The expert swordsmans companion pdf8/25/2023 Lambotte was a noted Belgian poet and the muse and patron of painter James Ensor. A delightful essay on fencing, on being a woman fencer, on fencing’s connection to and reflection of life, and on the characters of various fencing nationalities, among many other brief subjects. Arguably, Bazancourt’s Secrets of the Sword and Burton’s The Sentiment of the Sword occasionally connect fencing to life in general, and Gravé’s Fencing Comprehensive has a sense of this as well. So rare are these essays that I’ve found only one to list so far, although occasionally the subject is touched upon in prefaces to fencing books. They can also point out errors in technique, training, and tactics (although a fencing master is always better for this), and can reorient one’s perspective in certain cases.Īssociated fencing quotations can be found here. Fencing books provide a map to the world of swordplay. That said, the study of fencing texts does have an important place in learning to fence: it broadens one’s knowledge of the subject. ![]() They were, in essence, above my ability at the time.Īs Italo Santelli put it, fencing is something you do, not something you write (and therefore read) about! Thus were my early years filled with learning to fence not by reading but by fencing, fencing, and more fencing. The general method of instruction used by my masters was derived directly from Szabo, his master Italo Santelli, and other notable Hungarian masters such as Gyorgi Piller–yet never for four years were the works of Vass or Szabo recommended to me. ![]() Hamori’s own knowledge of the weapon and in consultation with his friend József Sakovits who was one of the world’s greatest epeeists and later Hungarian national coach. Notably, my epee instruction was derived in large part from Vass via Dr. My earliest years of fencing education, however, were dominated by fencing lessons, verbal instruction, and oral histories, not fencing books. From that point my interest in fencing texts exploded. Zold at USC, either Curry or Bower’s book (the latter I think, given Bower’s association with USC), then Charles Selberg’s Foil (and when it was published, his Revised Foil), Michel Alaux’s Modern Fencing, Marvin Nelson’s Winning Fencing, and, in 1980, Imre Vass’s Epee Fencing, soon followed by Szabo’s Fencing and the Master. These were followed by, once I started fencing in 1977 under Dr. The first fencing book I ever read, in 1975 or 1976, was Bob Anderson’s All About Fencing, along with a beginning text by Nancy Curry or Muriel Bower, I can’t recall which, probably the former. See the end of the list for suggestions on acquiring the books listed here, or for that matter, many books in general. Fencing books can be very useful, but are no substitute for proper instruction and diligent practice, as I learned from my fencing masters, Dr. The history list in particular is abridged due to sheer volume, but less so than in past years, and I have not yet begun to include much in the way of mid-19th century works or of books on swords as opposed to swordplay. ![]() ![]() Some are not listed simply because I have not yet read them. The list below, although quite long, is not exhaustive-there are many good fencing books not listed (and some more bad than good as well). It includes sections on the modern Olympic weapons, classical fencing, rapier, smallsword, various cut & thrust, theory, Japanese texts, and more. The content in this post is more background on than digression from the general subjects of this blog–swordplay and swashbucklers–, for what is either without fencing technique? The following fencing books are my recommendations for fencers across the spectrum, from early modern historical to “classical” to modern “Olympic” competitive.
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