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.

"Anyone who wishes to become an accomplished swordsman must, beyond taking lessons from a master, strive to play every day, and with different antagonists, and when possible he must select better fencers than himself, so that by playing with so many practical men, he may see wherein dwells perfect merit" - Ridolfo Capo Ferro

From Schools of Masters of Fencing  by Egerton Castle, 1885. I'm rather impressed with myself that the "principles" I puzzled out for myself from reading 16th century sword play are pretty much identical. "The 'time', 'distance' and 'proportion' of the early Anglo-Italian masters of the sixteenth century are still as much as ever the first notions to be grasped. They are now called 'time', 'measure' and 'guard." "The very first principle of all fencing is obviously to keep the proper 'measure, ' namely, to keep out of easy reach when on the defensive, and conversely, never to deliver an attack without being within striking distance." "The next principle is to keep proper ' time,'  namely, first, to reduce the motions of weapon and body to the strictly necessary, both in number and extent, so as to employ the least possible time in attack and parry." "Secondly to balan...

"I am constrained to divide this Art into two Arts or Sciences, calling the one the True, the other, the False art" - Giacomo di Grassi The difference between the False Art and the True Art is interesting. It's quite important to Di Grassi and Silver so it's worth a few notes. It's amusing for me because it reads a lot like an early example of the "real martial arts" v's "sporting martial art" spat that rumbles on to this day. It's worth noting that it's not as simple as good and bad technique. Certainly I've had it explained to me in the past that they authors when saying "True" this just means "good" technique and conversely that "false" was simply saying "bad" technique. Certainly authors such as di Grassi and Silver think that the "True Art" is superior however much like the modern Sport V's Martial argument  it's all about correct context.  Di Grassi is especia...