This is an interpretation of George Silver's “Brief instructions” work, incorporating aspects of his “paradoxes” work. 10 general lessons Lesson 1:  be aware of the ground around you. Use the terrain to your advantage. Get the sun behind you and in the opponent's face. Lesson 1: use the environment Lesson 2: consider the guard your opponent is in and make sure you are guarded in whatever way you feel is appropriate. Make sure that no part of you - leg, arm, hand, head, etc. -

This is an interpretation of George Silver's “Brief instructions” work, incorporating aspects of his “paradoxes” work. Silver’s fencing theory The fight is to be conducted according to the 4 governors  and the 4 grounds . The four grounds are: Through judgment  you keep your distance . Through distance you take your time . Through time you win the place . The four governors are judgement , measure , and the twofold mind  - to go forwards always with a mind to go backwards. Th

This is an interpretation of George Silver's “Brief instructions” work, incorporating aspects of his “paradoxes” work. The sword A single or double-edged one-handed sword, with a decent hand guard providing protection from cuts from most angles. This is basically a basket hilt, but not quite as protective as a later Scottish basket hilted broadsword. Perfect length is basically a blade from just above your hip to your outstretched off-hand, somewhere between 33 and 37 inches

Variations of this question pop up on Reddit all the time: can I learn fencing by myself? Can I learn sabre or rapier from a book? There aren't any clubs near me… etc. Let's pick this question apart as it could have several meanings: Someone wants to learn fencing from scratch, by themselves, with no other people, and no one teaching them other than videos and books. Someone already has a base in fencing (perhaps longsword or sabre) but wants to independently learn a new syst

The hierarchy of control is - as I've been informed by a professor who has been involved in safety research for the last 35+ years - one of the few safety models that has actually, demonstrably, improved safety. In short, it simply states that actions taken to control risk are more effective at the top of the hierarchy than those at the bottom. It doesn't mean that actions should not be taken at the bottom of the hierarchy, just that those at the top should be considered fir

"[This] Is actually allocated to the high guards. It is only used in the bind after you have come under your opponent’s sword. You should refrain from moving into this guard for as long as you see your opponent’s point and blade still in front of you, as you will not be safe from anything [in front of you] in this [guard]. However, as soon as you come under their sword, then this is one of the most exemplary guards, and you use it thusly:" Play 1 "When you have now come under

Everything fenced from this guard can more readily be fenced form other guards, but Meyer wanted to illustrate a few tricks... Play 1 # You Opponent 1 Right change guard Longpoint 2 Strike up from change guard with false edge 3 times 3 Hit from the right side with the flat to their left ear Move steeply upward, i.e. to parry 4 Release your left hand from the pommel and let your blade snap around in one hand upward from below toward their right. Set the front point on their ch

This is my current approach to using 15th-century German fencing theory. You may have a different interpretation—and indeed, the...

Editor's note: this is a much abridged and edited/reworded version of Joachim Meyer's 1570 book. Its purpose was to a) force me to...

This is the first part in my Fencing from first principles (FFFP) series, where I explore a general topic in depth to truly understand...