Make a donation.
HEMA is not a cheap hobby. A typical kit can cost anywhere between $1,000 and $1,500 dollars. Many clubs either require members to purchase their own gear or provide loaner gear at a substantial rental fee. We are able to keep HEMA affordable for new people by collecting donations. Check below for our current goals and see how far we have come. Please consider donating today.
Upcoming Events
More Bang For Your Buckler
Date: October 18th 2025.
Description: Join us for our first ever rare weapons tournament: More Bang For Your Buckler! The event will have 3 weapons categories: Sword and Buckler, Small Sword, and Side Sword. See the event page for more details.
Pillowfecht 11: Krampus Nacht!
Date: December 2025 TBD
Description: Pillowfecht 11 will be a different type of tournament: the whole club versus Chris Shelton dressed as Krampus! Pools will be held the old fashioned way to determine rankings. Then the pool rankings will be used to create a Mortal Kombat style battle tower which Krampus will attempt to ascend. Krampus gets 3 lives and gets an extra for every 3 consecutive win. If he manages to make it to the top of the tower, everyone gets coal, but if the club manages to defeat him, everyone gets presents! Winners will get to pick from a sack of unsold merchandise from last year as we make room for new stuff!
Unicorn Cup 2026
Date: January 2026 TBD
Description: Hilt and Helm will host it’s annual huge tournament: Unicorn Cup. Next year we will be running 4 rings to increase the cap of fighters to 56 for longsword, 28 for Saber, and 28 for single rapier. Stay tuned for more information!
Schedule Changes
Thanks to an expanded roster of instructors and volunteers, we’ve been able to expand our hours! Below are the new hours of operation for Hilt and Helm Pittsburgh Fencing Club starting September 1st and running through October 30:
Mondays
Intermediate Longsword Class with Kevin Brough - 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Free Spar - 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Tuesdays
Advanced Saber Class with Eric McChesney- 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Beginner Saber Class with Morgan Redfield- 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Free Spar - 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Wednesdays
Beginner Rapier Class with Fionn Kusnir - 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Free Spar - 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Thursdays
Beginner Longsword Class with Connor Stewart - 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Free Spar - 7:30 PM - 8:30 pm
Saturdays
HEMA Workout Class with Eric McChesney - 10:00 am to 11:30 am
African Shotel with Chris Shelton/Alexei Bulan - 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Free Spar - 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Sundays
Private Lessons with Chris Shelton are now moved to Sundays with 3 slots: 9:00 am, 10:00 am, and 11:00 am.
See our class passes page for details.
Hilt and Helm Spring and Summer 2025 Update
This Spring and Summer has been SUPER busy! Come check out what your friends at Hilt and Helm have been up to!
Hilt and Helm Winter 2025 Status Update
Spring is finally here! That means looking back on the gloomy winter and seeing what your friends at Hilt and Helm have been up to! Read here to stay up to date on your Hilt and Helm news!
Funfecht IX: So Many Swords!!! May 23-26, 2025
Here’s a handy dandy summary excerpty about our big annual spar-b-que: Funfecht!
Hilt and Helm Fall 2024 Status Update
Fall of 2024 was jammed packed with tournaments, events, and a 3rd year anniversary celebration! Read below to see what the club has been up to.
Hilt and Helm Summer 2024 Status Update
Check out what Hilt and Helm has been up to this summer! We've decorated the new space, went to Sword Quench in Columbus Ohio, Harvest Fecht in Cincinnati, and the Ohio Renaissance Festival to see a tournament friend joust!
Hilt and Helm Spring Status 2024
Sorry for the delay, but A LOT of stuff has happened since our last blog post. Read here to see all of the exciting developments at Hilt and Helm Fencing Club!
H&H’s Adventures in Commercial Real-estate. Episode 1: The Hollow Castle
Join us in our newest adventure… finding a commercial real estate location. What Faustian bargains will our adventurers have to make in order to freely stab each other in the face? Read our blog to find out?
Hilt and Helm Winter 2023 Summary
Catch up on your Hilt and Helm news as I recall our trips to Blue Box 2023, Lake E-Fecht, and Unicorn Cup 2024!
The Plan for Unicorn Cup 2024
If you’re competing in or volunteering for the Unicorn Cup 2024, YOU MUST READ THIS BLOG POST!
Hilt and Helm Fall 2023 Summary
We were super busy during the Fall of 2023. Catch up on your Hilt and Helm news here!
Blood on the River 2023
Hilt and Helm Fencing club goes to Broken Plow’s signature event: Blood on the River 2023!
Hilt and Helm Summer 2023 Status Update
Here’s the Hilt and Helm Summer 2023 Status Update
AG Open 2023
Hilt and Helm went to the AG Open 2023 for a weekend of fun, fighting, learning and SHOPPING!!
Hilt and Helm Spring Summary 2023
This quarter we accomplished a lot! Had 4 guest instructors, welcomed 3 new staff members, won our first medals in fencing tournaments, put on Pillowfecht 3, and cleaned out the back room to get a whole bunch of new usable space!
Ascalon Sword Festival 2023
Hilt and Helm earns their first 2 medals at the Ascalon Sword Festival 2023!
Pillowfecht 2: Too Fecht, Too Furious!
We celebrated our 1st anniversary with a for-real-sies fencing tournament!
As You Wish 2022
Went to “As You Wish” Rapier and Dagger Tournament where I met David Miller from Sellsword Arts and Robert Childs who is arguably one of the best HEMA fighters in the world!
Pillow-Fecht Fall 2022
Pillow-Fecht Fall 2022 ends with the crowning of the new Pillow-Fecht champion: Jonah Driver aka “Robert the Snooze”