The Long Knife (Langes Messer) is a cut and thrust weapon from the Middle Ages, which enjoyed great popularity as a weapon of defense especially in the 15th and 16th centuries. There are several instructions in fencing books for the Long Knife. In the following article I have listed most fencing books which I have…
When we learn and train Historical Martial Arts, we must be aware of some traps we may fall in. In a small series of articles I will point out some of the pitfalls in learning historical fencing. Being warned of traps helps us to avoid them or disarm them. These articles will aid instructores and…
When we learn and train Historical Martial Arts, we must be aware of some traps we may fall in. In a small series of articles I will point out some of the pitfalls in learning historical fencing. Being warned of traps helps us to avoid them or disarm them. These articles will aid instructores and…
Tahtib is an ancient art, possibly dating back to the 2nd millennium BC. Engraved tomb walls at the archaeological site of Beni Hasan on the eastern bank of the Nile appear to show stick fighting practice resembling Tahtib. Although modern Tahtib practice tends to be friendly (and there is a heavily stylized Saidi form that…
In Bastone Siciliano the stick is kept in constant motion, travelling around the head in various serpentine circular movements known as Muliné until it is time to execute a strike or parry. As an interesting aside, this constant, circling motion of the stick around the player’s head may provide possible insights into the ‘Frequens Motus’…
The baton was systematized in France during the 1800s and during the mid 1850s baton practice was one aspect of a gymnastics curriculum for French soldiers established at the Joinville military academy. Practice with baton was also popular in 19th century Savate salles. It is likely the baton was popular among various 19th century European…
Jogo do Pau (very roughly, ‘game of sticks’) comes to us from Portugal, home of Henry the Navigator and fine Port wine. This art, which typically employs a 5 foot (1.5m) to 6 foot (1.8m) long stick, appears to have originated largely in rural areas, particularly in the north (Minho and Trás-os-Montes), where the stick…
Various native forms of stick fighting including: Singlestick (British) Greatstick (British) Jogo do Pau (Portuguese) Juego del Palo (Spanish) Makila (Basque) Bastone Siciliano (Sicilian) Scherma de Bastone (Italian) Stockfechten (German) La Canne (French) Bâton Français (French) Bataireacht (Irish) Shillelagh (Irish). […] Examples of arts involving longsticks include Hutton’s Greatstick, Jogo do Pau, Juego del Palo,…
Two obvious ideas are the idea of a good “seat”, and an appreciation of distance and feeling. An effective seat is essential not only for balance and stability, but also for effectively communicating with the horse. Correct posture and weight shifting keeps us balanced and in control, and gives subtle cues to the horse. The…
In the interpretation there is the danger of wishful thinking and the self-fulfilling prophecy. If an interpretation is shaped by the wish that it should convey a certain law of the art of fencing as its core, or always has a teaching content, then the interpretation in the sense of historical fencing will suffer from…