training advice?

[Guest]

I am looking for advice on where and how to train. I live in northern Ca near the OR border, anyone nearby to train with? As a last resort I will save up, buy a sword, get a book from the local bookstore and go at it. There is a local fencing club, do you thing that would be benefical to train there, or would I be taught bad habits. My training so far has been from my grandfarher (not to be underestmated), ju jitsu, military, law enforcement training, and kenpo. Also could you recommend where to get a sword. From my reading on this forum many of the commercial ones are for show, not training. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

[Stuart McDermid]

Hi John,

If you can't find a group up your way then I would suggest that you definitely take up modern fencing. It will hone your timing, distance and point control very nicely. We have a couple of modern fencers in our school and find that they are quite deadly with a rapier and pick up new material with other weapons quite easily.
You may even be able to find a partner in the modern fencing school who would be willing to work with you. As a beginning interpreter, I would recommend starting with something in English and something of at least as young as the 17th Century. By then, manuals were being written that really were supposed to teach you to fence from scratch. A nice exception to the rule here is Di Grassi which is quite detailed and IMHO quite good for a source that isn't English.....
Cheers,
Stu.

[Brian Hunt]

Hi John,

What type of weapons are you interested in training in? Longsword? rapier? smallsword? dagger? wrestling? sword and buckler? These are things we need to know to better advise you. Modern sport fencing is a lot of fun, but a lot of the things done on a modern fencing strip are not realistic combat effective techniques, ie. flicks, straight line movement confined to a narrow space, right of way, etc. It can teach you some good techniques, distance, parries, but in my opinion if you want to learn rapier, then do rapier, if you want to do longsword then do longsword. John Clements has two good books out, one on medievil swordsmanship, and one on Renaissance Swordsmanship. I would reccomend both of them. There is a great deal of information to be derived from the various materials here on the ARMA website. I would start with the Articles & Essays section. Also attending a seminar is a wonderful way to get started, I realize that this may entail travel, but it is always worth it when you can do so. There is a seminar in Provo, Utah coming up with John Clements on long sword in January, and in Febuary there is going to be a great happening in New Orleans called Southern Knights. At the home page for ARMA are listed some good books by ARMA members that I would highly reccomend.

hope this helps.

Good luck in your training endevors.

Brian Hunt.

[Guest]

Thanks for the feedback. It is always fun to try to pick your way through a new hobbie

To be honest I don't know enough about the weapons to know what I like. I was thinking the longsword and or dagger. Other weapons that have intrested me are the staff, axe and mace but probably won't train with these. My tatics in unarmed combat tends to be quick, agressive and simple so I tend to gravatate twords weapons that fit my personality.

I have looked at the articles and essays section a bit before joining the forum. While reading is very helpful, I have to actually do it to get a feel for things. I know it sounds odd, but my instencts have to guide me on something like this, I have never done well when I thought about something to much, but when it just feels right it works the way I want to. Sorry I have a hard time explaining it.

I asked my girlfrieng if she thought I would be better at the finess weapons like a rapier, or the less subtle longsword. She wasn't sure. She said my size and strength the first inclination would be to use the longsword, however I have good enough speed and reflexes that something with more finess might be enjoyable. At the end of the day I think I neeed to pick up a couple of weapons and see what I like. Hopefully I can make it to one of the seminars. As for the dagger, I used to hunt wild pigs using dogs and a knife, so the dagger intrests me. I will also look at the local fencing group. Take care and hope make it to a seminar.

John

[Tony_Indurante]

John,

Just a couple things:

1) The longsword is a finesse weapon.

2) I, too, had "to do it" to get a feel for what Renaissance swordsmanship was about- attending a seminar is unbelievably helpful in this regard.

3) What part of the country are you in? There are study groups and individual ARMA members all over the country. I know that if you are in the Las Vegas area, I would be happy to work out with you- and I'm sure most other ARMA members feel similarly.

[Guest]

I live in Northern Ca near the Oregon border. If anyone is around I would be glad to meet up with them. I am even willing to drive a couple of hours. I have no idea how to use a sword or about them but am willing to learn. As for assuming that the larger swords are not finess weapons, well I guess I am a victom of the movies. Once I decide on a weapon, any advice on where to buy one? Thanks for the input.

[Brian Hunt]

Hi John,

As Tony said, the longsword is a weapon of finesse. It can be subtle, it can be brutal, it can be quick, it is complex and yet simple. For longsword training, I would get yourself a longsword waster, Woodenweapons makes a nice one, check out the links page for suppliers. You are also going to want a waster to attend a seminar. Then start with the stances or guards of the longsword. Learn the guards, then learn to step with the guards while moving from guard to guard. Since all strikes, counterstrikes, displacements, voids, covers, etc. all come from the guards this is the place to start. The articles and essays section has a nice article on the guards of the longsword. I would also pick up a 3rd book in addition to the 2 books I mentioned above. "The Knightly Art of the Longsword" by David Lindholm. Rennaisance Combat is a book you could forego buying if you are going to start with the longsword, it is about rapier, and cut and thrust swords.

Hope that helps.

Brian Hunt.

[Webmaster]

John,

You should contact ARMA Director John Clements. He just did a seminar in Portland, Oregon for members up there who you might be able to train with. I'm not sure about northern California, but John would know and can give you contact information. You can email him at ARMAdirector@aol.com.