Kristine Rinka

Historical European Martial Arts Instructor

Kristine Rinka is a Historical European Martial Arts Instructor based in Riga, Latvia. With over 16 years of experience studying HEMA, Kristine is an organizer of major international tournaments, including Helsinki Longsword Open, Swordfish, Norway Open, and the European Games in Minsk in 2019. She has held seminars on four continents and was the first woman in the world to win an open tournament. Kristine’s areas of expertise include 1.33 Sword & Buckler, Italian Rapier & Dagger, and German Longsword. She is currently ranked #1 in the world in both Women’s Sabre and Women’s Rapier according to HEMA Ratings, and has over 50 medals from international tournaments. She has also trained and run clubs in Norway, Sweden, and Latvia.

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Q&A Comments (3)

When should you consider blunting a blade?

If you have a sharp sword that you're hoping to practice fighting with, I would recommend blunting the blade first because having a sharp blade creates a lot of extra risk. You could cut yourself or your opponent. I would use it for cutting practice, but not for sparring or anything that you're doing with a partner.

How high are the chances of getting injured while fencing?

With modern Olympic fencing, I would say the biggest risk of injury would be from working one side of your body more than the other and getting a really strong arm, while the other is lacking. I think the risk of injury from getting hit with a small cord of a sword is quite low. Of course, you get some bruising and accidents can happen, but I think in all the times that I did modern Olympic fencing, I really didn't get injured.

How do I get started in learning to fence?

For modern Olympic fencing, it's a popular sport, so there are a lot of clubs. I would say look up whatever club you have in your city and check it out. There are three main weapons in modern Olympic fencing: saber, epee, and foil. So I would go to that club, talk to the coach, maybe try to get a private lesson to test out all three weapons and see what you like best, and go from there.

Co-authored Articles (2)

How to

Be a Good Fighter

Martial Arts Instructor Kristine Rinka explains the basics of training to fightDo you want to be a good fighter and do not know how to do this, then just read this article to solve your problem.

How to

Train to Fence at Home

Fencing is something that is always best done with other people and under the supervision of a skilled professional. However, if you already have your equipment and some basic training, you can continue your practice at ...

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Kristine Rinka

Q&A Comments (3)

Co-authored Articles (2)