Resources for Spanish Fencing (Location: Albany, NY)

[Shama_Grier]

Hello. My name is Shama~ Grier and I have been interested in martial arts, both western and eastern, for some time now. Unfortunately I have always had the luck of having a parent who though such things were evil and violent and never living nearby any places where I was able to train. Now on the cusp of independence I have been researching heavily various martial arts from around the world and chose a small group I was relatively interested in. Unfortunately for me all the martial forms I am interested in are rather rare and it is difficult to find teachers anyway, let alone one near me. One such is spanish fencing (Destreza). I have wanted to begin fencing and learn how to fence in this style specifically due to it's precise and not very flashy nature. I also was interested in it due to the cicular nature of encounters (from what I have read in manuals and books) as opposed to linear, common to other forms of fencing.

I was curious if I could have some help in getting started or if there was anyone in my area interested in this type of fencing. If not, is there anyone who could help lead me in the right direction?

[Denise Smith]

Welcome Shama,

I have found a wealth of information here on the ARMA website. There is even more on the members only side after you've become a registered member. A great number of the ARMA members are 'independent' (i.e. without an instructor). They study the website information, they read and study the books (listed on the website) and they travel to practice with other ARMA members.

I'm sure our European members will reply regarding to who is in your area. If you are ever in Tennessee, USA our group is in Tullahoma and we have other ARMA members as close as Clarksville, and Knoxville.

Welcome, and good luck!

[Jon Pellett]

Hi there

Well, la Verdadera Destreza is pretty fascinating, but not the easiest to get into. The primary literature is in old academic Spanish, and only a few groups seem to be working with it. Some other style might be easier to study and practice. But if you want to go for it, good luck.

A new translation of Thibault's "Academy of the Sword" (an extensive and really beautifully illustrated Destreza book from around 1630) is due to be published this fall. It's technically not mainstream Destreza, but it would probably be worth looking at. I plan to get the book just for the pictures, myself.

A couple in California have a site with some interesting Destreza research, including articles about the basics of the system: Destreza Translation and Research Project.

There is actually a fencing school in New York which teaches among other things the head instructor's reconstruction of Destreza. There are some articles of hishere. I think he may have a video too.

There are groups in Spain which study Destreza, and one of them apparently just released a book, but it is in Spanish. See this Swordforum thread.

You'll notice that everyone disagrees with each other's interpretations, usually politely, sometimes to the point of outright insults, fighting, and accusations of fraud and incompetence. This is normal. It happens with other styles too.

Cheers

[Brian Hunt]

Well Spanish Fencing may be able to be broken down into two different styles as well. There is the "true art" and the "vulger". From what research I have read Carranza, his student and a few others fall into the "true art" and a lot of other authors fall into the "vulger." The "vulger" forms are similar to Italian fencing whereas the "true art" is more what people generally think about when they think of "spanish fencing." I plan to purchase the translation of Thibault as soon as it is availible. I think that the Destrella Translation page is a good resource, however based upon past experience, I would be carefull of anything written at Martinez's website and would reccomend a high degree of personal research to verify any of his claims. Also, we have an interesting Destreza manual translated and availible for free right here on the ARMA webpage that compares the spanish and the italian styles. http://www.thearma.org/Manuals/destreza.htm As always, I reccomend pressure testing any interpretation with an uncooperative opponent to make sure it is martially sound. Stuff that appears to work well at quarter to half speed often falls apart at full speed.

Personally based upon lots of personal research and the number of resouces currently availible, I have primarily stuck with Italian fencing for rapier much like I have primarily studied German Longsword instead of Italian for the similar reasons.

Good luck in your studies.

Brian Hunt
GFS