Absetzen – See: ansetzen.
Afterblow – A slowly executed double hit.
Afterblow Window – The length of time allowed for an afterblow, typically measured in one howeverlongthejudgesfeellike.
Ansetzen – See: absetzen.
Artful Fencing – Ability to pose in exaggerated guards while out of fencing distance.
Balance – Ability to remain centered while moving slowly around a room.
Blunt Sword – A tool which is too stiff to be used in sparring.
BPS – Everything I know is from the HEMA Discord.
Buffel – Strong aggressive fencing in someone you don’t like.
Athletic – Strong aggressive fencing in someone you do like.
Crowbar – Any feder which isn’t to your personal taste.
Double Hit – When you do everything right but your opponent doesn’t fence properly.
Closed Double – I need an “out” for my friends.
Deep Target – “I can’t defend my hands.”
Duplieren – A German term for “I got caught on your sword when trying to leave the bind”.
Edge Alignment – Whatever causes the judges to call a point.
European – a person who cannot cut.
American – a person who cannot thrust.
Fiore – A euphemism for “bad at longsword” used in polite company.
FEBUS Rules – A rule system which encourages you to thrust when you double hit.
FEDER Rules – A rule system which encourages you to double hit.
Feder – A blunt sword which is used in sparring.
Flat – Striking surface of the sword for historical KdF strikes such as the Zwerhau and Mittelhau.
“Flat of my Strong!!!!” – I started HEMA before 2015.
Grapple – When, at close range, both fencers grab each others hands and slowly dance around in a circle. Also known as Star Trek Wrestling.
Half-Sword – A technique used in the last exchange of a match you know you can’t win.
HEMA – An acronym for German Longsword.
HEMA Alliance – The governing body for HEMA in North America, responsible for all policy and direction.
HEMA Instructor – A self taught amateur making it up as they go along.
WMA Instructor – A prestigious individual of repute who somehow gets worse results than a HEMA instructor.
HEMA Rating – A convenient metric for someone’s net worth as a person.
Inclusive – “We form our clique based on non-traditional metrics.”
Interpretation – Much like assholes, everyone has one.
Indes – German for “not like a little bitch”.
Kendo Effect – When two fighters strike each other with valid scoring actions, but one is really cool and the judges just seem to forget the other hit happened.
Longpoint Rules – A rule system which encourages you to have blade contact when you double hit.
Martial – A possessive pronoun indicating the difference between the speaker and listener.
Nordic Rules – A rule system which encourages you to hit the head when you double hit.
New School – Wants to do Modern Olympic Fencing without having to train as hard as a Modern Olympic Fencer.
Old School – Trained using questionable safety standards, has interesting stories, and sucks by modern standards.
Offline Stepping – Like teenage sex: that thing everybody talks about but never does.
Passing Step – Stepping with one foot past the other.
Fleche – A passing step for people who aren’t fat.
Pool Fencing – The phase of the tournament where your messy fencing is blamed on your opponent.
Elimination Fencing – The phase of a tournament where your messy fencing is just forgotten.
Pedagogy – “Focus on my education and vocabulary rather than my ability.”
Pflug – A stance with right foot forward, sword by the crotch, and point wiggling towards the opponent.
Alber – A stance with right foot forward, sword by the crotch, and point wiggling towards the opponent.
Vom Tag – A stance with right foot forward, sword by the crotch, and point wiggling towards the opponent.
Ochs – A stance with right foot forward, sword by the crotch, and point wiggling towards the opponent.
Rapier – A sub-variant of the sidesword with a thinner blade.
Regional Rules – A rule system which encourages you to be the more popular fencer when you double hit.
RoW – Right of Way, a method for solving double hits akin to closing your eyes and covering your ears.
Safe Attack – An attack which keeps you safe from the opponent’s sword, typically a personal insult delivered in an online forum.
Self Calling – The practice whereby a winning fighter exchanges excess points for social capital.
Sidesword – A sub-variant of the longsword for fencers with lower upper body strength.
Silver – A 16th century English fencing master, known for manuscript Paradoxes of Defense.
Springen – Once you are moving laterally and not towards your opponent you are canonically allowed to be explosive and dynamic.
Slice – A non-scoring action included in rules documents to give fencers an easy out when explaining match losses.
Stucke – “I am very pretentious”
Sporty – Any display of athleticism or fitness.
Suicidal Attack – When the opponent does not passively let you hit them.
Supination – The act of rotating both hands palm up to express dissatisfaction with a judge call.
Tempo – In HEMA the term “tempo” is used as a Rorschach test to help give you information about the speaker, rather than having an intrinsic meaning in and of itself.
Technical Award – My friend did not win the tournament.
Test Cutting – Breaking boards for nerds.
Tameshigiri – Test cutting for weebs.
Throw – There exists a weight disparity between the fencers.
Tippy – “I didn’t like that strike but can’t articulate why.”
True Time – This is similar to an animal warning display indicating that any interaction will result in a reprisal attack.
True Edge – Italian term for hitting with the primary striking orientation.
False Edge – Italian term for hitting with the secondary striking orientation.
Long Edge – German term for hitting with the primary striking orientation.
Short Edge – German term for spinning the sword in your hand while repeating the same motion as the primary striking orientation.
Primary Striking Orientation – The flat of the sword.
Secondary Striking Orientation – Every sword has two flats.
Viking Combat – The nuances of viking combat are far too nuanced for a simple glossary entry, please inquire for further expertise on reddit.
WMA – HEMA with less speed and more elf shoes.
Zwercopter – A series of Prellhau executed in quick succession.