Historical Swordplay Archive

  • <p>I’ve posted before on the difference between sword fighting and swordplay. One is for the battlefield and the other is for more social situations. I find it amazing that there are historical fencers wthese not understand or fully appreciate the different contexts in which these wonderful weapons were used and how their use changed over time. This post is a quick and very general overview of the different situations in which swords were used.</p> Battlefield <p>This is the most obvious use of the sword as a weapon. It is also the one that is least understood by fencers. Contrary to […]</p>

    Swordplay: Context is Everything

    Posted on 30 January, 2012 | 1 Comment

    I’ve posted before on the difference between sword fighting and swordplay. One is for the battlefield and the other is for more social situations. I find it amazing that there are historical fencers wthese not understand or fully appreciate the different contexts in which these wonderful weapons were used and how their use changed over time. This post is a quick and very general overview of the different situations in which swords were used.

    Battlefield

    This is the most obvious use of the sword as a weapon. It is also the one that is least understood by fencers. Contrary to […]

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  • <p>Papa got a new side sword. Yeow!</p> <p>My latest addition is Darkwood Armory‘s magnificent “Arms and Side-ring” side sword which they list under the code ARMSIDE. It’s a great example of a sixteenth century rapier which, for me, matches the swords you find in the diagrams in many manuals of the period, in particular, Joachim Meyer’s Art of War, Henri de Sainct Didier and the rest of the gang who published around 1570 or so.</p> <p>It lacks the complex hilt of later rapiers in favour of a simpler cross hilt with a knuckle bow and finger rings. It’ll be interesting to […]</p>

    A New Sidesword for Me!

    Posted on 23 January, 2012 | No Comments

    Papa got a new side sword. Yeow!

    My latest addition is Darkwood Armory‘s magnificent “Arms and Side-ring” side sword which they list under the code ARMSIDE. It’s a great example of a sixteenth century rapier which, for me, matches the swords you find in the diagrams in many manuals of the period, in particular, Joachim Meyer’s Art of War, Henri de Sainct Didier and the rest of the gang who published around 1570 or so.

    It lacks the complex hilt of later rapiers in favour of a simpler cross hilt with a knuckle bow and finger rings. It’ll be interesting to […]

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  • <p>At the end of Giovanni Dall’Agocchie’s <strong>On The Art of Fencing</strong> (1572), there’s a wonderful aside in which he explains the basics techniques he’d teach a complete fencing newbie who must fight a duel of honour in thirty days. In this post, I want to point out the similarities with the single sword system of Dall’Agocchie’s contemporary, Joachim Meyer, whose <strong>Art of Combat</strong> (1570) includes an extensive chapter on use of the rapier.</p> <p>I can’t summarise Dall’Agochhie’s essential actions better than has already been done by Steve Reich (Nova Assalto).</p> <p>Dall’Agocchie proposes to teach the prospective duellist only one of […]</p>

    Dall’Agocchie’s Essential Actions

    Posted on 9 December, 2011 | No Comments

    At the end of Giovanni Dall’Agocchie’s On The Art of Fencing (1572), there’s a wonderful aside in which he explains the basics techniques he’d teach a complete fencing newbie who must fight a duel of honour in thirty days. In this post, I want to point out the similarities with the single sword system of Dall’Agocchie’s contemporary, Joachim Meyer, whose Art of Combat (1570) includes an extensive chapter on use of the rapier.

    I can’t summarise Dall’Agochhie’s essential actions better than has already been done by Steve Reich (Nova Assalto).

    Dall’Agocchie proposes to teach the prospective duellist only one of […]

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  • I've finally come to the end of my explorations of the rapier chapter of Joachim Meyer's Art of Combat (1570). I'm presenting here my notes on Meyer's rapier system (PDF) for public appraisal. Maybe I've learned something new about his rappers technique. Maybe I'm on the wrong track entirely. Thoughts, comments and criticism is, as always, greatly appreciated.

    Summary of Meyer’s Rapier System

    Posted on 18 November, 2011 | 1 Comment
    I've finally come to the end of my explorations of the rapier chapter of Joachim Meyer's Art of Combat (1570). I'm presenting here my notes on Meyer's rapier system (PDF) for public appraisal. Maybe I've learned something new about his rappers technique. Maybe I'm on the wrong track entirely. Thoughts, comments and criticism is, as always, greatly appreciated.

    Continue Reading...

  • <p>I’ve found a rather nifty set of rules for rapier tournaments by RedStar Fencing in Chicago. Of the many points of interest is that this rules set has come out of a modern fence club rather than an historical fencing school. Even more amazing is that all the cumbersome and artifical modern electronic scoring kit is not required.</p> <p>Before I get stuck in, here’s a copy of the rules: Lancet Fencing Modern Rapier Rules (PDF)</p> <p>The first thing I like about these rules is their simplicity. There are priority (head and sword arm) and non-priority (everywhere else) target areas. If […]</p>

    Lancet Fencing Modern Rapier Rules

    Posted on 28 October, 2011 | 1 Comment

    I’ve found a rather nifty set of rules for rapier tournaments by RedStar Fencing in Chicago. Of the many points of interest is that this rules set has come out of a modern fence club rather than an historical fencing school. Even more amazing is that all the cumbersome and artifical modern electronic scoring kit is not required.

