Fencing Books

Book SynopsisRoyal Armouries Manuscript I.33 is the oldest-known manual of swordsmanship in the western canon. Dated to c.1310, it is a stunning work of late medieval art and the Armouries' most treasured manuscript. This new edition includes a critical introduction, transcription and translation by Jeffrey L. Forgeng, the foremost authority on I.33.Trade ReviewWhat a tour de force! Expertly analysed and impeccably edited, The Medieval Art of Swordsmanship is a superb addition to the growing corpus of scholarly publications on the medieval martial arts, and will stand as the definitive edition of this important manuscript for years to come. -- Noel FallowsRoyal Armouries Manuscript I.33 is a unique survivor and deserves to be widely known. Impeccably edited, meticulously annotated and accurately transcribed and translated, this facsimile with its erudite introduction does full justice to the earliest-known fencing manual. The volume should be studied not only by specialists in the history of personal combat but also (and far more so) by anybody interested in the history of movement notation, in medieval pedagogy, and in book illustration. -- Sydney AngloJeffrey L. Forgeng is a pioneer of European Martial Arts studies and holds the HEMA lifetime achievement award. He has packed more than 25 years of study into this new edition of the earliest Fight Book, which has been revised in light of the latest research. The Medieval Art of Swordsmanship is a must-have publication for both scholars and practitioners. -- Daniel JaquetRoyal Armouries MS I.33 is without doubt the most important early book of swordsmanship. It is essential for even a basic understanding of European martial arts, and Jeffrey Forgeng's new edition should be considered required reading for anyone interested in the history of weapons. -- Tobias Capwell

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Book Synopsis'This is fencing!' is a rally call heard in training centres around the country. Coined by experienced GB fencing coach, Ziemowit Wojciechowski, it embodies the passion, skill and dedication needed to excel at an international level. As one of the world's most renowned foil coaches, achieving Olympic podium success and top world rankings for his fencers, Ziemowit has sustained a long and successful career, which he now unpacks in this comprehensive guide. Using real life examples and case studies, This is Fencing! offers detailed approaches to training, tactics and exercises in the foil, providing key insights into how to create both individual and club training sessions. Key topics include: the core principles of coaching, training and performance; aspects of an individual lesson; detailed examples of footwork exercises; physical and psychological preparation and practical tactical advice during competitions.

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Book SynopsisAdvanced Fencing Techniques records the vast coaching knowledge accumulated over many years from one of fencing's great masters, Bert Bracewell. The book will not only help the aspiring fencer improve, but also the established fencer who may be looking for new ideas and techniques for their training. Equipment and rules changes over the years have shown fencers that they must adapt with the times. Advanced Fencing Techniques offers a unique collection of insights, which can be used to develop new fencers, as well as providing a repository of knowledge for the future. Step-by-step colour photography and diagrams cover advanced techniques for foil, sabre and epee. The book presents valuable coaching material, exercises and drills to expand a fencer's range of activities and knowledge, challenging habitual practices.

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Book SynopsisLegendary fencing instructor Maitre Bac H. Tau described what he called the 'six essentials that are in a fencer's mind': 'The first is called spirit; The second, rhythm; The third, thought; The fourth, technique; The fifth, tactic, and the last is strategy.' As a fencer you can fight with spirit, experience rhythm, think your way around problems, and develop technique, tactic and strategy by training with top-flight fencing masters. But there is more. Modern fencing is a highly competitive speed and endurance sport and the 'seventh essential' in a high-performance fencer's mind is how to prepare themselves physically and mentally to fence. In High Performance Fencing: The Seventh Essential, Ed Rogers covers every aspect of the preparation required by a fencer competing at the highest level. The book provides sound practical advice and is based on tried-and-tested training principles that have repeatedly proved successful.

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Book SynopsisThe School of Fencing is a colour facsimile edition of Domenico Angelo’s famous fencing manual of 1765. Such was Angelo's reputation that he numbered several members of the British royal family amongst his clientele, and his Soho-based School of Arms was noted for accepting female students. Featuring an introduction by fencing expert Mark Hillyard, this new facsimile edition includes the parallel English and French text together with all 47 hand-coloured engravings by artist James Gwynn. It is ideal for devotees of fencing, lovers of Georgian high society, students of arms and armour, and historical reenactors and interpreters.

