Saber Fencing at Joinville-le-Pont, 1900-1914

The military fencing academy of Joinville-le-Pont was the most influential institution shaping French fencing in the late 19th- and early 20th century. On the streets, grounds, and in the fencing hall, officer candidates trained in personal combatives such as la boxe française, savage, lutte (wrestling), as well as imports such as English boxing and Jiu…

Terrain v. Planche: A brief history of late 19th-century fencing spaces

The original French word for fencing strip, planche (lit., plank or board), encapsulates the nature of the original strip and points at its inherent limitations, which required adaptation of the footwork by the fencers. The planche was initially conceived as an outdoors device: It could easily be placed on sand, gravel, or grass, and provide instant even ground……

DVD Review: German Medieval Martial Arts, Volume 2: Sword, Buckler & Messer

The DVD explains all the techniques in the context of a system – any technique you can do with the arming sword can be done with the messer. The buckler can be added in and is the icing on the cake. Just like their Poleax DVD, all techniques are presented in a very clear manner,…

Sword and Shield Combat in Norse Sagas

A previous post discussed the subject with regard to treatises and the use of the sword and shield. […] The idea that the shields of this period were weak in some fashion, even though there is evidence of them being destroyed in the same saga, should not be over-stated, the shield was still used as…

Sword and Shield Treatises

In studying the idea of the use of sword and shield in the medieval period there is an issue as there is a large gap in knowledge. Studying the sword and shield in the Renaissance period is not so much of an issue as when the shield left the battlefield it found a place in…