    Before I get stuck in, here’s a copy of the rules: Lancet Fencing Modern Rapier Rules (PDF)

    The first thing I like about these rules is their simplicity. There are priority (head and sword arm) and non-priority (everywhere else) target areas. If […]

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  • <p>In his Art of Combat (1570), Joachim Meyer unifies feints, parries and strikes and thrusts into a schema inherited from his version of Leichtenauer’s longsword practice. He calls these actions either provokers (feints), takers (parries) and hitters (cuts and thrusts). This schema provides a very useful mental framework for thinking about how and why you act in a bout, regardless of the weapon being used.</p> <p>As we’ve all discovered, attacking someone standing in a solid guard position is a sure way to get hit. The best you can hope for is that you both hit each other. To the problem […]</p>

    Meyer’s Rapier: Provoker, Taker, Hitter

    Posted on 23 September, 2011 | No Comments

    In his Art of Combat (1570), Joachim Meyer unifies feints, parries and strikes and thrusts into a schema inherited from his version of Leichtenauer’s longsword practice. He calls these actions either provokers (feints), takers (parries) and hitters (cuts and thrusts). This schema provides a very useful mental framework for thinking about how and why you act in a bout, regardless of the weapon being used.

    As we’ve all discovered, attacking someone standing in a solid guard position is a sure way to get hit. The best you can hope for is that you both hit each other. To the problem […]

    Continue Reading...

  • <p>Swordplay is a three day gathering of schools of historical swordsmanship held each September in Brisbane, Australia and run by the Australian College of Arms (ACA). The idea behind the event is to bring together fencers from all corners of this wide brown land to meet, exchange ideas and cross blades is a friendly atmosphere. This year, we kidnapped Puck Curtis and refused to release him until he presented a workshop on one of his passions, La Verdadera Destreza, the Spanish rapier technique of the sixteenth and seventeen centuries.</p> <p>The format seems to have roughly fallen out as a day […]</p>

    I Survived Swordplay 11

    Posted on 16 September, 2011 | 1 Comment

    Swordplay is a three day gathering of schools of historical swordsmanship held each September in Brisbane, Australia and run by the Australian College of Arms (ACA). The idea behind the event is to bring together fencers from all corners of this wide brown land to meet, exchange ideas and cross blades is a friendly atmosphere. This year, we kidnapped Puck Curtis and refused to release him until he presented a workshop on one of his passions, La Verdadera Destreza, the Spanish rapier technique of the sixteenth and seventeen centuries.

    The format seems to have roughly fallen out as a day […]

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  • <p>It’s September and that means Swordplay 11 is just around the corner. In fact, it’s on in less than a week. Yay!</p> <p>Obviously, all historical fencers in Australia know about Swordplay but there’s bound to be a poor benighted few who haven’t heard of it. Swordplay is an annual event run by the Australian College of Arms which brings together schools of swordplay and historical fencing from all over the country in order to chat, compare notes and, of course, cross blades. It’s been going for a few years now and leaping from strength to strength. You won’t find three […]</p>

    Swordplay 11 Is On!

    Posted on 2 September, 2011 | No Comments

    It’s September and that means Swordplay 11 is just around the corner. In fact, it’s on in less than a week. Yay!

    Obviously, all historical fencers in Australia know about Swordplay but there’s bound to be a poor benighted few who haven’t heard of it. Swordplay is an annual event run by the Australian College of Arms which brings together schools of swordplay and historical fencing from all over the country in order to chat, compare notes and, of course, cross blades. It’s been going for a few years now and leaping from strength to strength. You won’t find three […]

    Continue Reading...

  • <p></p> <p>Joachim Meyer does not devote much space at all to companion weapons in his Art of Combat (1570) but what he does say in among the clearest instruction he gives in the use of the rapier. He also touches on the use of a cloak as an off-hand tool but only to state that it’s basically a dagger you can’t injure with. Let’s start with his own summary of the techniques and tease it apart. I’ve underlined the important portions of the quote. These are the sections to concentrate on.</p> <blockquote><p>“As regards the dagger in conjunction with the rapier, I advise the </p></blockquote><p> […]</p>

    Meyer’s Rapier and Dagger (and Cloak)

    Posted on 12 August, 2011 | 2 Comments

    Joachim Meyer does not devote much space at all to companion weapons in his Art of Combat (1570) but what he does say in among the clearest instruction he gives in the use of the rapier. He also touches on the use of a cloak as an off-hand tool but only to state that it’s basically a dagger you can’t injure with. Let’s start with his own summary of the techniques and tease it apart. I’ve underlined the important portions of the quote. These are the sections to concentrate on.

    “As regards the dagger in conjunction with the rapier, I advise the

    […]

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  • <p>The chapter on the rapier in Joachim Meyer’s The Art of Combat lists parrying technique after parrying technique without ever clearly articulating the basic principles which underlie them. At best (or worse) he says “we’ve already covered this in the section on the longsword so I won’t explain it here.” This post reduces the multitude of parrying techniques he describes to their basic principles in order to discover the secrets of his art.</p> <p>Combat, he says, is based on two elements: the cuts used to overcome an opponent and the parries used to bear off the opponent’s attacks. (1.15v). All cut […]</p>

    Meyer’s Rapier Parries

    Posted on 29 July, 2011 | No Comments

    The chapter on the rapier in Joachim Meyer’s The Art of Combat lists parrying technique after parrying technique without ever clearly articulating the basic principles which underlie them. At best (or worse) he says “we’ve already covered this in the section on the longsword so I won’t explain it here.” This post reduces the multitude of parrying techniques he describes to their basic principles in order to discover the secrets of his art.

    Combat, he says, is based on two elements: the cuts used to overcome an opponent and the parries used to bear off the opponent’s attacks. (1.15v). All cut […]

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