Jaan Murumets,
fighter of “Turm” club (Estonia),
fighter of the National Team of Estonia

… Concerning his choice of HMB sport

Everything started with the interest to swords and history. From there came LARP. I found friends who were interested in history and reenactment. About 5 years ago those friends called me to Viking swordfigthing practice. After 2 years of “not very intense training“ I started to do more exercises and 2 years after I joined the HMB movement in Estonia.

For me, fighting in armor is a pure fun. I do it for myself, nobody else, so the main goal is to have fun, but to do this I need to train and the trainings give good feelings too.

… Concerning his armor and weapons 

My armor dates back to the beginning of the 14th-century Germany. The reason why I decided to have that kind of armor is that I had ordered my first HMB helmet in that style, so I decided to have all my armor made in one style. The second reason is the easiness of making that type of armor. It’s easier to make brigandine armor than a chest plate.

I use falchion for buhurts, but not too long, because when the weapon is too long it’s harder to fight in close combat. Falchion is a good combination of an axe and a sword. For duels I prefer a well-balanced sword.

… Concerning the sport in general

In the future, I want to engage in MMA or some other martial art. That would definitely help me, improve my kicks, punches and balance.

… Concerning preparation for tournaments

I usually try not to get overexcited. I was in such a state before some tournaments and it influenced my fighting. I started to think what to do and then I got stuck in my own mind. I try to rest for 2-3 days before a tournament. I drink a lot of water a day before and on the day of the tournament. My weakest point is my stamina, I have to develop it.

… Concerning his thoughts while fighting

I don’t think, I rely on my muscular memory, the things that I have drilled in practice. When I start thinking how to hit my opponent, it takes more time and I get confused, and usually I don’t get good result from that. So, the main thing is to hold good balance and let your body do the fighting, not your mind.

… Concerning qualities needed by any HMB fighter 

A good fighter must have a strong will, because when your willpower is strong you can achieve good results. Also, a good fighter should respect opponents, as you can never know what cards they might have up their sleeves.

… Concerning the season of 2014 

This year’s season was intense and awesome. It started in January with my first international tournament in Israel. I didn’t win, but I got a lot of experience for further development. I also got some new friends. We started our own professional league in Estonia, I fought there several times. It was a good season, with lots of experiences, because I haven’t travelled to other countries before to get fighting experience.

“Battle of the Nations”-2014. I’m quite happy about the result, it was better than my expectations. Good results in buhurt and triathlon, for the first time at “Battle of the Nations.”

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