Historical Fencing & Martial Arts Academy
The following is a repost of a friend’s (/u/hussard) comments on reddit under /r/wma, it uses the metaphor of siegecraft for how we might approach fencing. I’m reposting it here because it’s so damned good. Before you attack, you must do the preparation necessary in order to execute your actions. Against an undefended target, youRead more about Siege Mentality in Fencing[…]
“They were likewise taught not to cut but to thrust with their swords. For the Romans not only made a jest of those who fought with the edge of that weapon, but always found them an easy conquest. A stroke with the edges, though made with ever so much force, seldom kills, as the vitalRead more about Getting to the Point of Cutting[…]
In general terms deflecting the opponent’s sword comes under the term “parrying”, though you may also encounter the term “setting aside”, as well as the German words “absetzen” or “versetzen” (which basically mean setting aside or displacing). Meyer himself tends to describe all parrying using absetzen/versetzen, but in other texts there are very specific passagesRead more about Meyer’s Longsword: On Parrying[…]
Students of the Lichtenauer tradition would recognise that many of the techniques in the “system” can be structured almost as a flowchart of attack and counterattack. We also know that actions must be taken ‘indes’ (in the moment), so how are we to translate structured drills into a broader ability to fence. Every martial artRead more about Fencing as Language Acquisition[…]