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Book SynopsisModern fencing's origins come from the elegant, and deadly rapier of the late Italian Renaissance. Several schools of rapier fencing existed, amongst which one of the strongest and longest lasting was the Roman-Neapolitan-Sicilian School of swordsmanship (Scuola Romana-Napoletana-Siciliana ). Arising from the early, northern school, the southern school dates to the seventeenth century, in Rome, then spread throughout the south of Italy and evolved uninterruptedly until the nineteenth century, when it merged with the more modern traditions of fencing. Historical Fencing Manual: Rapier-Fencing in the 17th and 18th Centuries, is a true, modern fencing manual for training in this tradition, written by a modern master of the art. The texts of the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century masters are broken-down, synthesized and arranged into a concise, modern pedagogy, opening a gateway to the southern Italian school for the very first time. Beginning with fundamentals of stance, footwork, attack and defence, the text also covers complex provocations, disarms and grapples, and use of the left-hand dagger—a complete course under one cover!

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewFoil Fencing: Skills, Strategies, & Training Methods is an utterly essential volume for any fencer, whether beginner, intermediate, or advanced, and is likewise essential for any coach looking to deepen their practices with their students. -- Joseph Sale, The Sword Magazine * The Sword Magazine *I would recommend this book to beginner fencers and beginner coaches as an excellent starting point; and to advanced fencers and coaches that are looking for a refresher to better prepare for competitions. This book is an enjoyable and instructive addition to the fencing catalogue and earns a place in my fencing library. I have no hesitation in recommending ‘Foil Fencing. Skills, Strategies and Training Methods’ to all who love fencing. -- Prof Peter Northam, President, British Academy of Fencing * British Academy of Fencing *

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Book SynopsisTo become an expert swordsman, one must pay close attention to detail, be highly self-critical, and practice diligently every day under the guidance of a good teacher. Unfortunately, contact time with a worthy mentor is limited for most. Practice Drills for Japanese Swordsmanship fills this obvious gap in the training of the modern swordsman by providing bokuto (wooden sword) drills to supplement the formal class activity of forms practice. Both single and two-person drills are presented, some common to iaido and kenjutsu, others extracted from iaido forms by the author and used to teach his own students the proper ways of drawing, parrying, and cutting. Each drill is illustrated with step-by-step drawings to help students hone their techniques; together they provide a comprehensive system of general skills development for anyone interested in using the Japanese sword.

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Book SynopsisCamillo Palladini's unpublished 'Discourse on Fencing' is crucial to a modern understanding of Renaissance rapier play. For the first time, this stunning book reproduces the manuscript in its entirety. It is perfect for students of fencing, lovers of Italian art, 16th-century researchers, and historical reenactors and interpreters.Trade ReviewHistorians of swordsmanship have been waiting since 1882 to see Palladini in print, and here it is at last. Scholars will find it refreshing to study an unfamiliar Renaissance fencing treatise which constructively mocks the mathematical fantasies of Camillo Agrippa. -- Sydney Anglo

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Book SynopsisDomenico Angelo's book, complete with diagrams, embodies the ideas of an era. Philip Stafford in The Times Literary SupplementThis is a fascinating read and surprisingly up to date. Every fencer will learn from it . . . Very highly recommended. The SwordIf there is one book on smallsword technique that a person should have in their collection, Angelos treatise is certainly that book. JL Forgeng in Man At Arms magazineDomenico Angelos The School of Fencing was first published in 1763 as LEcole des armes and was one of the most popular and influential treatises of its time. Today, it remains essential reading for any historical swordfighter, student of martial arts, or military historians, giving the reader access to one of the great masters of the art. This modern edition is annotated by Maestro Jeannette Acosta-Martinez, who is currently the foremost expert in the French small sword. Her additions to this edition help clarify Angelos text for the modern reader. This edition also incl

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Book SynopsisArgues that playwrights looked to fencing theory and performance for physical cues and formal structure.

