Thursday, March 26th NSHF will be hosting its first quartlerly in-house competition of 2026, our Spring Longsword Fechtschule! Open for all members Tiers 1-4. We will run this tournament during our normal class time on Thursday, 6-9pm. The goal of these in-house tournaments is to give everyone opportunities for competitive experience and a chance to test your skills outside of sparring and regular training. There's no better way to test your skills than to compete!  We also will need help judging and/or scorekeep, so let us know if you'd like to get involved that way. Whether you've never competed before are looking to sharpen and take your competitive skills to a higher level, this is your chance! Space is going to be limited so register asap.

WinterFecht 2025 - our first annual in-house end of the year tournament to usher in the Christmas season, what better way than to "Dussack the Halls" on December 18th, 2025 :) Thursday 7-9pm during our regular training time. This will be a low gear and relaxed tournament, with the goal of seeing some great fencing and merry camaraderie to finish out at great year at NSHF! All NSHF members and skill levels are welcome to participate, tiers 1-4 and our current beginners. Medals will be awarded to our top 3 finalists. *Masks, gloves, cup, elbow, knee and chest protectors (for ladies) are required. We have extra equipment for those who need to borrow.* For the sake of brotherly love there shall be no thrusting in this event, just as our forefathers did among comrades. :) Ruleset to be released soon. This a family friendly event, so you're welcome to bring loved ones/children. There will be light refreshments, anyone is welcome to bring food/drink as well! *Tournament registration is free, just make sure to sign up here asap so we know you'll be competing.* Looking forward to finishing out the year strong!

NSHF is very excited to announce that we will be having Derek Wise from Boston Armizare visiting us Saturday Dec. 13, and Sunday Dec. 14, 2025 for a workshop weekend! These workshops will be open to all levels of NSHF students, even those without prior experience in these respective weapon sets. Derek is an extremely accomplished competitive fencer and an excellent scholar, his expertise in Rapier & Dagger and Sword & Buckler is exceptional - this is an excellent opportunity for beginner-advanced fencers, you surely won't want to miss out on these workshops! There will also be time for questions and sparring afterwards. *We will have loaner equipment, if you need to borrow weapons/equipment please let us know asap so we can accomodate. Full equipment is not required for these workshops, we'll do our best to accommodate all skill and equipment levels. *Please note that each will event will be at a different location due to scheduling conflicts* Saturday will be at our normal training space at 2nd Presb. church, Sunday will be held at our regular event/tournament space at the Russellville High School gymnasium, about 1 hr north of Nashville. Ticket prices will be $80 for 1 day or $120 for both days The schedule for the weekend will be:   Saturday Dec. 13, 2025 10am - 3pm (1 hr lunch break) 2nd Presb. Church, 3511 Belmont Blvd, Nashville, TN  -Fundamentals of Italian Rapier: Using the Dagger   Sunday Dec. 14, 2025, 1-4pm Russellville High School Gymnasium, 1101 W 9th St, Russellville, KY 42276 -Fundamentals of Sword and Buckler: What Germany and Italy agree on   Derek Wise of Boston Armizare has been doing HEMA for 8 years, with 4 prior years of Olympic fencing and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience. A diligent practitioner and instructor of BA's thoughtful and elevated Italian system, he fences firstly from an understanding of Fabris and Fiore, but scorns no knowledge of bladecraft. He is one of the foremost practical experts of rapier and dagger and sword and buckler in the United States with medals and ranking to prove it. Notably, he's had decisive multi-weapon sweeps at SERFO '25 and Ascalon '24.  He is the upcoming author of Wise's Historical Fencing, a beginner and intermediate text-book style treatment of pan-source point-forward fencing for today's HEMA-curious.

This autumn, join us for VIRTUS IN ARMIS: The Art of the Duel, a rapier-focused tournament hosted by the Nashville School of Historical Fencing, featuring both Single Rapier and Rapier & Dagger competitions on Saturday, November 15th, 2025. VIRTUS IN ARMIS is a tribute to the art of the rapier and the classical Renaissance ideals that govern the pursuit of arms. In the spirit of the duel, the tournament environment serves as a proving ground where competitors may test their mettle, honor their opponents and strive toward excellence, reviving the spirit of marital virtue and noble purpose that define the warrior’s path. At its heart, VIRTUS IN ARMIS seeks to showcase the strength of character, discipline and skill revealed through the pursuit of arms. As always with NSHF events, you can expect a great time with challenging matches, excellent judging and a professionally run tournament experience, join us in carrying the tradition forward – one duel at a time! The event will be held at the Russellville High School Gymnasium in Russellville, KY about 1 hour north of Nashville, TN. For those travelling out of state and looking for accommodation, we recommend looking at Bowling Green, KY which is about 25 min away. Rules for both events can be found here:  https://static1.squarespace.com/static/674950762502920e4f522e4b/t/68ffb091c66482546b61d675/1761587345861/rapier+tournament+ruleset+2025.pdf The tenative schedule for the day will be: 8am - Doors open 9am - Single Rapier pools 11am - Single rapier elims and finals 12:30pm - Lunch 1:30pm - Rapier & Dagger pools 3pm - Rapier & Dagger elims and finals 5pm conclusion  

