Who We Are:

Welcome to the homepage of the Pan-Historical European Martial Arts Society (Singapore). We are a group of dedicated exponents of Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA). At the moment we are concentrating on the Late Medieval Longsword techniques of Fiore di Liberi but we will eventually branch out to cover Medieval Sword and Shield (MSS I.33) and Capo Ferro Rapier (1610AD).

PHEMAS was registered as a society in July of 2005. We are the first group in Singapore to embark on the journey of rediscovering and reconstructing Historical European Martial Arts systems. HEMA has experienced a huge leap in popularity all over the world, both for it's self defence value and it's value for its mental and physical discipline.

Information and styles are learnt through the communal study of medieval and renaissance manuscripts and through attending international courses with recognised experts. As with much of the international community, our focus is on reconstructing of resurrecting martial systems as they were when the texts were written. Members of our society learn from those manuscripts, from the community at large and from continual training for the purpose of personal (mental and physical) development. Learning HEMA is a journey that should last a lifetime.

Here, the class is practicing Thrusts with Opposition against small, handheld targets.

Who We Are Not:

We are not purely competitive. There will be minor tournament functions for advanced students but our primary focus is on learning the true historical art. Supervised tournaments are just tools to develop and test learning not for padding egos or creating new techniques. We do our best to create an environment where people can learn accurately how to handle a sword while never forgetting their respect for their fellow fencers. Swords, like many things, can be dangerous objects if improperly handled so control, respect and proper safety procedures are strictly adhered to. If you'd prefer competitive swordsmanship then sport fencing may be more suited to you. there are a few very good sport fencing schools in Singapore such as our good friends at:

Z Fencing.

We do not follow the sword techniques shown in movies. Theatrical swordplay is an art to itself and has it's own goals, namely in being visually pleasing. Historical European Swordsmanship is a strong and extremely practical martial art and needs no extra contribution from fictional characters. We learn as the historical masters taught and it that way, we can control the safety and more easily increase the skill level of all involved.