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Book SynopsisArgues that playwrights looked to fencing theory and performance for physical cues and formal structure.Trade Review"Through insightful close-readings of plays we don't associate with fencing, Dori Coblentz reveals how dramatic plots replicate the temporal rhythm and movement patterns of the sport. Fencing, Form and Cognition on the Early Modern Stage is an important book not only for readers interested in the history of sport, but for those seeking to understand the complex temporality of early modern plays." -Gina Bloom, author of Gaming the Stage: Playable Media and the Rise of English Commercial Theater

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Book SynopsisReach for the highest Level of Tai Chi Practice You can achieve the highest level of tai chi practice by including Tai Chi Sword in your training regimen. Here's your chance to take the next step in your Tai Chi journey. Once you have attained proficiency in the bare hand form and have gained listening ad sensing skills from pushing hands, you are ready for Tai Chi Sword. The elegant and effective techniques of traditional Tai Chi Sword Tai Chi sword will help you control your Qi, refine your Tai Chi skills, and master yourself. You will strengthen and relax your body, calm and focus your mind, improve your balance, and develop proper Tai Chi breathing. This book provides a solid and practical approach to learning Tai Chi Sword accurately and quickly. Includes over 500 photographs with motion arrows! Historical overview of Tai Chi Sword Fundamentals including hand forms and footwork Generating power with the sword 12 Tai Chi Sword breathing exercises 30 key Tai Chi Sword techniques with applications 12 fundamental Tai Chi sword solo drills Complete 54-movement Yang Tai Chi Sword sequence 48 martial applications from the Tai Chi Sword sequence 10 Tai Chi Sword 2-person matching drills No matter your age, Tai Chi Sword is a wonderful and fun way to improve your health and well-being.Table of ContentsEditorial Notes Foreword Preface Chapter 1: General Introduction About the Sword 1-2. Historical Survey 1-3. Sword Structure 1-4. The Sword Way 1-5. About Taiji Sword 20 References Chapter 2: Fundamental Training 2-1. Introduction 2-2. Hand Grips and the Secret Sword 2-3. Fundamental Stances 2-4. Power Training 2-5. Key Words and Techniques 2-6. Fundamental Training References Chapter 3: Taiji Sword and Its Applications 3-1. Introduction 3-2. Yang Style Taiji Sword Sequence and Applications Reference Chapter 4: Taiji Sword Matching Practice 4-1. Introduction 4-2. Matching Practice Chapter 5: Conclusion Acknowledgments Appendix A: Names of Taiji Sword Techniques Appendix B: Translation and Glossary of Chinese Terms About the Author Index

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Book SynopsisNINE LEVELS, EASY TO EXPERT This book stands apart from other staff training manuals. While most titles focus on forms and twirling, The Art and Science of Staff Fighting emphasizes the dynamics of combat. The author draws on thirty years of martial experience, presenting the best of both Eastern and Western traditions. Joe Varady lays out a comprehensive course of study in nine levels, from beginner to expert. He guides readers through such fundamentals as stances, striking, blocking, and footwork. In advanced lessons, readers learn disarming techniques, groundwork, and facing multiple opponents. But this book is not just for staff enthusiasts. Even those unfamiliar with martial arts can adapt these techniques, increasing their skill and confidence in defending themselves. "Our environment is usually full of improvised weapons,” Varady writes. “Staff fighting techniques can be effectively applied in a self-defense situation using a walking stick, coatrack, curtain rod, floor lamp, hockey stick, fallen tree branch, broom, mop, shovel, or rake.” Equipped with this knowledge, readers will begin to realize that, in one way or another, they are nearly always armed and capable of defending themselves. This book features: Nine levels of instruction, progressing from easy to expert Over 600 photos with motion arrows A “nondenominational” approach to staff, utilizing the best of Eastern and Western arts A comprehensive, methodical approach to building staff skills If you are already a student of the staff, these lessons will not conflict with your katas or current style. Instead, they will augment your techniques, broadening your options. Whether you are an experienced staff fighter or a layman seeking practical techniques for self-defense, The Art and Science of Staff Fighting will help you develop the skills you need.Table of ContentsForeword Preface Introduction Level 1: The Foundation Level 2: Basic Middle Grip Level 3: Advanced Middle Grip Level 4: Basic Extended Grip Level 5: Advanced Extended Grip Level 6: Combat with the Staff Level 7: Expert Staff Training Level 8: Master Staff Training Level 9: The Way of the Spear Appendix I: Fighting Physics: The Mechanics of the Staff Appendix II: Additional Skills and Drills Recommended Reading About the Author

