The Durham Medieval Combat Academy is a HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) club
focused around the use of late medieval martial arts, primarily the longsword a (mostly) two handed sword
used from 14th to the early 16th century.
We train from various fencing manuals written in the
period of the weapons actual use. These manuals were written by renowned fencing masters of their day
providing us with a fantastic insight to how these weapons were actually used.
Our sessions run
weekly from 10:00am-12:00pm every Saturday - click here for
more information about dates and times.
The Durham Medieval Combat Academies aim is to provide an environment for study, learning
and practice for people interested in medieval HEMA.
The DMCA operates on a flat structure
without belt ranks or an equivalent and we encourage our students to set their own goals for what they want
to achieve out of their fencing, whether it be reaching a competitive level of skill in HEMA, gaining a
practical understanding of the historical source material or just casually swinging a sword around for a bit
of fun exercise. Our goal is for you to enjoy HEMA.
The DMCA strongly believes that HEMA is
for everybody, we aim to be a safe and fun place for anyone who wishes to participate. Our organisation is
welcoming of anyone of any gender, ethnicity or cultural background. We are LGBTQ+ friendly and have a zero
tolerance policy against any discriminatory behaviour.