LongswordLongsword
The two-handed sword and the most widely studied HEMA weapon. We build on the Liechtenauer and Meyer traditions.
HEMA Antalya · Historical European Martial Arts
Antalya HEMA ClubLycian Fighters · Historical European Martial Arts
We are the first HEMA club in Antalya, Türkiye. We train the longsword from the manuscripts of medieval and Renaissance masters. Our training venue is 4x4 Sport Center in Uncalı.
The club
Lycian Fighters: HEMA in Antalya
Lycian Fighters is the first Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) club in Antalya. The name honours ancient Lycia, the civilisation at the roots of the Antalya region.
It all began with Antalya's first longsword seminar on 4 April 2026. The club's founder and president is İsmail Can Doğan. The idea took shape through his contact with Burak Yarar, founder of the Istanbul-based Free Fighters Guild and one of the people who have practised and taught this discipline in Türkiye for more than ten years.
Today we train regularly in an indoor sports hall in Uncalı. Our main focus is the longsword, and we plan to add the sabre and the Turkish sword (kılıç) to the programme, so we will not limit ourselves to European sources alone.
“We don't do stage shows or historical re-enactment. We study the old books, test the techniques with modern protective gear and compete in tournaments.”
What is HEMA?
Historical European Martial Arts
HEMA covers the armed and unarmed fighting systems that developed in Europe from the 14th to the 19th century.
These systems are reconstructed from original fencing manuscripts written by the masters of the time. Medieval and Renaissance sword masters passed on their knowledge by teaching, by serving as mercenaries or in the service of the nobility. Most of HEMA's sources today come from the texts these masters wrote.
The key difference from Asian martial arts: Europe's historical fighting traditions did not survive through an unbroken master-to-student lineage. The discipline is therefore rebuilt from source texts and from depictions in period art. Part of the tradition evolved into modern sport fencing.
What sets HEMA apart is testing. Practitioners study the old books, try the techniques in free sparring with modern protective equipment and compete in tournaments, which shows whether a technique actually works against a resisting opponent.
Disciplines
Which weapons are studied in HEMA?
Our focus is the longsword. These are the other main disciplines practised across the HEMA world:
Sabre · KılıçSabre and Turkish sword
Disciplines we plan to add. Our club will not be limited to European sources.
RapierRapier
The slender, thrust-oriented sword of the Italian and Spanish schools.
Sword & BucklerSword and buckler
A one-handed sword with a small fist shield.
Military SabreMilitary sabre
The cavalry and infantry sword of the 18th and 19th centuries.
MesserMesser
The single-edged, one-handed cutting sword of the German tradition.
PolearmsPolearms
Spear, poleaxe and halberd, especially in armoured combat.
RingenWrestling
Unarmed wrestling and close-combat techniques, also the basis of wrestling at the sword.
Training
Our training venue: 4x4 Sport Center Uncalı
- Venue
- 4x4 Sport Center Uncalı (indoor hall)
- Address
- Molla Yusuf Mah., Hürriyet Cd. No:51, Uncalı, Konyaaltı / Antalya, Türkiye
HEMA Encyclopedia
From the masters' books: a longsword encyclopedia
The two core sources we train from, collected here with every drawing and an explanation for each. Guards, cuts, handwork, wrestling and armoured combat, drawing by drawing.
Joachim Meyer · 1570
Meyer Longsword Atlas
11 guards, 9 cuts, a handwork glossary, wrestling scenes and 16 full engraved plates. 64 images.
Open the atlas →
Johannes Liechtenauer · Zettel
Liechtenauer Atlas
Four guards, five master cuts, tactics, wrestling at the sword and armoured combat. 27 categories, 138 drawings.
Open the atlas →- Ochs · Pflug · Vom Tag · Alber
- Liechtenauer's four main guards: ox, plough, roof and fool.
- Zornhau
- The wrath cut: thrown from the shoulder, it breaks every strike from above with the point.
- Zwerchhau
- The horizontal cut with the hilt above the head; it breaks Vom Tag.
- Vier Versetzen
- The four displacements: four master cuts that break the four guards.
- Vor · Nach · Indes
- Before, after and “in the meantime”: the source of the whole art.
- Handarbeit
- Meyer's handwork after the bind: Winden, Duplieren, Nachreisen and more.
Press
Lycian Fighters in the press
Coverage in the local Turkish-language newspaper Antalya Gündem.
Antalya Gündem · 4 July 2026 · in Turkish
European martial arts arrive in Antalya with Lycian Fighters
The club's founding, its link with Burak Yarar, 24 active members and the 2027 tournament goal.
Antalya Gündem · 22 July 2026 · in TurkishLittle-known facts about HEMA, now active in Antalya
The history of HEMA, how it differs from Asian martial arts and the disciplines studied.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is HEMA?
HEMA stands for Historical European Martial Arts: the reconstruction of armed and unarmed fighting systems that developed in Europe between the 14th and 19th centuries, based on manuscripts written by the masters of the time.
Which weapons do you train?
Mainly the longsword, based on the traditions of Joachim Meyer (1570) and Johannes Liechtenauer. We plan to add the sabre and the Turkish sword (kılıç).
Is HEMA stage combat or re-enactment?
No. HEMA is a martial art and a sport. Techniques are learned from historical sources, tested in free sparring with modern protective gear and used in tournaments.
Contact
Get in touch
Write to us about seminars, press or collaborations.