Ana Maria Petrescu

I discovered HEMA in 2014, through some friends, during a medieval festival.

It became a passion from the first sword I put my hands on.

Until May 2017 I practiced HEMA within the Societas Milites Getae Association, where the main weapons I studied were Longsword and Sidesword & Dagger. To these I added traditional archery, which I still practice in my free time.

I have always been fascinated by the swords and sabres used in the European space in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
 

I started practicing HEMA because it is a martial art through which I can learn how to fight with these weapons, based on the study and interpretation of some armed combat techniques, transmitted through treatises and fighting manuals that are several centuries old.
 

Currently, the only downside to practicing HEMA is that I analyze every sword fighting scene from  movies or books and I usually end up demolishing it as hilarious and not realistic.
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From my first HEMA training, I keep a fond memory of the sound of steel swords clashing in sparring.

Later, I would end up discovering this sport gradually, weapon by weapon, technique by technique. And I believe it is one of the sports where results and performance are directly proportional to the time and energy invested in training and study. I believe that the satisfaction felt in that moment when, after dozens of repetitions of a technique, it comes out perfectly in sparring, is an unparalleled feeling, fully worth the invested energy.
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One of the elements that attract me to HEMA is its dual character: martial art (practiced according to its original function: the need to survive a fight, using historically accurate weapons ) and sports discipline (in which fair play, the permanent exchange of ideas at international level and collaboration with other athletes in the development of fighting techniques contribute to the development of the community).

In general, I equate HEMA with performance, fun, a test of endurance, a relaxation method, and a way to overcome your own physical and mental limits.

The founding of Iron Will HEMA Academy, together with other club colleagues, represented a natural step in my evolution as a HEMA artist, and in the development of the local HEMA community.

Until March 09, 2020, when the club's activity was suspended due to the covid-19 pandemic, I held the roles of Longsword Instructor at the former version of Beginner study level. And of Pioneer, participating in the creation of the Curriculums for the former versions of the Beginner and Advanced study levels, together with Andrei Chirlesan and Valentin Lungu.

At present, I have given up teaching and any other administrative duties in the club. Now I'm just training for competitions with the other students and instructors at Iron Will HEMA Academy.

Besides HEMA, my other hobbies include: architecture and urban planning (ie my job), walking through historic cities, cycling, reading, hiking and good food.