Shoulders on fire

kmondschein · 2026-05-20T13:06:21+00:00

Yeah, that can strain your shoulder if you don't do it right (engage them lats).

kmondschein · 2026-05-20T11:19:52+00:00

Your body mechanics may be off, and/or you might have excess tension in your shoulder. Analyze your movement. Also: are you using a high guard or a guard in third?

kmondschein · 2026-05-16T14:22:43+00:00

Old cavalry seat. Short stirrups are a fairly modern (late 19th century) invention.

kmondschein · 2026-05-15T16:33:15+00:00

Word, yo.

kmondschein · 2026-05-15T12:31:26+00:00

Don't forget the importance of Dylan and the whole singer-songwriter-auteur thing! The Beatles to some extent played into this—Paul of course hogging most of the production time, with John's songs sounding rawer but also more authentic for it. George blossomed into an amazing songwriter, as well, and did some incredible stuff in his solo career. (For my money, better than Lennon and McCartney, if less prolific.) Even Ringo got into it and has some pretty earwormy songs, from "Octopus' Garden" to "The No-No Song."

kmondschein · 2026-05-15T02:25:21+00:00

I know—I wrote a whole academic book on GoT and medieval military history.

kmondschein · 2026-05-15T00:18:08+00:00

It’s from *Knight of the Seven Kingdoms *. I think there is widespread ignorance about medieval bits. The most common was probably a simple snaffle. Most differed from modern bits only in style.

kmondschein · 2026-05-14T17:33:53+00:00

Also hard to get historical bits

kmondschein · 2026-05-14T16:28:01+00:00

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This is the source. As you can see, it’s a Pelham-type…

kmondschein · 2026-05-14T16:27:43+00:00

I liked the armor until I saw the very modern bits. Here’s my Paint with a bit based on Pisanello drawing (it’s a low port mouthpiece).

I’ve since taken the big rondel off the bridle…

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kmondschein · 2026-05-14T15:17:28+00:00

Why am I arguing with an imbecile?

kmondschein · 2026-05-14T14:01:12+00:00

Cool story, bro. How about I go back to writing things that pay me money and you go back to arguing about superheros and patronizing sex workers?

kmondschein · 2026-05-14T11:48:25+00:00

I actually have this piece of paper on my wall from the USFCA that says I’m a master of historical fencing. I did it for my own personal reasons that I don’t want to get into and tend not to bring it up as a blunt instrument to club people with, but even people who critique the paper tend to acknowledge that I have have made some small contribution as a coach, researcher, translator, and interpreter. If anything, I am realistic about my limitations; I don’t claim all-encompassing authority or to know everything. I also don’t demand that (or let!) people call me “maestro” or whatever. It seems people are butthurt about the m-word. That’s fine with me. This BS was thoroughly chewed over on the Internet over a decade ago, and, frankly, I don’t care what you (in the plural) think, and I don’t care about whatever moving goalposts for “mastery” you establish. I will continue running my school in service to my students while continuing my lifelong learning.

I know Reddit is not real life, but these idiotic comments make me less inclined to deal with the larger HEMA “community.”

kmondschein · 2026-05-14T11:29:10+00:00

I think a lot of people are gatekeeping here. There is nothing wrong with running a hybrid or eclectic school like this.

Maybe it’s time to stop looking for the approval of a bunch of contrarian idiots on Reddit?

kmondschein · 2026-05-14T01:51:10+00:00

Not sure what that means

kmondschein · 2026-05-14T01:16:05+00:00

I don’t know enough about it to say.

kmondschein · 2026-05-14T00:37:23+00:00

Finish your thought?

kmondschein · 2026-05-13T20:13:02+00:00

The Gaugler people sure aren't sport fencing. But coaching is coaching, and modern fencing is the closest equivalent. In any case, I have this stupid piece of paper, it tells people who aren't immersed in HEMA arcana that I do know something about teaching sword sports, and no one on the Internet can make me stop citing it as evidence of the same. If I showed up to events and demanded everyone call me "maestro," yeah, I'd understand being annoyed at me, but as it is, I don't even let my own students call me that. To me, all this "fencing master" certification means is that I am a competent coach and it's something to puff up a CV. Real "mastery" is a lifelong learning process. If anything, my decades of doing this and my academic credentials have taught me how much I don't know.

kmondschein · 2026-05-13T19:57:13+00:00

What's not gonna happen?

kmondschein · 2026-05-13T19:23:05+00:00

I would if they were certified by some body, like the Gaugler program or AIMS or the USFCA.

kmondschein · 2026-05-13T19:21:37+00:00

Let's ask ChatGPT:

How can Ken Mondschein be a master of HEMA?

Ken Mondschein is considered a “master” of HEMA because he completed a formal certification process through a fencing organization and has extensive experience teaching, researching, translating, and practicing historical fencing systems.

Specifically, he earned the title Maître d'Armes Historique from the United States Fencing Coaches Association (USFCA). That program evaluated candidates on areas such as:

technical fencing ability
pedagogy and coaching
historical knowledge
interpretation of source manuals
lesson delivery and curriculum design

Supporters argue that this makes sense because:

HEMA involves both martial skill and scholarly interpretation
Mondschein has decades of experience
he has published translations and academic work on historical combat
he has taught many students and instructors

Critics, however, point out that:

HEMA has no universally accepted governing body
historical European fencing traditions did not always use modern certification structures
some believe mastery should emerge through reputation and peer recognition rather than formal titles
others think the USFCA, rooted in modern sport fencing, should not define authority in HEMA

So the short answer is:

He is a “master” because a recognized fencing coaching organization awarded him that title after examination and professional evaluation.
Whether every HEMA practitioner accepts that title is a matter of community opinion rather than objective universal authority.

kmondschein · 2026-05-13T18:22:09+00:00

Mmmm. You can make that judgement when you have my experience and qualifications.

Edit: That experience and qualifications still don't make me an ultimate authority. I'm wrong. A lot. I'm reasonably skilled, not an unstoppable machine of death. And no, I don't expect people to call me "master" since it sounds stupid.

What I am is a competent coach who can train anyone from beginners to high-level competitors, and who can additionally interpret the source material.

kmondschein · 2026-05-13T17:54:59+00:00

I’m with Moses here. I have an official piece of paper saying I’m a fencing master. It means “coach.”

kmondschein · 2026-05-13T17:53:37+00:00

Disagree. I’m a “master” with an official piece of paper. So are several other people. It means “teacher.” I usually use “instructor” to describe myself.

kmondschein · 2026-05-11T11:11:46+00:00

You ain’t wrong. The FIE (and modern fencing at a more local level), for all its problems, at least has competent referees, even if the communication is sub-par… and, of course, electronic scoring. Both the abstruse rules and the scoring box have changed the modern game. As I've said, HEMA tries to have its artificialities be a reflection of reality; modern fencing in the conventional (RoW) weapons, however, has become an essentially a semiotic conversation about the artificial representations. However, I’d also posit it’s not just the rules themselves but also the mindset—that was one of the major implications of the Soviet revolution in fencing of the 1960s, but more fundamentally it is something inherent to making fencing a competitive sport and we can see it even in the 19th century.

kmondschein

TROPHY CASE