Race. I won two gold medals at GF 2022. The next week, I would compete again in a HEMA tournament, followed by a CrossFit-style competition the week after that, and top it all off with a full marathon the week after that… so no, I was not tired.
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That wasn’t the last time someone commented on my breathing hard through my mask, mistaking it for windedness. On the contrary, breathing like that was something I learned through run training; deep breaths in, hard blow out, slow and steady. My run training kept me in shape enough to compete at high-level tournaments without becoming exhausted. I owe most of my success to that training because staying in shape is an integral part of being a winning fighter.
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When I started HEMA in 2018, I had already run a handful of Spartan races and sponsored 5ks.  I was training for my first Spartan Beast, a half-marathon mud run.  I was also no stranger to competition, having fenced in college.  So, in my first HEMA tournament, I entered 3 different weapons, unbeknownst to me that would set a precedent for my career to come.
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And indeed, if I could afford it, every HEMA tournament I entered in as many events as I could. Because why not?  I was there to compete, I wanted to fight.  At Olympic fencing tournaments, you usually have only one round of pools, then go to DEs.  So in one event, you really don’t fight that much.  
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I thought it would be the same for HEMA.  But pre-pandemic, a shift began away from a single round of pools to at least 2 rounds, with the intention that people could get more fights in. Which was fine with me, since I was already getting as much fighting in as I could with multiple weapons, but I began to notice something else: I rarely fought the same people with two different weapons.
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Most fighters were hesitant to fight multiple weapons, and I really didn’t understand why.  The more tournaments I went to, the more I understood: not everyone was in the greatest shape.  
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I noticed fighters were winded after every bout, huffing and puffing by the end of pools, sweating profusely after the first round of DEs, and collapsing after being eliminated.  The fighters who weren’t struggling were the ones who made it to the finals.  Mostly because they were in good shape or knew how to conserve energy.  

As for me, my training outside of HEMA was paying off.  I could fight with multiple weapons, advance to multiple quarter-, semi-, and final matches, and keep going if I wanted to.  In a fight, it became obvious very quickly who was winded and who was in shape.  I could draw matches out, use my patience, and bait opponents into exerting more energy than necessary.  I could wait them out until they became tired or impatient, and while they were distracted by their exhaustion, I would strike. Then move on to the next round, still with a lot left in the tank.  
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This is not to say the key to winning is fitness, but it certainly helps. Skill and knowledge play an important part, for sure.  You need to know how to react, feint, parry, use angles, and do blade work.  But I’ve also fought really good fighters who just can’t go the distance. If you go far enough in a tournament, you will fight more than anyone else. That’s just how it works.  And at the higher levels, whoever is most fit and less exhausted starts with an advantage.  Not to say it’s the only advantage, nor does staying fit guarantee a win, but staying fit and training cardio will get you farther than you think.  
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This is also not to suggest you should start marathon training to prepare for HEMA.  I tried it; it wasn't fun. Ran an ultra-marathon; won’t do it again. But you should consider some light cardio, even just 2-3 times a week, to avoid getting too winded.  
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What does that look like?  The easiest is obviously running.  There are a multitude of running apps and running routines out there in the multiverse. I started with a Couch to 5K app, but you can also do a quick Google search and find a routine for you.  
Running doesn’t have to be the only thing to help, though. People have bad knees or ankles, so they need a lower-impact approach.  Swimming would be ideal, but not everyone has access to a pool, a lake, or a place to swim.  Biking is also a great exercise.  Get on a bike and just go.  Ride around for 20-30 mins, get the sweat running. Nowadays, there are also all kinds of aparati you can hook on your bike to ride inside too.  Of course, there are also all sorts of treadmills, assault bikes, rowing machines, and ski machines to get your heart rate up, but those are expensive and take up a lot of room.  
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If nothing else, walk.  Walking has been proven time and time again to be the lowest impact and long-term most beneficial exercise you can do.  Just get up and go.  Or incorporate it into your everyday.  Park farther away than you normally do, take stairs instead of the elevator, and walk around the block at dusk.  Just get up and move.
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I can only attest to running. That sustained movement, finding a cadence, finding a rhythm, getting comfortable, and learning how to breathe.  
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That circles us back to HEMA.  The reason I was breathing so hard that even on the fight replays, you could hear me is that I was utilizing my breathing rhythm while fighting.  I’d become so used to how I breathe when running that I didn’t realize I was doing it while fighting.  I will say the mask created breathing resistance I didn’t expect.  I may have been breathing harder than normal just to get more oxygen in, and breathing into the mesh made a sound louder than necessary. Learning to breathe with the mask on wasn’t a great adjustment, and I could carry on my marathon running breath cycle easily.
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I ran my ultra marathon in Spring 2023. I stopped training hard outside of just doing HEMA.  That November, I competed in the Tournament of Defense, where they piloted a continuous 3, 3-minute round rule set.  I chose to use a rapier and a small Viking-style shield.  If you’ve ever fought with a Viking shield, you know how deceptively heavy they can get after a few rounds with one. Despite my dumbass choosing the heaviest weapon set in the tournament, I still made it to the gold medal match against Vince Dominic.  At that time, Vince told me he ran a 5K a day. I was lucky if I was running twice a week or sparing the same amount, but obviously, there was some holdover from my training. By the end of the 3rd round, Vince was struggling to stay on his feet, and I was struggling to hold on to the shield, but we both made it to the end.  That would not have happened if either one of us weren’t consistent runners. (Vince won the match by the way).
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In closing, if you hear someone breathing heavy through their mask, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are tired.  In fact, I would encourage big breaths in and out, and keep the rhythm.  Running is the easiest way to keep your cardio up, but not the only way.  Work on a light cardio routine to improve your HEMA.  No, running will not guarantee getting to the top, but if you get in a match with someone with a similar skill set to yours and you are in better shape, you are more likely to win.  ​

