What is a "system?"
You sometimes hear about "Meyers System" or "Foire's System." But what does that mean, what is a system?
A system is a series of general principles, rules or a framework that acts as instructions for an optimal way of fighting.
An exceptional HEMA sourcebook will layout this system reasonably clearly and explicitly. This is why, on the whole, I prefer sources like Meyer, Di Grassi or Silver.
Systems are different from fundamental fencing concepts (time, measure, body mechanics) which are the language used to describe all systems. A good HEMA sourcebook will have a good understanding, more or less, of these fundamental concepts and will be able to describe them in these terms.
There are also techniques and combinations of techniques (plays), but these are not the "system" - they are examples of what could happen if specific circumstances are put through the system.
I feel like plays are useful to determine if you have understood the system correctly, for example, if you have X circumstances did you do something like the Y combination outlined in the play? If yes, then your understanding of the system and fundamentals is more accurate than not.
It can take quite a bit of work to unpick the specific fundamentals used by a source's system, even if it is quite clearly laid out.
This is, I feel, the bulk of the work required in the study of historical martial arts. What is your source's understanding of measure, timing and body mechanics? How are these then applied consistently? How can I now learn these? How can I test that I've learned these?
A system is a series of general principles, rules or a framework that acts as instructions for an optimal way of fighting.
An exceptional HEMA sourcebook will layout this system reasonably clearly and explicitly. This is why, on the whole, I prefer sources like Meyer, Di Grassi or Silver.
Systems are different from fundamental fencing concepts (time, measure, body mechanics) which are the language used to describe all systems. A good HEMA sourcebook will have a good understanding, more or less, of these fundamental concepts and will be able to describe them in these terms.
There are also techniques and combinations of techniques (plays), but these are not the "system" - they are examples of what could happen if specific circumstances are put through the system.
I feel like plays are useful to determine if you have understood the system correctly, for example, if you have X circumstances did you do something like the Y combination outlined in the play? If yes, then your understanding of the system and fundamentals is more accurate than not.
It can take quite a bit of work to unpick the specific fundamentals used by a source's system, even if it is quite clearly laid out.
This is, I feel, the bulk of the work required in the study of historical martial arts. What is your source's understanding of measure, timing and body mechanics? How are these then applied consistently? How can I now learn these? How can I test that I've learned these?
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