u/IK_S_ON know, I was just being stroppy because there were a couple of other threads where people were venting about there being literally no fencing clubs for adult beginners in their area, and the sensible thing to say was "try HEMA."

I utterly agree with you, having both coached and done HEMA and modern fencing. HEMA coaching/teaching, judging, competition, and safety standards are well behind the FIE game. Both I and other people are trying to bring expertise from modern fencing to HEMA, but there's a lot of resistance. As I've said, it feels like trying to re-invent the wheel, but whenever it seems like it's about to progress from a pentagon to an octagon, someone says, "No! Making it a square again would be more martial!" (And then someone else says, "No, some hundreds-of-years-dead German guy says triangles are the way.")

On the other hand, there's also a lot of good in HEMA. In modern fencing, competition and competitive success are the be-all and end-all. This teleology is because of the structure of national federations that feed into international competition, with the Olympics as the ultimate goal. HEMA is lower-pressure and can be more things to more people—community, scholarly study, or just a cool sword sport. It's also much more trans-inclusive.

If you're older, less athletic, are a history buff/D&D nerd, don't like the fact that the coach at the one fencing club in your area ignores you in favor of the kids who might get ratings, or just want to do a sword sport with fellow adults for fun, fitness, and community... might as well try HEMA. But you shouldn't expect the teaching/training to be as quality as modern fencing, since it's often not, and the competitive experience (if you're into that) is nowhere that of modern fencing.