Beau and I's experience with running and HEMA is just a small sample of the people who use additional workouts to improve their fencing. Some people do not like running, so they use biking or swimming to build their cardio. So what are your experiences? I would love to hear from you all as we continue to work together in improving our overall fencing.

When sparring or in tournaments, have you ever found yourself in an exchange where swords collide, but no hits occur, so you separate? What do we do with this time? How do we best utilize this moment of peace in a stressful situation? Checklists and not just any checklists! Checklists you can do mid-exchange to optimize your fights!
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Today, we will be discussing my advice on maximizing the calm between exchanges: mid-fight checklists. This will kick off a new series I am calling Tournament Tips, a collection of helpful tips and tricks for HEMA tournament participants. 

Before we get started, let’s talk a little bit about a tournament I was just at, Gesellen Fechten 2025! This was my first tournament back since my surgery and it was great to see people and train with old friends. Overall, my club won two medals and I finished 12th  in sword and buckler and 11th in sabre. Longsword was challenging since it was my first Tier A longsword tournament. I finished in the bottom middle of the pack but walked away with plenty of lessons learned to improve going forward.
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The tournament was well run (which I can selfishly say since I was part of the staff). Most importantly, everyone on my team had fun and learned a lot. We had a few fencers who competed in their first or second tournament and they had such a good experience that they plan to continue competing!

​A common mistake I find myself and others making is entering an exchange unprepared or already at a disadvantage. For example, I (featured on the left) started an exchange with my hands too far forward, and I threw them in front of my sword, which got them hit. 

This exchange happened towards the middle of the bout after an exchange where no one got hit. My form loosened up just enough in-between exchanges resulting in me losing the round. This is where Mid-Fight Checklists come in!

Mid-Fight Checklists are a list of quick things you can check before the next exchange. For example, when I disengage from an exchange, I run through the following checklist:

1. Get in a guard
2. Center your feet
3. Check hands

The purpose of the first item on this checklist is to ensure that I am in a fighting position in the event my opponent attacks me. The second item is to provide a foundation so I can attack my opponent. The third item is to ensure my hands are correctly positioned so they do not go ahead of my sword when I attack.

