Website: https://nashvillehistoricalfencing.com/
The Nashville School of Historical Fencing is a Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) instruction program based in Nashville, Tennessee, with the stated purpose of “Reviving the Martial Arts of Medieval and Renaissance Europe.” Established in 2015, the school describes itself as “the largest school of HEMA in the Mid-South area” and is committed to “fostering the growth of HEMA in our region- through classes, workshops and tournaments.”
Services
The school teaches several historical weapon systems. Its primary disciplines are the longsword in the Germanic tradition drawn from 15th and 16th century sources, the Italian rapier of the 17th century, and the 19th-century British military saber. Additional weapons explored periodically include the dussack, messer, sword and buckler, and dagger. Instruction draws on the “Kunst des Fechten” tradition associated with the 14th-century German master Johannes Liechtenauer, as well as Italian rapier works by masters such as Salvatore Fabris and Nicoletto Giganti.
New students enter through a structured beginner pathway. The school offers “three progressive 6-week beginner’s courses, comprising an 18-week intensive beginner’s program,” each priced at $120. The sequence begins with Introduction to Longsword, which covers physical conditioning, footwork, body mechanics, and basic fencing theory, with all equipment provided. Beginner’s Longsword II adds contact partnered drilling and requires a HEMA Alliance membership and a protective mask, while Beginner’s Longsword III refines distance, timing, and offensive and defensive techniques and introduces basic sparring before students join regular classes.
About
The school takes a strong pedagogical approach to HEMA, “implementing both historical and modern training methodologies” and placing “a strong emphasis on the physical culture swordsmanship requires.” Training is led by experienced high-level instructors and coaches, and the program is oriented toward serious, rigorous study rather than casual recreation. The school opens enrollment and recruitment for new students twice per year, typically in the spring and fall.
Location & Contact
Beginner classes meet on Thursdays from 6:00 to 7:30 PM at the Activity Hall at 2nd Presbyterian Church, 3511 Belmont Blvd., Nashville, TN 37215. Registration is handled online through the school’s TidyHQ platform. The school maintains a presence on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, and additional contact details are available through the Contact section of its website.
Additional Information
The school also hosts tournaments and events, including “In the Name of St. George!”, “Hussar’s Revenge”, and “Virtus in Armis”. Its website provides resources such as an equipment guide, a code of conduct, a statement of values, a ranking system, and an introduction to HEMA for newcomers. Members and prospective students can review class schedules, private lesson options, and the school’s overall approach through the site.
HEMA, as the school explains it, is “the modern movement to interpret and revive European fighting arts from various historical periods, dating primarily from the 13th-19th centuries,” reconstructed from surviving fencing treatises. The school notes that the earliest documented European fencing manual is the Walpurgis manuscript (ms. I.33) from around the late 13th century, while most modern practice draws on treatises from the 15th to 17th centuries. Within that broad field, the Nashville School concentrates on the longsword as its core discipline, supported by Italian rapier and British military saber, and rotates in additional weapons over time. The beginner program is sequential, so the Introduction to Longsword course must be completed and evaluated before a student advances, and steel training swords, gloves, and a jacket are purchased only after finishing the introductory levels. This structure reflects the school’s emphasis on building a physical and technical foundation before students move into regular classes alongside intermediate and advanced members.
Profile compiled from the company’s official website (nashvillehistoricalfencing.com).