Strength & Conditioning for HEMA
TRAIN LIKE AN ATHLETE. FENCE LIKE A WARRIOR.
The Modern Fighter
Historical European Martial Arts demands skill, strategy, and countless hours of practice. But as your fencing progresses, your physical preparation matters too.
Sprezzatura brings evidence-based strength and conditioning to HEMA and historical combat sports, helping fencers build the strength, speed, power, conditioning, and resilience to support their training and perform when it counts.
Whether you're preparing for competition, looking to improve your fitness for fencing, or simply want your body to keep up with the sport you love, your training should reflect your goals, your experience, and the demands of your chosen weapon.
What's Your Goal?
There’s no single “right” way to train for HEMA. Your physical preparation should reflect why you fence, what your body needs, and what you want to get out of the sport.
COMPETE AT YOUR BEST
You want your physical preparation to support your fencing when the intensity rises. Whether that means getting through a long tournament weekend, staying explosive late in a bout, or preparing for a major competition.
Structured strength and conditioning can help you arrive at competition physically prepared rather than relying on fencing practice alone.
GET FITTER FOR FENCING
You love HEMA. You want your fitness to keep up.
You don't have to be chasing medals to train like an athlete. Maybe you want to feel less exhausted during sparring, move with more confidence, or simply become stronger and fitter while doing something that supports the sport you enjoy.
HEMA can be the reason you train, even when competition isn't the goal.
BUILD YOUR PHYSICAL FOUNDATION
You're developing as a fencer and an athlete.
Perhaps you're newer to structured training, returning after time away, or realizing that your physical capacity is beginning to limit what you can do on the fencing floor. Good strength and conditioning meets you where you are and progressively builds the physical foundation you need for the training ahead.
SUPPORT YOUR FENCERS
You coach the skills. We can help with the physical preparation.
HEMA instructors shouldn't have to become strength and conditioning specialists too. Sprezzatura can help clubs and coaches bring structured physical preparation into their programmes, from workshops and group training to conditioning plans designed around the demands of historical fencing.
The famous master of arms Pietro Monte advocated running, rock throwing, horse vaulting and climbing in armor to prepare for combat.
Exercitiorum Atque Artis Militaris Collectanea (1509)
Today's Historical Fencer
HEMA may be rooted in centuries-old martial traditions, but today’s fencers train and compete in a modern sporting environment.
We study historical sources, develop technical skill, and spend countless hours drilling and sparring. But modern HEMA also asks us to perform repeated high-intensity exchanges, move explosively in multiple directions, manage long training sessions. If we compete, we are asked to do it again and again across a tournament weekend.
Our fencing is informed by the past. Our physical preparation doesn’t have to be.
Modern strength and conditioning gives historical fencers another tool: a systematic way to develop the physical capacity that supports the skills we practice in the salle.
Training the HEMAist as an Athlete
Our Philosophy
Great fencing is built through fencing. Timing, distance, decision-making, tactical awareness, and technical skill are developed with a sword in your hand and a training partner in front of you.
Strength and conditioning has a different job.
Physical preparation develops the athletic qualities that support your ability to train and perform. It can increase the force you are capable of producing, improve how quickly you can express that force, build your capacity for repeated efforts, and prepare your body for the physical demands of regular training and competition.
At Sprezzatura, we don't try to recreate fencing in the gym. Instead, we use established strength and conditioning principles and apply them to the demands of HEMA.
Train fencing to become a better fencer. Train physically to give that fencer more to work with.
S&C PROGRAMS FOR HEMAists
Online fitness classes aimed at the most common areas of conditioning fencers struggle with.
Great for those new to working out or jumping back into fitness
Gym program to build speed, power, strength, and stamina.
For fencers with experience lifting weights & able to follow a program independently
Personal training with workouts delivered via Phone App, with 24/7 coach access.
Tailored to your goals
& your equipment.
Our most popular programme.