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Book SynopsisEnglish translation of one of the most significant medieval texts on fighting with swords. Completed in 1482, Johannes Lecküchner's Art of Combat with the "Langes Messer" (Messerfechtkunst) is among the most important documents on the combat arts of the Middle Ages. The Messer was a single-edged, one-handed utility sword peculiar to central Europe, but Lecküchner's techniques apply to cut-and-thrust swords in general: not only is this treatise the single most substantial work on the use of one-handed swords to survive from this period, but it is the most detailed explanation of the two-handed sword techniques of the German "Liechtenauer" school dating back to the 1300s. Lecküchner's lavish manuscript consists of over four hundred illustrations with explanatory text, in which the author, a parish priest, rings the changes on bladework, deceits, and grappling, with techniques ranging from life-or-death escapes from an armed assailant to slapstick moves designed to please the crowd in public fencing matches. This translation, complete with all illustrations from the manuscript, makes the treatise accessible for the first time since the author's untimely death less than a year after its completion left his major work to be lost for generations. An extensive introduction, notes, and glossary analyze and contextualize the work and clarify its technical content. JEFFREY L. FORGENG is curator of Arms and Armor and Medieval Art at the Worcester Art Museum, and teaches as Adjunct Professor of History at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.Trade ReviewIt is clear that Jeffrey Forgeng is not only a technical expert on the weapon illustrated in this manual, but also a scholar deeply versed in the manuscript tradition of which this volume is a part as well as in the accumulated historiography that treats it. * THE MEDIEVAL REVIEW *A fantastic attempt to make the fecht-bücher increasingly accessible to a wider audience.... What sets this book apart is the contextualisation of the source and the excellent translations. * MEDIEVAL WARFARE *For anyone really interested in fighting styles and techniques, this is a must-read. * SLINGSHOT *Forgeng's translation is clear and accessible. His experience not only as a scholar of early swordsmanship, but as a practitioner, is readily apparent. . . . [Forgeng makes] a vital text more widely available for practitioners not only looking to better understand the use of single-handed swords of all types, but also to how those techniques complement other medieval martial practices. * DE RE MILITARI *

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Book SynopsisWith the exciting sport of fencing steadily becoming more mainstream in the UK, US and around the world, parents are spending thousands each year to help and encourage their children to train and excel in this unique Olympic sport. Fencing can be a mysterious world to the uninitiated, and parents and young fencers will have many questions about the sport, the fencer’s potential and the dos and don’ts. From Last to First aims to answer all these questions and many more. Written by a team comprising Jon Salfield, a leading Youth Development and High Performance coach (London Olympics 2012), and Daniela I. Norris, an experienced author and fencing-parent of an international youth fencer, with input from Strength and Conditioning and Psychology experts, and a foreword from a multiple champion and highly-regarded author, it is meant for anyone who wants to know how to support their young fencer from the start of their fencing adventure, all the way through to success at international competitions.

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Book SynopsisCrowood Sports Guides provide sound, practical advice that will make you a better sportsperson, whether you are learning the basic skills, discovering more advanced techniques or reviewing the fundamentals of your sport.

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Book SynopsisRoyal Armouries Manuscript I.33 is the oldest-known manual of swordsmanship in the Western canon. The sequence here shows Keith Ducklin and Mike Broadley of the Royal Armouries Interpretation team enacting scenes from the manuscript.

