Wapenkunst Academie Rijswijk

21/09/2026

Das Grüblein: Historical Wrestling Workshop

On 14 November 2026, Wapenkunst Academie Rijswijk welcomes you for four hours dedicated to historical wrestling, grappling fundamentals and the folk wrestling tradition of Fabian von Auerswald.

Taught by Oskar ter Mors from , the workshop combines technical instruction with drilling and historical wrestling games. The goal is not simply to collect techniques, but to develop the movement, positioning and decision-making that allow you to actually wrestle.

The material draws on the well-documented late medieval and 16th-century German wrestling tradition, including Fabian von Auerswald and Albrecht Dürer, presented in a way that connects historical practice with the needs of modern HEMA practitioners.

Only 20 spots available. Register via the link in bio!

17/09/2026

Armour doesn’t make you slow.

One of the most persistent myths about medieval armour is that a fully armoured fighter could barely move.

Which would be a rather unfortunate design choice for something meant to keep you alive in a fight.

A well-fitted harness distributes its weight across the body. It was made for movement: walking, running, fighting, wrestling, getting down to the ground and, importantly, getting back up again.

That doesn’t mean you forget you’re wearing it. Armour adds weight. It gets hot. Your vision and hearing can be restricted, and fighting in it is exhausting. But there is a big difference between getting tired faster and being unable to move.

And armour changes how you fight.

Against an armoured opponent, simply hitting the biggest shiny surface with the edge of a sword isn’t particularly useful. Historical techniques include wrestling, half-swording, controlling the opponent and targeting the gaps where the armour cannot completely protect the body.

That is one of the reasons we like putting historical techniques back into their original context. A technique that looks strange in isolation can suddenly make perfect sense once armour enters the equation.

So: what have you always wanted to know about fighting in armour?

Drop your questions below. We might answer some of them in the next post.
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In the picture our Head Instructor Oskar ter Mors in his armour. Taken during one of our Battlefield Weapons classes.

16/09/2026

Low gear Messer training drill. The initiative passes after an attack, creating a ping-pong kind of a drill. One person attacks, the other parries or avoids and executes their own attack. And the circle continues. If your students are successful 80% of time, speed up!

We still have spots in our Messer class, join us!

14/09/2026

Last week, Oskar and Mila from Wapenkunst Academie Rijswijk gave a live historical sword-fighting demonstration at Museum Sloten, showing how two-handed swords were used in combat.
The discovery of the Swords of Sloten is truly exceptional. Ten large 16th-century two-handed swords, long kept in the museum’s storage and believed to be replicas, were recently examined and confirmed to be authentic historical weapons. Together with two swords already displayed in the town hall, they form a collection of twelve original greatswords—making Museum Sloten home to one of the most important collections of two-handed swords in the Netherlands.

If you are interested in medieval and early modern history, historical European martial arts, antique weapons, greatswords, Renaissance warfare or Dutch military heritage, the Zwaarden van Sloten exhibition is absolutely worth visiting. Come face to face with these remarkable 16th-century swords and discover the history, research and swordsmanship behind them at Museum Sloten in Friesland.

11/09/2026

Another evening session with Battlefield Weapons: the next few weeks we are working with the poleaxe.
In this sparring exercise, the coach attacks first and the students needs to defend and attempt to land a valid (in harnischfechten terms) hit.

Anyone else up for working out the stress of a work week, the medieval way? 😅👌

09/09/2026

Late night fencing during Messer class.

New year of swordfighting classes in Rijseijk just started. Who’s joining?

08/09/2026

History comes to life in Sloten!
On 12 September, Wapenkunst Academie Rijswijk will be demonstrating the use of the mighty 16th-century two-handed sword at Molen De Kaai in Sloten.
Led by Oskar ter Mors from Oskar ter Mors , our fencers will show how these enormous weapons were actually used by trained soldiers. And there couldn’t be a better place for it: Museum Sloten is home to twelve authentic 16th-century two-handed swords, making it one of the most remarkable collections in the Netherlands.
Come see the swords in motion, then visit Museum Sloten to meet the real, centuries-old weapons that inspired the demonstration.

18/07/2026

Spear sparring with a surprising ending. 👀👌

Psst! join us for classes in Rijswijk!

17/07/2026

Quick spear drill during Battlefield Weapons class: meet in the bind, overbind, displace with the tail and set the point on.

25/06/2026

AD visited our Battlefield Weapons training in Rijswijk and wrote a nice story (with excellent pictures!) about what we do at Wapenkunst.

Grab a cup of coffee and dive into some armoured fencing!

PS. Want to do cool stuff with us? Send an email to [email protected]

Oskar ter Mors Mila Ter Mors

Glimmende ijzeren harnassen, zwaarden, maliënkolders en strijdhamers. Vier avonden per week verandert een gymzaal in Rijswijk in een middeleeuws slagveld. Liefhebbers hijsen zich in ruim 25 kilo wegende harnassen van minstens 10.000 euro om te vechten zoals vroeger.