An Expats HEMA experience in Hafnia HEMA

Moving to a new country is daunting enough without trying to pick up a hobby involving medieval weaponry. But sometimes the best adventures come from the most unexpected places.

The Search Begins

My girlfriend Zoe and I had just landed in Copenhagen in December 2024, fresh from upstate New York with nothing but an empty apartment and time to kill while waiting for our belongings to arrive. We'd always been fascinated by sword fighting—those epic movie duels, the grace, the intensity—but had never found the right opportunity to try it back home.

Living in a proper city now, Zoe did what any modern person would do: she googled "sword fighting classes, Copenhagen." The results were promising. We discovered we could learn rapier, longsword, and even sabre! I was immediately drawn to rapier (blame The Princess Bride), while Zoe's eyes lit up at the mention of longsword.

There was just one catch: the first school we contacted was already at capacity. But they pointed us toward another club—one that specialized in longsword and was actively seeking new members. It was even walking distance from our apartment.

Confronting Our Preconceptions

I'll be honest—longswords looked terrifying. These weren't the elegant rapiers I'd imagined myself wielding. We're talking about 80 centimeters of steel that looked like it could knock someone flat. At 172 cm tall, and with Zoe at just 140 cm, we both wondered if we were walking into a hall full of Scandinavian giants who would tower over us.

The night we first visited the training hall, our nerves were running high. But the moment we walked through the door, our assumptions began crumbling.

The Warm Welcome

Jesper, the instructor who greeted us, was about my height—maybe 170-172 cm. Far from the intimidating Viking we'd imagined, he was welcoming and patient. As we looked around the room, we realized size wasn't the determining factor we'd thought it would be. The swords, while substantial, weighed only about 2.5 kilos—similar to a rapier. What we'd learn that first night was that technique, speed, and precision matter far more than brute strength or height.

First Steps into Medieval Combat

Our introduction began with the fundamentals: proper grip, stance, and the "master blows"—the essential techniques that form the foundation of historical European martial arts (HEMA). We practiced footwork, learned basic strikes, and by the end of our first session, something clicked. This wasn't just swinging swords around—this was a martial art with centuries of refined technique behind it.

The atmosphere was incredibly supportive. Everyone was patient with questions, encouraging with attempts, and genuinely excited to share their passion. We weren't the only beginners that night either, which made the learning curve feel less steep.

The Real Deal: Sparring

After the instructional portion, the club transitioned to sparring. We watched in fascination as people layered on their protective gear: padded jackets, elbow and forearm guards, neck protection, helmets, gauntlets, knee guards, shin guards. The transformation was remarkable—suddenly we were surrounded by medieval warriors.

The sound was intoxicating: the ring of steel on steel, the quick shuffling of feet, the calls and responses between fighters. It was like stepping into those epic battle scenes we'd only seen in movies.

Since we didn't have gear yet, we were given padded training swords that let us practice the techniques we'd just learned in a controlled sparring environment. And amazingly, those techniques actually worked! The footwork we'd stumbled through earlier in the evening suddenly made sense when applied against a moving opponent.

Finding Our Community

We couldn't stay away. For the next few months, we attended every club meeting. What struck us most wasn't just the martial art itself, but the people practicing it. There were no cliques, no superiority complexes from experienced members, no intimidation tactics. Just a group of history enthusiasts who happened to love reconstructing medieval combat.

The culture of safety and sportsmanship was evident everywhere. Fights would stop immediately if someone took a hard hit, with both fighters checking on each other. Opponents would adjust each other's misaligned gear between rounds. The goal was never to hurt anyone—it was about testing techniques, improving skills, and having fun doing it.

More Than Just Sword Fighting

What we discovered in that Copenhagen training hall was more than a hobby—it was a community. In a new country where we knew virtually no one, HEMA gave us instant connections with people who shared our curiosity about history and love of learning new skills.

The techniques we practice have been preserved from medieval fighting manuals, making every session feel like a direct connection to the past. Yet the community is thoroughly modern: inclusive, safety-conscious, and focused on mutual improvement rather than ego or intimidation.

For Fellow Expats and the Curious

If you're new to Copenhagen (or anywhere) and looking for something completely different, I can't recommend HEMA enough. You don't need to be tall, strong, or have any previous martial arts experience. You just need curiosity and a willingness to learn something that very few people get to experience.

Sure, it looks intimidating from the outside. But sometimes the best adventures are the ones that scare you a little bit first. Just ask two New Yorkers who thought they were too small for medieval swords—we couldn't have been more wrong.

- Spijk