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Book SynopsisThis is the story of Master Wu and the esoteric sword practice he learned at the White Cloud Monastery in Beijing. It opens this practice to the outside world for the first time, explaining its history, theory, cosmology, and practice in great detail.The Eight Immortals'Revolving Sword goes back for seventeen generations, starting with Wang Chongyang, the founder of the Complete Reality school and martial arts champion of the Song dynasty, and actively continued through Qiu Chuji and other senior Daoist lineage holders.Practicing sword to attain immortality is a profound Daoist method. Master Wu shares his insights and practice instructions as a way of self-cultivation, illuminating the power of the practice to drive away inauspicious energies, eliminate harmful incidents, and safeguard against ghosts. Able to harness good fortune, practice of this sword set enhances inner communication and creates an intimate connection with the universe.In traditional Chinese fashion, Master Wu guides the reader through the ins and outs of the history, folklore, and technique of this sword practice, focusing especially on the figures of the Eight Immortals and explaining their legends, practices, and feats in great detail. Along the way, he highlights the hidden jewels of training with insightful commentaries on various parables, thereby to bring out the essence of Dao. He succeeds masterfully at braiding together his unique training history and deep Daoist insights with treasured traditional stories, creating a thrilling account and setting a palpable example of Daoisms' best kept inner secrets as brought to life in actual experiences today.

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Book SynopsisJoachim Meyer (ca. 1537 - 1571) was one of the most influential fencing masters of the Renaissance--a prolific writer of fencing manuals. In this training guide, Robert Rutherfoord unpacks the complex and elegant art of Meyer's rapier in word and image, including over 200 easy to follow illustrations to bring the art to life. Meyer's monumental "A Thorough Description of the Free, Chivalric, and Noble Art of Fencing, Showing Various Customary Defenses, Affected and Put Forth with Many Handsome and Useful Drawings" was reprinted, adapted and outright plagiarized for over a century after his death. As a martial artist, he was both the last great master of the medieval Liechtenauer fencing tradition and a young innovator, who combined his native, German traditions with those of the Italian and Spanish fencing masters to create a wholly unique systems of fighting with a vast number of weapons. The centrepiece of his work, however, was the cut-and-thrust "sidesword" or "early rapier" which was rapidly eclipsing the knightly two-handed longsword in popularity. Meyer's synthesis not only adapted his native art to this Mediterranean weapon, but in some cases, his innovations prefigured the developments of rapier fencing that Italian masters would promote in the next quarter century after his untimely death.

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Book SynopsisNoted medieval combat authorities Dierk Hagedorn and Christian Henry Tobler join forces to present a transcription, translation and analysis of the Peter von Danzig Fight Book, one of the finest manuscripts of the 15th century devoted to the fencing tradition of German grandmaster Johannes Liechtenauer. The codex features anonymous commentaries on Liechtenauer's own mnemonic verses, as well as treatises by other masters of his circle: Masters Lignitzer, Huntfelt, Ott and Peter von Danzig himself. A compendium of teachings for how to fight with the long sword, spear, sword and buckler, dagger, as well as unarmed grappling, both in and out of armour, this volume is a valuable resource for historical martial artists, historians and medieval re-enactors.

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Book SynopsisRobert Childs' book seeks to bestow not just mechanical advice, but also to provide a philosophy of fencing that shows the swordsman not only the how, but why. There are a number of “how-to” rapier manuals now available; both those written centuries ago and now presented in modern English translation, or those composed by modern maestri of the sword in emulation of those by-gone works. But there has always been the parallel tradition of the martial treatise. It is this category of work that 30+ year fencer and currently top-ranked rapier fencer, Rob Childs, emulates. After explaining the basics of his own, eclectic system of rapier combat, he walks students through a wide variety of topics: how to choose the proper sword for you; how to fence students of different sizes; physical qualities and emotional temperaments; how to adapt your approach to different contexts (casual matches, competitions and medals matches) while maintaining martial reality; the use of sound, body displacement to deceive the opponent, and the most common tells fencers give and how to train them out of yourself—while using them against your opponent. Interwoven with personal anecdotes, you will gain both a look into the mindset and training paradigm of a world-class competitor, the sort of advice athletes for generations have sought from highly-skilled coaches, and be entertained at Childs’ own adventures through the evolving world of historical swordsmanship. Although centred on the rapier, this work is really about fencing writ large and will be of value to anyone who has held a blade and heard the words ‘en garde’! Illustrated with colour photographs throughout.

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