
About MARS
Welcome to MARS, the fighting school for medieval martial arts in the Northern Netherlands! MARS is an association with enthusiastic sword fighters (Historical European Martial Arts) that focuses on studying and practicing medieval and renaissance martial arts. The weekly trainings in Groningen and Zwolle are focused on developing skill and technique. Safety and respect for each other are of paramount importance.
Board
MARS was founded for and by people who want to train in European sword fighting or other historical fighting styles. To lead the club in the right direction, there are several bodies. The board is elected by the members and is charged with the daily management of the club.
The 2024-2025 board consists of:
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Chair: Thijs Huisman
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Treasurer: Jairo Hernandez
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Secretary: Iris Loois
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Internal Commissioner / Head of Technical Committee: Youp van den Beld
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General board member: Nina Harink

History of MARS
MARS was founded in 2012 as a local offshoot of a (at the time) national sword fighting club. The people of Groningen were fed up with the old club's policy and founded their own association. In the years that followed, longsword training was provided weekly under the inspiring leadership of trainer Anne Wanningen. MARS members also enthusiastically participated in national and international tournaments. And not without success. The club grew rapidly. Leeuwarden and Zwolle were added as training locations. ​​​​​​​​​​​​
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After the departure of a number of instructors in 2018, three departments turned out to be a size too big for MARS. The Leeuwarden department was unfortunately closed as a result. The number of members remained stable in the years that followed. During the Corona period, MARS managed to retain its members by largely freezing the contribution and organizing adjusted training sessions and online meetings.
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After Corona, the sword and buckler study group was founded by a group of fanatic practitioners in Groningen. At the end of 2022, this study group decided to put together a series of lessons. Since February 2023, you can also follow weekly sword and buckler lessons in Groningen, in addition to the longsword training.
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In 2024, MARS continued to grow to over 100 members. For the first time, a club tournament for longsword was held, with a stately challenge cup made from a broken federschwert to be won. The annual Anne’s Ausgezeichnetes Dussackturnier, named after MARS’ first trainer, held in Zwolle, had a record number of participants. A Rapier study group was founded in Groningen, which studies various sources on a weekly basis.
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In 2025, MARS will continue to to grow as a club by training as many new instructors as possible. The various tournaments will also return and 2 new committees will be established.
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HEMA bond Netherlands
MARS is affiliated with the HEMA-bond Nederland. The mission of H.E.M.A.-bond Nederland is to create a positive image of, and a social and safe atmosphere within, the Historical European Martial Arts community in the Netherlands. The goal of the association is to represent the practitioners as a mouthpiece, catalyst, and cornerstone of the community.
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Want to know more? Go to: www.hemabond.nl