Contact Us & FAQ

The first question is really difficult to answer succinctly, in part because it's still debated amongst HEMA practitioners and in part because the question is very broad. In short, HEMA stands for Historical European Martial Arts and is comprised of academics and historians, martial artists, athletes, historical recreation enthusiasts, deluded whackos, and many more. We also enjoy a degree of crossover membership with those who have related interests such as the SCA, Rennaissance Faire hobbyists/Reenactors, and various grappling or weapon based martial arts (Judo, BJJ, Olympic Fencing, etc). At INLA our intention in training is to balance the elements of academic pursuit, sportive combat, and martial art.

Yes. Anyone under the age of 18 must have a parent or guardian sign a liability waiver and meet with one of the club leaders so that they can be made to understand the risks inherent to our sport. Our lower age limit is usually 16 but we have previously allowed as young as 13 to participate provided the parent is present for the entirety of the practice.

For most practices you will only need a water bottle and comfortable athletic wear and shoes as we have loaner gear available for newer students. Ultimately you will need to provide your own kit for sparring and competitions and to rank up within the club. A full gear list is provided to novices and recommended vendors are mentioned on the Equipment page of our website.

At present because practices are being held outside we are operating under a reduced fee schedule. Once we return to indoor practices, fees are required at the beginning of the first practice of the month and are as follows:

Full month - $30

1/2 Month - $20

Drop-in - $10

We accept cash, personal check, Zelle, Venmo and PayPal. As all of our instructors are volunteers, all fees go directly back into the club, paying for new equipment and our rental space.

Our regular practices are now held at 5601 N Jefferson St

Spokane, WA 99205 in the main auditorium of the Northside Church of Christ.

Yes, however all beginners start out with training in longsword dagger/grappling and singlestick. These weapon systems train skills and fitness that translate well into subsequent systems such as messer/dussack, staff/spear, and sword & buckler which our coaches and senior students also study.