WE ARE LUDUS FEROCIA

Ludus Ferocia is a mixed-weapons fencing club based in Norfolk, VA. Our areas of study are in Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) and Japanese Sword Arts (JSA). We openly welcome and compete with other weapon-based martial arts systems outside of what we teach. Ludus Ferocia is a sparring-centric school that focuses on the application of historical techniques more-so than just the performance of them. We train at our own facility in Norfolk, VA.

WHERE DO WE SOURCE FROM?:

• Longsword: Johannes Liechtenauer, Fiore de'i Liberi, and Joachim Meyer.

• Langes messer: Hans Talhoffer and Johannes Lecküchner.

• Rapier and Dagger: Capo Ferro, Camillo Agrippa, and Nicoletto Giganti.

• Broadsword and Saber: Donald McBane and Charles Roworth

• Sword and Shield: Donald McBane and Achille Marozzo

• Kenjutsu: Shin Moretsu Ryu is the school of Japanese-style swordsmanship that Ludus Ferocia founded in 2024. It is a modern system that takes from other historical kenjutsu sources such as Shinjo ryu and Yagyu Shinkage Ryu.

WHY PRACTICE HISTORICAL COMBAT? Historical martial arts is a fun, healthy way to relive history. It keeps us active, fit, and scratches that very human-itch to hit people with swords! Over the years, our instructors found that many weapon-based martial arts schools were more interested in drilling than sparring. This made learning the context of historical weapons inaccurate and untested. We sought to find a way to teach traditional techniques via the sources, but through the use of engaging drills AND sparring. We welcome all kinds of practitioners who share a love for fencing, swords, history, and martial arts. Fencing, and the cultures that surround them, tend to bring people together and building a community of like-minded martial artists is the goal of our club.