New Guy

[Guest]

Greetings, I am new to your forum but very interested.As I read your posts I see alot of abbreviations etc. Can anyone give me a Good place to start learning about the english fighting arts? (Books videos etc.) Please remember I know NOTHING about this so I won't understand abbreviations etc. Thank you for any help.

[Joachim Nilsson]

Hi and welcome.

A good place to start would be John Clements's books Medieval Swordsmanship and Renaissance Swordsmanship, Sidney Anglo's The Martial Arts of Renaissance Europe and most of the other books found here: http://www.thearma.org/bookreviews.htm , especially the translated medieval fechtbuchs, i.e fencingbooks and fighting manuals.

Also check http://www.thearma.org/terms2.htm for terminology.

If there is anything else -don't be afraid to ask!

Regards,

[Jared L. Cass]

Welcome aboard, Todd!

Yes most all of your questions can be answered by exploring the ARMA web-site.

You had also emailed me in reguards to the book "Medieval Hand-to-Hand Combat." Under the area of "reasearch and reading" of the ARMA website (very top of this page and all others) you'll find a section called "book reviews of recient interest", I think. Keith Myers book is listed and so is his contact information reguarding how you can recieve a copy of the book.

Best of luck!

-Jared-

[Shane Smith]

If you are looking for "English Swordsmanship", I would recommend you have a look at George Silvers manual "Paradoxes if Defense" in our online-manuals section here ; http://www.thehaca.com/Manuals/GSilver.htm

That's as English as you can get <img src="/forum/images/icons/wink.gif" alt="" /> Welcome to the forum <img src="/forum/images/icons/smile.gif" alt="" />

[Guest]

Todd, English martial arts are a lot, first of all take a look and decide which one you want to start with.
In addition to John's books, which are about medieval and renaissance fencing in general, there is a book I have to buy too: English martial arts by Terry Brown.
Anyway it is a matter of which period-martial art you are most interested in, I know some people who do specific researches on specific arts:
Linacre School of Defence, they study sir William Hope (small sword, spadroon, backsword), they are very good at it, they study English pugilism as well.
Mark Hillyard seems to know Silver (renaissance English sword) well, I do not know which is his site now.
The School of the Sword (Gary Stewart) concentrates on rapiers, but I'm sure they know some English stuff.
If you want to read a few short notes with cartoonish pictures, a very very simple article, about spadroon play in Mc Bane and Roworth (1700 infantry straight sword), give me your address and I'll send my stuff to you.
Carlo

[Stuart McDermid]

Hi Todd,

We focus on English systems at Stoccata too. (You wouldn't know it by our Italian name <img src="/forum/images/icons/smile.gif" alt="" />)

www.stoccata.org.

We have a couple of English manuals online and Swetnam in particular is a great place to start. I think Swetnam is online here too.

What period/weapons are you interested in?
Cheers,
Stu.

[Jared L. Cass]

Hi, Todd. Just checking in and wondering if you've had the chance to check out any of the above information.

Also, where are you located? There may be an ARMA study group near you or one of the many scattered ARMA associates who may be interested in meeting to train.

Jared L. Cass, ARMA Associate, Wisconsin