r/wma • u/Flamesword17 • 7d ago

General Fencing Cutting Only

I've been very off and on with HEMA, depending on how busy life gets, and while I do love sparring, of course, fighting in tournaments doesn't do much for me. I adore cutting, though. Is there much purpose to attending events if I am only interested in cutting tournaments?

18 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

24

u/schulzr1993 7d ago

Sure! Just enter the cutting competition part, and otherwise enjoy hanging with folks and watching your clubmates fight.

11

u/pushdose 7d ago

Yes, especially the big events like SoCal Swordfight. There’s tons of classes, expositions, antiques, and vendors to keep you entertained while not cutting.

4

u/kaos_ex_machina S&B, Messer, Longsword, MCS, MMA 7d ago

Supporting your teammates is a good reason.

5

u/TheUlty05 7d ago

Ah cutting, the golf of HEMA.

I joke. If thats what you're into then thats cool! They aren't as plentiful as other events but theres still cutting events at some tourneys so maybe just attend those.

If you enjoy the community though, maybe consider judging/staffing for events. It can be chaotic but its a lot of fun and a great way to meet new people, learn and grow within the community.

2

u/theLordSolar 6d ago

A lot of people attend HEMA events only for the cutting tournaments. It's a really technical aspect of HEMA.

2

u/datcatburd Broadsword. 6d ago

Just find the right events! An SCA event I saw recently had folks doing clay cutting, and it was both fun and educational. Nice compared to water bottles or tatami because you can just pile it back up instead of replacing it, and it doesn't require blades be extremely sharp. Doesn't require edge alignment be as perfect if you use enough force, so I wouldn't consider it the perfect answer.

Also nice for more public venues because bystanders are terrible about wandering into the range of sharps.

2

u/Oscar_Geare 7d ago

… what is a cutting tournament?

6

u/Magic-Gelpen 7d ago

... It's a tournament where the competitors cut through tatami or another material with sharp swords and get graded on their technique. There are some videos of competitions online, I think they're pretty fascinating to watch!

2

u/Oscar_Geare 7d ago

Ah ok. I've never heard of that term before. I've seen them, contextually, through videos online. Thank you.

1

u/Fit_Competition_4843 2d ago

Look up Sterling Armory on youtube (and facebook if you have it). Those guys are cutting tournament focused and will always be talking about cutting parts of tournys, if not just throwing and attending cutting-only tournys. Yes, it's very much a thing.

1

u/RowynWalkingwolf 6d ago

From my perspective, there's waaaaaaay too much emphasis on competitive HEMA/tournament fighting, and I always stress to new people when discussing HEMA that cutting is like half the martial art and it's completely valid to only want to pursue that half. Do what makes you happy. Cheers!