What do we do?
HEMA stands for Historical European Martial Arts. As a whole, the community at large tends to focus on recreating martial arts systems used roughly from the 14th through the 18th century across many weapon systems. Historical manuals are the main source of information and go into varying levels of detail. These are used as a basis for understanding practices and their applications in the historical context in which they were created.
At the Historical Weapons Guild schools specifically, we treat the historical sources as a guideline for recreating a martial art. We pull heavily from Lichtenauer and Meyer so because of that, we incorporate wrestling into the core of our training and martial curriculum. We believe in a holistic approach to training that employs shared concepts across all weapon systems.
Anthony Buonomo
Founder/Head Instructor
Anthony has been studying HEMA since 2014 though his martial arts training begins much before that with Eastern Martial Arts. He brings a passion to teaching HEMA that pulls from both scholarly and movement sensibilities to create an empowering experience for students. He founded AHWG on the idea that anyone can swordfight.
"I want to create an inclusive space
for people to experience a historic fighting system on their own terms. If they want to come and fight their friends once a week, we are here for that. If students want to compete, we are ready to coach and challenge them to be their best. We fight with good intentions, good technique, and good sportsmanship"
Anna Beard
Co-Owner/Instructor
Anna has been a sword nerd since 2018 when she took her first class at AHWG. Now she partners in the operations of the school as well as guides the teacher training teaches a technique drills class, and has brought dance into the mix. With over twenty years of dance teaching experience, she is always looking for ways to connect her two-movement loves.
"Anyone can dance and anyone can swordfight! It's my mission to empower people to follow their own movement journey through strong technique, lots of fun, and sometimes a little sweat. My passion is teaching and sharing whether it's ballet, renaissance dance, or some good ol' messer sparring."
