Nashville School of Historical Fencing

04/07/2026

New NSHF promo video - check it out!

NSHF is dedicated to the study and revival of Medieval and Renaissance era swordsmanship, also known as "HEMA" (Historical European Martial Arts). Founded in...

01/29/2026

We’re excited to announce that registration is now open for our Spring 2026 “Intro to Longsword” course. This 6-week intensive course is for all new students and will be April 2nd - May 7th, meeting each Thursday 6-7:30pm.
We only open up recruitment for new students 2x per year so if you’ve been waiting to join us, don’t delay getting signed up as space is limited and this course fills up quickly.
Take up the sword and start your journey into historical fencing this Spring! If you’ve always been drawn to the sword - you might just discover a new passion where connecting with history, reviving lost fighting arts, and personal development/athletic achievement unite for a truly unique and rewarding pursuit!

Registering can be found here:
https://nashvillehistoricalfencing.tidyhq.com/public/membership_levels/9779f1f795a8

For more info about the Nashville School of Historical Fencing, our classes, values and mission - check out our website at:
www.nashvillehistoricalfencing.com

Feel free to reach out to us if you have questions

10/14/2025

We had a great weekend at "Duel for the Jewel" in Dayton, Ohio, we made a strong rep for NSHF - head instructor Alexander Brindley won 1st place in Longsword, 1st in Messer, 2nd in Saber and 2nd in Rapier. Chris Pavon had a nice showing, finishing 5th overall in Longsword, despite not being able to train regularly lately.
Many thanks to Gem City Duellist's Society for putting on a nice event and the opportunity for a ton of fencing, an exhausting weekend but great fun and many learning experiences. :)
Back to training this week!

09/17/2025

New youtube video up! As we've begun a deep dive into rapier training recently, many students regularly complain about the strength and endurance challenges with learning to use the rapier, as it is not a light weapon. Thus, I've devised this simple daily cutting routine to help you become a much stronger rapier fencer, inspired by 17th century master Nicoletto Giganti's advice of training 200-300 cuts per day. I encourage you to take up this simple challenge for a month and see the results!

Many of my students often complain about the difficulty of using the rapier when beginning their training, especially when training for extended periods of t...

09/11/2025

We're just under a month away from the start of "Intro to Longsword", our 6 week course for all new students, this will be our last recruitment cycle of 2025, running Oct. 9 - Nov. 13, so if you've been thinking about trying out HEMA, it's time to pick up the sword and become who you were born to be..and join us! :)

HEMA is a unique pursuit, part martial art, part sport, part academic, as well as both physically and mentally challenging - offering something for everyone. If you've always been drawn to swords, historical combat and history, HEMA might be for you! At NSHF we take our training serious and push ourselves physically, all the while having fun in our pursuit of authentically reviving lost martial arts from centuries ago.

Our Intro course is designed to give new students an introduction to historical longsword fencing, the physical culture of HEMA and prepare them for subsequent courses by building a strong foundation.
We are a fast growing school, one of the largest in the USA and made up of some excellent people and equally excellent fencers, all united by a passion for the art of historical fencing and pushing ourselves to become better men and women. We also provide numerous competitive opportunities throughout the year, so it's a great time to join NSHF, we hope to see you in October!

More more info about the course and to register, check out our website at:
www.nashvillehistoricalfencing.com

07/28/2025

This watch was found in the parking lot after the tournament this past weekend. If it's yours, please reach out.

07/26/2025

Looking forward to another great competition hosted by NSHF! "In the Name of Saint George!" will be held July 26th, 2025. Registration is now full for both Open Longsword and Open Military Saber events. Good luck to all of our competitors!

02/13/2025

NSHF has a new website, check it out!

Reviving the Martial Arts of Medieval and Renaissance Europe Young Knight, learn to love God and respect women, that your honor may grow… Practice the knightly arts that dignify you. Wrestle well, grab the lance, spear, sword and knife, handle them manfully so that they are useless in your opponen...

02/13/2025

Many thanks to everyone who participated in and helped run "Hussar's Honour" this past weekend, it was a great success! There was a total of 157 matches, we ran both Military Sabre and Singlestick events. Congrats to all of our medalists, some excellent and very technical fencing was on display! Very proud of all of our guys for all the hard work they've put in the past months in preparation for the event. Already looking forward to next year!

01/30/2025

Just over a week away until “Hussar’s Honour: Military Sabre and Singlestick Challenge.” Registration is still open, you can register and find more info here: https://nashvillehistoricalfencing.tidyhq.com/public/schedule/events

We have some beautiful medals for the winners of each event, perhaps the classiest and most historical of any HEMA event. :)

12/27/2024

NSHF will be hosting our first event of the new year on February 8th, 2025! Hussar's Honour: Military Sabre & Singlestick Challenge. We're looking forward to a day of intense sabre and singlestick fencing! Mustaches are not required but highly recommended. ;)

More info, registration and rulesets for event can be found here:
https://nashvillehistoricalfencing.tidyhq.com/public/schedule/events/68157-hussar-s-honour-military-sabre-and-singlestick-challenge

08/24/2024

NSHF is proud to announce that we'll be hosting the Mid-South Historical Fencing Open on Saturday, October 12th, 2024. This will be a one-day event with both Open Longsword and Open Rapier & Dagger tournaments. It's sure to be a great day of fierce competition! Check out our website for more info and to register for the event.

We are proud to announce the Mid-South Historical Fencing Open will take place Saturday, October 12, 2024 in Russellville, KY, about 1 hour north of Nashville, TN. We will be offering both Open Lon…