Art of the Sword

So recently I've been having a great deal more success in my basic fitness training. This evolved from changing a few key ways I train that weren't working for me and also from adopting some basics that I should have really been doing from the outset. I'm not sure if any of this will help other people but it was a great help for me: 1. Stop counting reps Most fitness manuals or resources give you number of reps per exercise per set. I realised that I find it distracting and boring counting out reps while I exercise. So instead I simply give myself a time period (usually 1 or 2 minutes) and set a countdown on my phone. If I can do 2 mins without collapsing in a heap I change the exercise to something harder. If I can't do 2 mins worth of exercise I got to keep pushing myself to get there. The key thing is that even if you have to take breaks you've got to do the time, this means I often push myself way beyond what I could do counting reps.  2. Stop overrea...

"Early sidesword from s. XVI with side rings, front ricasso ring protector and side hand guard. Best quality construction for hard training, very nice balance and flexibility for a great cut and thrust fencing, maintaining the safety of the nylon material, so we can practice Historical Fencing with full force and intent, with minimal body protection." here Ordering  I ordered directly from Blackfencer themselves which was easy via their online ordering service. They were quick to respond to any questions and their customer service was faultless in my experience.  They make to order and it took them just under 2 months from order to shipping to complete. It's an interesting business model following the model of custom steel weapons manufacturing rather than the mass produced easy availability of Rawlings synthetics.  Cost wise they are, in my neck of the woods, approximately the same cost ($150) compared to Rawlings synthetics. Though the postage does u...

"You can’t throw any mastercut at any time, at any distance at any version of the guard and expect it to work because the Liechtenauer elf sprinkles his magic indes dust to bless your german fencing superiority."  — Christian Trosclar Following from an interesting discussion on facebook I was thinking about how I would best deliver a Scalp Cut against someone in Fool. The issue being that if you deliver a Scalp Cut into someone waiting in Fool then a likely outcome is they will deliver a false edge cut to your hands with a step backwards. This doesn't to my mind preclude the Scalp Cut as very useful against Fool but only highlights the general foolishness of attacking a prepared position against a opponent who is trained in the same technique and aware of basic geometry: 1. If you are in Fool expect a Scalp Cut 2. If you aim for his head with a Scalp Cut and he gathers backward then his sword will be in measure to hit your hands and your sword will not be in measu...

"It must be kept in mind that all the motions of the sword are a signal to those who know how to decipher them." - Nicoletto Giganti, The School of the Sword.