The Art of the Two-Handed Sword

The Art of the Two-Handed Sword PDF Author: Ken Mondschein
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781387741816
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The Art of the Two-Handed Sword translates one of the latest surviving works on the use of the two-handed sword, a Renaissance descendant of the medieval knightly weapon that was equally at home on the battlefield, at tournaments, in the fencing academy, or on the street. The second half of the book provides a clear, practical, detailed guide to its use, as well as to the theory and practice of historical fencing. Francesco Alfieri's 1653 Lo Spadone (The Two-Handed Sword) provides a "missing link" between medieval and modern martial arts. It displays clear continuity with both medieval swordsmanship and the still living still-living traditions of sabre and great stick.Beginning in the fourteenth century, swords became more sharply pointed in order to pierce the plate armor of the day, and the grip became longer to allow two-handed use for greater power. By the end of the fifteenth Century, the two-hander, as long as a man is tall, had become a fearsome infantry weapon used to break up pike formations and in honor guards defending the standard or banner. It was also used in tournaments, on the field of honor, and for civilian self-defense. This long two-hander was known in Italy as the spadone. Its basic methods have continued to the present day in staff technique.This is the second printing of the 2012 SKA Swordplay Books first complete English translation of Alfieri's book, supplemented by related materials: the MS Riccardiano (c. 1550) and works by Camillo Agrippa (1553), Giacomo di Grassi (1570), and finally Guieseppe Colombani (1711), who provides our last textual reference to the weapon.Alfieri's work is supplemented by Ken Mondschein's painstaking reconstruction and adaptation of longsword practice for the present day. He draws on primary sources, martial arts traditions, classical and modern fencing theory, and extensive practical experience to create a practical and enjoyable method for learning and practic-ing the spadone under modern conditions. Numerous photographs illustrate the techniques.

The Art of the Two-Handed Sword

The Art of the Two-Handed Sword PDF Author: Ken Mondschein
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781387741816
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
The Art of the Two-Handed Sword translates one of the latest surviving works on the use of the two-handed sword, a Renaissance descendant of the medieval knightly weapon that was equally at home on the battlefield, at tournaments, in the fencing academy, or on the street. The second half of the book provides a clear, practical, detailed guide to its use, as well as to the theory and practice of historical fencing. Francesco Alfieri's 1653 Lo Spadone (The Two-Handed Sword) provides a "missing link" between medieval and modern martial arts. It displays clear continuity with both medieval swordsmanship and the still living still-living traditions of sabre and great stick.Beginning in the fourteenth century, swords became more sharply pointed in order to pierce the plate armor of the day, and the grip became longer to allow two-handed use for greater power. By the end of the fifteenth Century, the two-hander, as long as a man is tall, had become a fearsome infantry weapon used to break up pike formations and in honor guards defending the standard or banner. It was also used in tournaments, on the field of honor, and for civilian self-defense. This long two-hander was known in Italy as the spadone. Its basic methods have continued to the present day in staff technique.This is the second printing of the 2012 SKA Swordplay Books first complete English translation of Alfieri's book, supplemented by related materials: the MS Riccardiano (c. 1550) and works by Camillo Agrippa (1553), Giacomo di Grassi (1570), and finally Guieseppe Colombani (1711), who provides our last textual reference to the weapon.Alfieri's work is supplemented by Ken Mondschein's painstaking reconstruction and adaptation of longsword practice for the present day. He draws on primary sources, martial arts traditions, classical and modern fencing theory, and extensive practical experience to create a practical and enjoyable method for learning and practic-ing the spadone under modern conditions. Numerous photographs illustrate the techniques.

