Swords Against Humanity Podcast

Janna Datahan
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The place where the modern study of the ancient art of swordplay, pop culture, current events, and mental health awareness intersect.

  1. 02/26/2025

    Heretics of HEMA: On Coaching Different Bodies and How a Purposeful Diversity and Inclusion Enhances the HEMA Coaching Experience

    This episode was recorded, 19 June 2024. About the guest: On or off the piste, Christian 'Xian' Niles has had a lifelong love for martial arts. Starting with Shotokan Karate at a very young age, graduating to MMA and Kickboxing. A former international Epee fencer, Xian’s fencing career spans over 19 years. He has represented his home country of Barbados as a two-time Pan-American Championship athlete; and a Pan-American Cup competitor. He has also achieved multiple time medal recognition while fencing competitively in Nova Scotia.Founder and former leader of SPADA, the only recreational Bolognese fencing study group in Maritime Canada. Former facilitator of the Dalhousie Historical European Martial Arts Society. Xian’s historical fencing journey started in 2013. He is a certified Level 1 Longsword and Rapier instructor through Academie Duello based in British Columbia. He has also achieved a Level 3 Instructor rank with the Cateran Society. He is an Oak level fencing coach in the Storica Defensa program.

    1h 42m

  2. 07/16/2024

    Meme Lords and Mental Health: How Involved Coaching and Inclusivity Shape the Recreational and Competitive HEMA Experience

    In this episode I chat with Jay Maas, the owner of swordshop.ca, a founding member of Storica Defensa, and head instructor of Wolves Den Historical Fencing. Jay and I cover quite a few topics, from silly fencing debates online to more serious topics such as creating intentional balanced spaces for both competitive and recreational HEMA, and what it entails to run a HEMA gear shop that strives for inclusion. About the guest: Coach Jay has been a dedicated HEMA instructor since 2011, beginning his journey in 2010 at Valour HEMA where he studied rapier. A member of the Cateran Society, Jay has achieved the rank of Cateran and contributed to producing seven instructors through the program. As a founding member of Storica Defensa, a prominent coaching program and fencing league, he holds the prestigious Oak Rank Coach certification. With a background in boxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Jay brings a diverse martial arts experience to his role. He is the head instructor at Wolves Den Historical Fencing and a five-time broadsword and smallsword champion at the Glengarry Highland Games, the Canadian Championship. Jay also organizes major events such as the Manitoba Highland Gathering and trains in Olympic-style fencing under Steve Symons at Phoenix Fencing Club. A passionate advocate for the growth of HEMA across Canada, Jay has helped establish numerous clubs and remains actively involved in various HEMA weapons. In his professional life, Jay is a full-time Mental Health Therapist and Registered Social Worker, and his therapeutic skills profoundly influence his coaching approach. Jay's dedication to both his martial arts practice and professional career reflects his commitment to empowering and nurturing the HEMA collective.

    1h 13m

  3. 06/17/2024

    Edge and Empathy: Navigating Diverse Club Culture and Trans Women Triumphs in HEMA

    In this episode we chat with Olive Nuttall — a biological catgirl engineered in an agricultural laboratory on the outskirts of Kirikiriroa. She likes writing books about transsexuals, boydykes, girlfags, queers, and other angels. Olive trains in historical fencing with longsword and sabre.

    1h 8m

  4. 05/15/2024

    HEMA Maker Highlight: Ashanti Ziths of Prometheus Packs/Void Historical Fencing

    In this episode I interview Ashanti Ziths, a HEMA fencer who also specializes in designing products for HEMAists. We discuss historical fencing interpretations, HEMA injuries, and lots of gear talk.

    1h 33m

  5. 04/19/2024

    Ethics in Fencing Through Communication and Calibration

    In this episode we discuss safety through communication and what a physical and emotional safety-focused force calibration should look and feel like. John "Pax" Crum has been practicing martial arts for 35 years. His focus has ranged from competition to combatives and self-defense, and has settled on training and ethics. For 12 years, Pax has studied HEMA, specifically Liechtenauer's Zettel and the glosses. He plays with anything and everything in HEMA, and has been giving his talk, The Speaking Window, since 2018.

    1h 8m

  6. 03/25/2024

    Differently-Abled HEMA: Kicking Ass and the Never-Ending Quest for Gloves

    In this episode, I chat with my friend Gabriel Pottebaum about their experiences as a differently-abled athlete and the difficulties that arise in acquiring gear for historical fencing. This episode was recorded 27 of February 2024 in Utah, USA

    1h 17m

  7. 02/04/2024

    Does HEMA Really Listen to Minority Voices? Safety V Authenticity: The Light Sword Problem

    In this installment of the Toll of Tournament, Fran Lacuata, Kristen Argyle, and Thierry Flekier-Wathen spill the tea with me about our experiences in the HEMA community. We also discuss our thoughts on light swords and tournament culture.

    1h 57m

  8. 03/20/2023

    Valley of the Sun Cutting Tournament: The Shorty Stand Experience

    This episode is a recap of our experience competing at Valley of the Sun Cutting Tournament 2023 in Mesa, Arizona with my guest co-host Josh Barnett of Bold City Longsword. I also interviewed the two other women who competed in the open, Irene Yang and Harriet Coates, as well as VOTS 2023 open longsword bronze medalist Kevin Spencer.

    37 min
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The place where the modern study of the ancient art of swordplay, pop culture, current events, and mental health awareness intersect.

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