Join us for a 1-day event this summer - "In the Name of Saint George!" featuring both Longsword and Military Saber tournaments, Saturday July 26th, 2025. We're looking forward to another great competition hosted by NSHF, event sizes are limited so make sure to register asap to reserve your spot. Saint George, the legendary soldier-saint and dragon slayer stands as a timeless symbol and example of courage, chivalry and unwavering resolve in the face of adversity. Saint George has long been the patron saint of knights, warriors, fencers and those who take up arms for honor, defense and virtue. Our tournament In the Name of Saint George is a celebration of those knightly values that Saint George represents, not just a contest of arms but also a tribute to the chivalric spirit of discipline, respect and valor that defined the martial traditions of Europe.  He slew the dragon, he died a martyr. In his name we compete, not for glory alone but to carry forward a legacy of skill, honor and virtue. *Our military saber event will have weight specifications; sabers must weigh 720-900g. Links to tournament rules can be found below Longsword rules Military Saber rules The tenative schedule for the day will be as follows: 8am - Doors open 9am - Open Longsword pools 11am - Open Longsword elims and finals 12:30-1:30pm Lunch 1:30pm - Open Military Saber pools 3pm - Open Military Saber elims and finals 5pm - Conclusion

This tournament will be Tuesday, June 24th for all NSHF members in Tiers 3 and 4. It will be held during our normal training time and place 6-8pm. The tournament is free, just sign up so we know you'll be there and can assign pool matches. If you don't sign up, you won't be fighting. The tournament format will be round robin pools and then based on wins and losses in pool matches, fencers will be seeded into a direct elimination bracket.  We'll be using our normal longsword tournament rules, you can find them here: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/674950762502920e4f522e4b/t/681b994eb93f6d31b1c73599/1746639182706/Longsword+Tournament+Rules+2024.pdf We will need to start promptly at 6pm, so its highly advised to arrive a bit early so you can warm up on your own. All tier 3 and 4 students need to compete, otherwise you will have to deal with shame... ;) This will be a fun, casual tournament, and a great way to get some competitive experience!

Hussar’s Honour: Military Sabre and Singlestick Tournament Join us for a 1 day event featuring both Military sabre and Singlestick Open tournaments! NSHF will be supplying all singlesticks for use in the competition, made in-house with leather baskets and rattan sticks. The Military Saber Open will have a weight minimum and maximum, all sabers must weigh between 720g - 920g and pass the flex test of 30lbs. Rulesets for each event can be found here: Singlestick rules Military Saber rules The event will take place at: Russellville High School gymnasium, 1101 W 9th St, Russellville, KY 42276 Russellville, KY is about 1 hour north of Nashville, TN. For those traveling from out of state and needing a place to stay, we recommend looking for hotels in Bowling Green, KY for more options, it's about 25 minutes from the event location. At the end of the day, we'll plan to meet at BS Brewworks in Springfield, TN to wind down, enjoy the local beer and reminisce over the feats of the day, all are welcome to join. Tournament sizes will be limited so make sure to register as soon as possible to reserve your space. We're looking forward to another great day of intense competition. Mustaches are highly encouraged but not required. ;)  

Nashville School of Historical Fencing is pleased to announce that we will be hosting the 2nd annual Mid-South Historical Fencing Open on Saturday, October 12th, 2024. This will be a one-day event and will feature both Open Longsword and Open Rapier & Dagger events. The event will take place at the Russellville High School Gymnasium, 1101 W 9th St, Russellville, KY 42276. This location is about 1 hour north of Nashville, TN. We very much look forward to building upon our previous event and developing our region's competitive historical fencing scene. Longsword ruleset https://nashvillehistoricalfencing.com/longsword-ruleset/ Rapier & Dagger ruleset https://nashvillehistoricalfencing.com/rapier-ruleset/ Tournament sizes will be limited, so make sure to register as soon as possible to reserve your space.

We are excited to announce our upcoming Summer Longsword & Rapier Open 2024! This event will be held Saturday, June 29th, 2024 in Russellville, KY. Hosted by the Nashville School of Historical Fencing, this one-day event will feature an Open Longsword and Open Rapier & Dagger tournament. Tournament sizes will be limited to 25-30 as we aim to keep this a smaller event. Our goal is to expand tournament opportunities in our region and this is an excellent opportunity for newer fencers to gain experience. We look forward to a great day of competition and camaraderie! Longsword ruleset https://nashvillehistoricalfencing.com/longsword-ruleset/ Rapier & Dagger ruleset https://nashvillehistoricalfencing.com/rapier-ruleset/ Make sure to register asap as space is limited!

