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 it (the art of fencing as a martial art itself rather not). Thus, caution should be exercised here. Some fencing pieces are simply a nice piece of jewellery, serve the art of showmanship or are “corrupted” in content by tradition and copying. It is also not advisable to generalise that each piece of the source must prove a usefulness in the battle of life and death. The critical examination of the source is an essential part of the interpretation. Even medieval masters are not freed from nonsense and charlatanry.
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