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swords Archive
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IKEA Sword Rack
I needed a storage solution for my swords and IKEA provided. Here's how I did it for $45 (AUD). -
Learning Sidesword Fundamentals
I’ve been reviewing my notes on both the sidesword and dusack techniques shown in Joachim Meyer‘s Art of Combat and a couple of key principles stand out. Master these and you’ve got the core of the single sword style he taught. This post outlines the core principles in a format from which a lesson plan could be developed.
Core PrinciplesForget all the talk about the multitude of postures and cuts. The key is that you cut to attack and, for the most part, cut to defend.
Cuts are either vertical, horizontal or diagonal whether from above or below. When […]
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Review: Schools and Masters of Fencing
This book fills me with nerd rage. It's such an arrogant and ill-informed Victorian age view of the history of fencing. The author is so thoroughly caught up with the nineteenth century idea of progress that he cannot see anything beyond what he wants to see. Sadly, the book is still the best history of fencing from the Middle Ages to the present day. Here's a sample: -
Fencing Match Double Hits
How should we deal with the problem of double hits in historical fencing bouts? A double hit is when two fencers strike each other at the same time and generally means that they have both forgotten the first rule of fencing, “don’t get hit.” They’ve also forgotten the basic techniques of whatever tradition they study. If they were using sharp blades instead of blunts, the result would be what is known in the trade as “two dead idiots.”
(I know lots of folks are against competition in historical swordplay. That’s beside the point. The scoring system serves here only to […]