The most important detail of these mid-fight checklists is that they are quick and straightforward to execute. The second most important part is that they are tailored to the fencer. Some fencers may have an exceptional foundation in wrestling or Olympic fencing, so they never have to worry about their feet. In that case, maybe they do not need the second item and can focus on their guards and hand positioning.
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This is where practice and training come in. The goal is to minimize the number of things you need to check for yourself mid-fight. For example, at this point in sword and buckler, after a disengage, I almost always bring my sword hand behind my buckler. I do not actively check that with mid-fight checklists. However, I do have a habit of disengaging and loosening up my guards, which leads me to check still to make sure my form is correct. Funny enough, some fencers who have sparred me have seen me do this and describe it as me “calibrating live”.

Mid-Fight Checklists are not just things you write down and never think about again. They must be drilled to ensure they are automatic when the event arises. However, once you get into the habit of checking your form between exchanges, you may notice that snappy and panicky actions are reduced. Something is calming when you take the time to re-establish your form before the next bout of swords.
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So what are your ideas for mid-fight checklists? I would love to hear your thoughts and things you need to check to ensure your exchanges always end in your favor.

Through my nearly 10 years of HEMA, I have had the wonderful opportunity to meet hundreds, if not thousands, of people who are interested in swords. My experience has not just been limited to HEMA practitioners either. I have had fantastic conversations and interactions with Buhurt combatants who taught me about medieval melees and sources about William Marshal. I have met Living History scholars who possess an extensive knowledge of the medieval world and have offered valid critiques of HEMA. I have discussed at length with SCA Adventurers about the pros and cons of both of our martial training styles. All of you have contributed to my experience in swordsmanship, and I value every interaction we have had. You are all part of the sword family.

Throughout my years in swordsmanship, I have seen numerous scandals, negativity, injuries, unpleasantries, and hate. Recently, I have seen more people being banned from clubs or engaging in reckless behavior that endangered others or even threatening acts towards the lives of our sword family.

However, I believe that the reason I am seeing more news like this is not because our family is getting worse. On the contrary, our family is getting their voice and standing up for one another. We are beginning to solidify in our cultures to the point where we can say “No. That is not acceptable behavior, and we as a sword family have no tolerance for it.” While I know these challenging times can be difficult, I take comfort in the fact that our communities are becoming increasingly connected to the point where we can protect one another and call out bad actors.

Our sword family comprises individuals from diverse backgrounds. Whether that be sexual preference, gender identity, race, ethnicity, religion, political view, social class, and everything in between, we are all brought together by a simple idea. We all love swords. I have had conversations with strangers from around the world who took the time out of their day to talk to me because they were passionate about swords. In my first club, a teammate of mine once said, “If you like swords, then you are a-okay with me,” and I think our sword family reflects this idea. It is a beautiful thing when all are brought together by a common interest and share a diverse community.

Some members of our family put on a smiling mask while they are around their sword people. In their personal lives, those same members are struggling. Numerous things can bring suffering and hardship into someone’s life. Some of our family members are better at hiding what they are going through than others. Worse off, so many of us connect through social media and it is easy for us to assume we are all alright and happy.

As a sword family, we must care for and love one another. Our family has a fun and unique situation where “liking swords” is the least interesting thing about us, because everyone in our family likes swords! Get to know one another. We have members in our community who are teachers in poverty-stricken areas, going to work every day with the hope of making a difference. We have scientists and engineers working to advance our knowledge of the world, hoping to prevent the next pandemic before it even begins. Small business owners and blue collar workers who work tasks daily and on weekends to make the lives of others better. We have members who are terrific artists inspiring people through their work, and students studying hard to make a brighter future. There are so many interesting people in our sword family, but some are too humble or shy to tell you how interesting they are. Ask. Learn more about each other outside of just the superficial “I like swords” so we can grow and care even more than we already do.

That is the beauty of a family brought together by the simple idea of sharing a passion for swords and a desire to learn more. We must welcome everyone while protecting our family from truly horrific people who would want to harm us, whether by words or by force.  
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I do not know who needs to hear this but know that you are loved and you are welcome in my sword family. There are people around you who care and who will stand at your side when the going gets tough.
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You are not alone and there is always hope.