When he first tried his hand at historical fencing at Tampere HEMA, Pentti Koivuniemi was instantly enamoured with the combination of practical training and period-source study that form the basis of these martial arts. Pentti majored in English with a specialisation in translation at Tampere University while continuing to study historical fencing, and so, gradually, he felt compelled to translate European martial arts texts for the international community.