NSHF's end of the year event! A full day of HEMA, skill development and camaraderie. We'll be having 2 morning  workshops, afternoon open/coached sparring sessions followed by an In-House Dusack tournament!  We'll be charging $30 for the full day event as a small fundraiser for the club, we hope that everyone can attend, whether you plan to fully participate or not it will be a fun day to hang out with lots to learn and share. We'll be giving out club logo stickers to those that attend. :) For our newer members who have limited sparring experience this is an excellent opportunity to get some quality sparring time and coached feedback. We'll have some extra equipment to loan but make sure to bring all the gear you have. If you need to borrow anything, let us know in advance! *We will not be meeting in the gymnasium but instead the multi-use facility, on the otherside of the baseball fields. Map of exact location will be in email. Please make sure to sign up for the event in advance so we know how many attendees we'll be having. The day's schedule will be as follows 9AM Doors open   9:30 AM Group warm-up   -10 AM Tactics in Fencing: Holding a Completed Piece in Your Mind  In this workshop, we’ll explore the tactics and concepts of entering the fight/engaging with the opponent, a topic that is not always straightforward and deserves a lot of attention. Beyond just a technical approach, we’ll explore the more fundamental tactical framework that governs the decision making and gives the fencer confidence in their approach to the fight/sparring. Taught by Chris   -11 AM Wrestling with the Sword/Ringen am Schwert  Close distance techniques including grappling, half-swording and disarms with the longsword and single-handed sword. The medieval sources are full of examples of close-quarter combat techniques throughout the centuries. A necessity for armored (harnisfecthen) fighting, they are more of a last resort option for unarmored (blossfecthen) fencing. Despite this, these techniques are important part of the longsword tradition and are important to being a well rounded fencer. We’ll explore a variety of close distance scenarios were grappling is not only a good option but a necessity. These techniques will include striking with the pommel, general grappling manovers, half-swording and disarms. In this class we’ll just explore stand up grappling techniques and will not be throwing to the ground. Taught by Alexander   -12:30PM Lunch Break   -1PM Open/Coached Sparring   -3:30PM In-House Dussack tournament   -5PM Wrap up and head to BS Brew Works in Springfield, TN    

NSHF is excited to announce we will be hosting the first annual Mid-South Historical Fencing Open, a single day event with both Open Longsword and Open Rapier tournaments. This year we are aiming to keep the tournament limited in size, thus each event will be limited to 40 participants. The event will be held at the Russellville High School Gymnasium. Our goal is to host a fun and competitive tournament that is efficiently run and judged at a high standard. We are looking forward to unveiling our new ruleset, which aims for simplicity and streamlining the judging process. More information, including tournament rulesets, equipment requirements and updates will be posted to our website at: https://nashvillehistoricalfencing.com/mid-south-open-2022/ Registration will be a $50 flat fee for either one or both events.  

We are very pleased to announce that internationally renowned HEMAist Martin Fabian will be visiting NSHF for an intensive weekend of longsword and rapier seminars, April 2nd and 3rd!  For those of you who may not know who Martin Fabian is, he is one of the top HEMA fencers and instructors in the world. This is an incredible opportunity for our school, so  we highly encourage EVERYONE to attend. We've aimed to keep these workshops as affordable as possible and guarantee this will be a very unique and valuable experience for you in your HEMA journey. This will be a full weekend of classes, each day's classes will be approx. 7-8 hours of training. If you would like to attend these seminars but are hesitating for financial reasons, please let us know, and we'll see what we can do. Our priority is that as many students as possible attend these classes so NSHF will give out some scholarships. *This event is for Nashville School of Historical Fencing students only* Saturday April 2nd 9am-5pm "There is But One Thrust"  This workshop will center around the body mechanics, techniques and tactics of thrusting effectively and efficiently in longsword fencing. This class is open to all students from beginner to advanced. Sunday April 3rd 9am-12pm "Advanced Tactics in Longsword Sparring" This class will focus on advanced material specifically for intermediate and advanced students, focusing on bridging the gap between technique and tactical application in sparring. Beginner students are encouraged to watch/listen to this class but not participate, as full gear and intermediate/advanced experience is required. 1pm-5pm "Introduction to Italian Rapier Fencing'' This class is open to all students Beginner-Advanced and will be an excellent introduction to Italian rapier in a nutshell, specifically in the tradition of Fabris and Giganti. A rapier will be required, NSHF has a number of loaner rapiers, *please let us know if you'll need to borrow one.* Martin Fabian Bio Martin Fabian has been actively fencing since 2003. Starting in a stage combat/reenactment group, in 2006 he switched his interest solely to surviving original works dealing with historical European martial arts (HEMA). He is the author of multiple transcriptions, translations, articles and other notable works dealing with fencing and related matters. In 2018 he authored a book "Master's Lichtenauer's fencing", an anthology of a few medieval treatises in the tradition of Johannes Lichtenauer and in 2021 an original piece called "A Fencing Book" which is a collection of his own didactics and approaches.   Martin’s prime interest is longsword (mainly German tradition) and rapier (Fabris, Giganti), but he has also practiced other weapons - messer, sidesword, dagger, polearms, modern sabre, wrestling. Currently, he lives in Bratislava, Slovakia where he founded and leads Bratislavský šermiarsky spolok (Bratislava Fencing Society) with 60 active members. Long-term international instructor, active tournament participant and founder of SIGI Forge, one of the leading suppliers of HEMA arms.