Frequently asked questions

Yes. Due to the conditions of the insurance we use, all club members have to be over 18. Unfortunately this is not something we are able to make exceptions on.

Absolutely not! At WSA Swindon we believe anyone should be able to learn and enjoy historical martial arts, regardless of gender or background. We are 100% welcoming to the LGBTQIA+ and non-binary community and do not tolerate discrimination of any kind within our classes. If you have any concerns or require any further discussion on this, please feel free to reach out to us directly via email or in person at a session.

We are more than happy to work with people to help adapt lessons to suit their individual needs. If you have any concerns about taking part in our classes due to a physical disability, please feel free to contact us so we can discuss what we can do to support you. Our venue is also fully accessible for those with more limited mobility.

You don't need any special gear for your first session. Wear clothing that you are comfortable moving about in (any activewear and suitable footwear will do) and make sure you bring plenty of water! We'll worry about providing you with all the fun things like swords and protective gear.

Not at all! While previous martial arts experience can be beneficial it's in no way mandatory.

Our sessions will normally start with a brief warmup, comprising of stretching and light pugilistic pad-work in order to limber up the muscles. There will then be a taught session of approximately 70 minutes, after which we engage in sparring work for the remainder of the session.

As "HEMA" is not a unified discipline, there is no governing body who would set the requirements for any grades. However, in the WSA we use an internal grading system to give members benchmarks to aim for and chart their own progress. These grades are; "Scholler" - The rank attained upon obtaining club membership. "Free Scholler" - Obtained after 1+ years of regular attendance and completion of a prizing using the clubs principal weapons (backsword and quarterstaff). "Provost" - Obtained after 7+ years of attendance and prizing using 3 weapons of the candidates choice. "Maister" - 12+ years of attendance and prizing using 4 weapons of the candidates choice.

A prizing is undertaken when a member of the club wishes to advance to the next grade. In simple terms, the candidate puts out an open challenge to other members to come and test them in sparring. The candidate must then face whomever challenges them in a sparring bout fought to victory conditions agreed between the candidate and the challenger. The candidate is allowed to stipulate what weapons a challenger can pick from, but the challenger is allowed to choose which weapon to use for the bout.

Absolutely! While not part of our core syllabus we do explore other weapons and systems aside from what we've covered on here. Some examples of other things we've studied are the sidesword, the jaegerstock and the montante.

Yes! Our venue has full parking facilities and lots of spaces are available.