ladypommel

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Aren’t swords just the most beautiful thing ever?

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Some thoughts on classification

It’s been well stated, and I think now it is well known, that most terms we use to refer to specific kinds of sword are modern ones, and that for the vast majority of history, people simply referred to a sword as ”sword” perhaps with a descriptor or two to differentiate form other swords.

Some purists may state that this means that all modern terms are therefore invalid, however I think most people would disagree, as I do. More words to allow for clearer and more concise communication is no bad thing. It’s good to be able to say “Longsword,” and have you immediately know I’m referring to something like this,

rather than another sword which may be unusually long, like a rapier or zweihander.

There is, however, one distinction that I don’t quite get, and I don’t view as necessary, and i’ts that of the rapier versus the side sword.

Sure, with some classic side swords you think “how could you ever call that a rapier?”

But there are others which may be just a little too short, and just a little too thick in the blade,

and you think, “well, maybe…” Then you get swords like this, 

The blade is a little thicker than you might expect of a classic rapier, but no so thick that it you could never consider calling it a rapier.

What complicates matters further is that there was no distinction made between the two in the era they were used, despite the fact that clear distinctions between sword types was beginning to emerge. George Silver makes it abundantly clear that the rapier is something distinct from other swords.

Rapiers are said to have first been made in Spain, and the first ones looked like this, very much what I would call a side sword not a rapier.

They were called Espada Ropera, a term that would survive to refer to weapons like this,

which are very, very much not side swords.

The term side sword itself comes from the Italian term, spada da lato. The funny thing is, I have never seen this term used in Italian treatises. From Achille Marozzo,

 to Giacomo DiGrassi, 

to Capo Ferro,

the Italian masters all seem to universally refer to the weapons they teach simply as spada, sword. Perhaps someone more experienced with a wider variety of Italian manuals can tell precisely where the term comes from.

Regardless, the sort of techniques which are typically applied to what is either termed a side sword or a rapier from these Italian treatises realistically can be applied to either, and I have seen it done so and have done so myself. 

Stylistically, there is little difference between the two weapons, and from a technical use standpoint, there is virtually none. Therefore, I pose that the two terms do not refer to different sorts of weapons, but rather may be used interchangeably, for all intents and purposes.

I freely invite anyone with thoughts on the subject to add your piece, and I know there are a few HEMA and historical swords people out there I would like to hear from. @elsegno @victoriansword @peashooter85 @pteappic @cossack-armiger @historicalfightingguide @short-swords @swordlesbianism @longswordsinlondon @sirobvious, I know some of these blogs are more active than others, but I would like to hear the thoughts of all of you (there are some others that come to mind, but they are either not very active, or I’m unsure if they would like to be called attention to like this.

So, let’s have at it!

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"Lobster" heavy gloves v. 1.2 

 Upgrades in comparison to the previous version:

lighter,

eco-friendly thanks to the use of eco-leather on a cuff,

additional styrogum caps, increasing the safety of sides and base of a thumb against possible injuries,

better mobility of a thumb thanks to the way of mounting the basis of a thumb and metacarpus.

very first impressions: 

Coming from the Red Dragon gloves the difference is unbelievable. It takes quite a bit of time to get used to the weight and stiffness BUT this is the price you pay for full hand protection. I was surprised when i noticed they added an additional leather protection to the thumb, definitely a good choice considering all the broken/cut fingers i saw recently in tournaments. I will deinifitely try other models in the future so i will be able to make an honest comparison! If you happen to know different options to the Lobster Gloves let me know! 

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Gonna have to write a paragraph on Capoferro :D

“How to become a complete fencer To become a complete fencer, taking lessons from a Master does not suffice. Instead you should seek to play daily, with various fencers, always if possible practising with those who know more than you. This is because a fencer with great practical ability becomes perfect in this craft.” Ridolfo Capoferro (1610)

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some nice ass truth over here! 

When you pick up a sword for the first time you will be slow and awkward. This is frustrating, but refuse the temptation to try and become a “faster” fencer. Chasing after speed is like trying to catch smoke. If you try and pursue speed, all you will accomplish is haste. Haste is the enemy of 1st class fencing.

Speed is a lie the untrained mind tells itself when it sees an action it cannot follow. The truth is a combination of timing, control, and fluidity. Fluid motion, even done slowly, will always arrive before a hasty strike. Control will allow you to move without wasteful motion that will slow you down. Timing will eliminate the need to move fast almost entirely. There is no need to get somewhere fast so long as you get there at the right time.  

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Del Verme castle in Zavattarello - Pavia, Italy

I had fun today at the medieval fair in Zavattarello, a small historical town near home! I wanted to share some pictures <3 hope you like it!

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Some truth in this post. I have never been in the position of hurting someone but I have trained with people that hit me out of vengeance for a point I scored or out of anger. IT’S NOT OK.

a Simple Guide to Avoid being a Complete Fuckup

Long sword is not hard to do safely, as long as you are thoughtful and methodical about it.

There’s risks, and chances are if you do long sword for any reasonable period of time, you will break something. Because of this we need to know how to be good to each other when it does happen.

