Twerchhau eV – historical European martial arts
Fencing like in the past
We are an association for Historical European Martial Arts, or HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts), and we are concerned with the reconstruction and practical application of historical fighting systems from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the early modern period.
Our training is based on traditional sources, with the help of which we attempt to reconstruct ancient techniques and principles. Our goal as a club is to understand, learn, and preserve the almost forgotten art of historical fencing.
Our club
The Twerchhau eV exists since 2011 as a non-profit sports club. We are a member of Berlin Fencing Association as well as the German umbrella organization for historical fencers.
In our courses, we combine sporting ambition with a love of the fencing arts of the past, with various focuses. From studying source material to attending competitions together and organizing workshops and seminars, we strive to bring you closer to the mastery of bygone days while keeping both body and mind fit and challenging.
Our Statutes
Our club welcomes all trainees regardless of age, gender, origin, or sexuality. Twerchhau aims to be a safe space for cooperative training and interaction characterized by mutual respect.
We do not tolerate harassment, racism, homophobia, sexism, transphobia, bullying, or other forms of discrimination.
Training methods
In our courses, we work with different training methods, depending on the objectives. These include classic technical training, the joint interpretation of fencing manuscripts, and free sparring.
We work with both cooperative and uncooperative partner exercises. The intensity of the training is based on the participants' level of experience and the protective equipment used. It is up to each fencer to decide what level of intensity is appropriate for them.
Our goal is to create a varied training program in which everyone has the opportunity to develop their fencing skills to the best of their ability – and have fun doing so!
