books | swords | teaching
Who wrote The Art of Combat and The Art of Sword Combat? Were these books written by Joachim Meyer? Or were they written by someone else?I feel compelled to pose this question and provide an answer, because it is a mistake that I read and hear quite …
Who wrote the HEMA book called “The Art of Combat”?Read More
Left Vom Tag: does it exist? How do we do it? Is it a position worth training?This is a discussion that comes up every so often, with fairly predictable responses to say both yes and no.[1][2][3] It usually devolves into arguments that these sources …
Footwork is undoubtedly one of the most important skills to develop for any martial art, and HEMA longsword is no exception.I have the impression that people often become quite caught up with trying to integrate their footwork into their …
This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on 31st July 2015. It has been edited and improved for posting here. The medieval and renaissance German martial arts (particularly those with the longsword) include the concept of the Abzug, …
5 ways to train the Abzug (and to avoid an afterblow)Read More
This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on 21st October 2016. It has been edited and improved for posting here. If you spend time working on your skills in between your regular weekly sessions, your skill will develop more swiftly, …
The Schaitelhaw is one of the most difficult strikes in the Liechtenauer tradition of fencing, and most people struggle to find a good interpretation of the technique that they can rely upon during sparring and tournaments. I will be the first to …
Thoughts about the Schaitelhaw and fencing from AlberRead More
In his 1570 book, Joachim Meyer included a brief paragraph and a small diagram to describe an exercise for learning how to strike to the four openings (the Vier Blossen) on an opponent. Both the diagram and the exercise have become popular in the …