I’ve seen lots of personal relationships completely destroyed by poor handling and lack of empathy around this kind of incident. I recently destroyed a good friendship because safety issues were too important to me to hold back saying something cruel but true. I hope people learn to find ways to avoid this stuff.

If your opponent or training partner makes some request of you for their safety, respect it, even if you don’t agree with it. There are no excuses for this.

When you clock them in the head or hit them in a way that didn’t feel nice, when there is a brief pause give a simple “was that one ok?” indicate where on the body you were worried you might have hurt them and they will know what you are talking about. If you are unsure whether you should check, then you should check. If they don’t know what you are talking about, you are OK. if they look even remotely uncomfortable or hesitant in their answer, dial it back or don’t repeat the action which caused the worrisome hit.

If you hurt someone, stop and make sure they get whatever attention they need. Don’t blame or even talk about anything other than what you yourself can do to make sure the chances of the accident being repeated are reduced. Don’t tell them they should have been wearing certain gear: If you knew their gear was no good and fenced them with enough power to fuck them up, you are still at fault. Buy them the gear you think they need or just shut up about it and be compassionate. Don’t tell them it was their fault. Even if you think it was. They are worrying about whether they’ll be able to train for the near future. Someone can tell them where they made their mistake. You’re not that person at the moment.

Don’t reframe the discussion to be about “reasonable” expectations for rates of injury in a “martial art” - you are a wanker, and worse, a stupid one. Everyone knows there are risks. The point is doing what we can to mitigate them. Every injury incident is a mistake. Every injury incident has only one productive outcome: A better idea on how to reduce chances of repeating the mistake.

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Wilkie halfsword in the final exchange of the bronze match at SFXII

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OMG haven’t been updating this page in soo long! I opened up tumblr and I was shocked seeing how many of you are following now! Anyway, there are many news. I moved back to Italy and I have joined a new club, doing also some re-enactment as you can see! I promise I will keep updating regularly! ✨ Stabbi Stabbi my bois 💋

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NEAT

reminder for me: more practice on disarming and grappling 

Found this moment during editing earlier! At the Dutch Lions Cup 2017 Valerio Boekhout and Kristian Ruokonen disarmed each other at the same time and then continued the exchange with switched feders

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Spada son contro ogni arma mortale, né lanza né azza né daga contra mi vale. Longa o curta me posso fare e me strengo e vegno allo zogho stretto, e vegno allo tor d’ spada e allo abrazare, mia arte si è rotare e ligadure so ben fare de coverte e ferire sempre in quelle voglio finire. Chi contra me farà ben lo farò languire. E son Reale e mantengo la justicia, la bontà acresco e destruzo la malizia. Chi me guarderà facendo in me crose, de fatto d’armizare gli farò fama e vose.”

Fiore dei Liberi, 1410

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The importance of Order in cuts

As we all know, sword fighting is not easy at all. The image portrayed by movies and games sometimes makes it feel like it’s the simple result of pure passion, speed and strength but the reality is that there is a science behind a duel, and it’s damn hard.

One of the first ideas i was introduced to when i first started HEMA is the very important and fundamental concept of Order of cuts.

 Let’s take as an example this well executed Mandritto Fendente

As you can see, the entire motion of the body starts from the force impressed on the pommel. This way, the blade is first moving forward and right after the cut is completed, the motion forces your body to step. 

This is very important because it gives you more time to react, preventing your body to get too close to the opponents blade.

It can be really frustrating to get used to the body mechanics so i found a couple of exercises that might help muscle memory!

THIS video explains how to execute a correct Fendente cut 

THIS shows some exercises for body mechanics development 

important: If you, dear reader, have some suggestions, PLEASE contact me! i’d love to receive some advice on how to improve myself

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now, this is what i call a GREAT recovery!!

Original video from Warriors of Ash, send some love! 

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super useful way of seeing how practice is applied in combat. Wanna see more of these clips!! 

“You don’t rise to the occasion, you sink to the level of your training.”

Train the way you fight, fight the way you train. Above is a demonstration to a class, below the application during a bout. Ilkka and Hannu Hartikainen demonstrating, Ilkka Hartikainen and Axel Petterson fencing.

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after seeing this post i kinda wanna get into Marozzo a bit more 

At the Helsinki Bolognese Open 2017 I had a very fun bout with Chris Warelius (purple socks) that was dead even throughout and went to sudden death. Chris is my clubmate. We fence a lot together and we’ve had a 50/50 record for years. We keep meeting in tournaments and we definitely have a friendly rivalry going on.

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Bits and pieces of info for people considering getting into sword-fighting:

European unarmoured sword-fighting 

European sword-fighting in armour

Historical European Martial Arts fact sheet

Resources for historical fencing beginners

Sword-fighting terminology

Physical training for longsword fencers

What is unarmoured longsword fencing?

How to choose the right historical fencing school

Is there an historical fencing school near me?

How to choose the right equipment for HEMA

List of steel training longswords

List of protective equipment

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Regenyei ringed feder finally in my hands! The difference is unbelievable and I’m so happy 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