Two Handed Sword

Two Handed Sword PDF Author: Neil Melville
Publisher: Pen & Sword Military
ISBN: 9781526733139
Category : Swords, Medieval
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The two-handed swords found in modern museums are often so large and elaborately decorated that the onlooker might question whether such an apparently impractical weapon could ever have been a serious weapon of war. Yet during the Late Middle Ages, although never numerous, such weapons could instil dread in those that faced them on the battlefield and in skilled hands posed a very real danger, being capable of inflicting fearsome wounds. Neil Melville explains how, from the late-13th century, technological advances made the development of larger swords requiring both hands both possible and desirable. From their origins in Germany he traces their development and divergence into regional variations. He examines the evidence for their use on the battlefield over 300 years, most notably in the hands of the Swiss, the German landsknechts and the Scottish clans, before considering their later use in fencing and as ceremonial weapons. Practical advice on fighting with the two-handed sword is also given, drawing on contemporary fencing manuals. The detailed and informative text is beautifully enhanced by dozens of illustrations.

Fiore Dei Liberi's Sword in Two Hands

Fiore Dei Liberi's Sword in Two Hands PDF Author: Brian R. Price
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781891448133
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
The reconstruction of highly efficient and deadly medieval fighting systems has seen a popular resurgence as students recreate these arts through structured martial arts training and then test their skills in competitive tournaments. Brian R. Price, Principale for one of the largest martial arts / historical fighting schools and author of the immensely popular Techniques of Medieval Armour Reproduction, presents the first English-language book focused solely on the astounding swordsmanship of the late 14th century swordmaster, Fiore dei Liberi. In the Fior di Battaglia the old master recorded an integrated fighting system that includes grappling, work with and against a dagger, baton, the sword in one and two hands, spear and poleaxe, in and out of armour, on foot and on horseback. This system, based on a set of simple principles, is as effective as any martial arts system since devised. Sword in Two Hands distills this system through the use of the hand-and-a-half sword using a proven, logical, systematic approach integrating modern training techniques. The book includes drills and more than 700 color photographs.

The Sword in the Age of Chivalry

The Sword in the Age of Chivalry PDF Author: Ewart Oakeshott
Publisher: Boydell Press
ISBN: 9780851157153
Category : Antiques & Collectibles
Languages : en
Pages : 212

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Book Description
The Resplendent image of the medieval knight is concentrated in the symbolism of his sword. The straight, two-edged, cross-hilted knightly sword of the European middle ages was an object of vital importance, a lethal weapon on the battlefield and a badge of chivalry in that complex social code. Ewart Oakeshott draws on his extensive research and expert eye (and hand, for he has a special sense for the feel of a sword) to develop a typology for and recount the history of the sword, from the knightly successors of the Viking weapon to the emergence of the Renaissance sword - that is, roughly from 1050 to 1550. Within this time-span, two distinct groups of swords successively evolved. Problems of dating are acute, and evidence is adduced from literature and art as well as from archaeology, for a sword (or some parts of a sword) could have been in use several generations after it first saw battle. To deal with such overlap, Ewart Oakeshott develops, refines and illustrates a detailed typology of swords which takes in entire swords, pommel-forms, cross-guards, and the grip and scabbard.

Sword in Hand

Sword in Hand PDF Author: Ewart Oakeshott
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780971437906
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 146

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Book Description


The Two-Edged Sword

The Two-Edged Sword PDF Author: Donald W. Tucker
Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing
ISBN: 1608445666
Category : African American civil rights workers
Languages : en
Pages : 274

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Book Description
For Donald W. Tucker, life from the get-go was a two-edged sword-a "damned if you do/ damned if you don't" black & white shades & wing-tips jungle existence of working the streets of Southside Chicago undercover ("with no cover") as a Federal narcotics and SS agent. Tucker was quick, sharp and street smart. Ultimately he rose through the ranks to become one of America's foremost federal law enforcement administrators and reformers. The Two-Edged Sword is a grim, gutsy, raw in-your-face first-hand account of what it was like to be Black and work as an undercover agent for the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (now called the DEA), and United States Secret Service from 1961-1990-some of the toughest years in this country's history of Civil Rights. Tucker's life story reads like a best-selling 007 whodunit, more fiction than fact-yet all of it really happened. "Too many times the risks were far greater than anticipated, but I was young and dumb," writes Tucker. "I didn't know what I was doing until I felt a .45 slammed against my head. Or, until I found myself being cuffed and dragged into a police car manned by an officer who had no way of knowing I was an undercover agent." "That I survived to tell my story is sheer luck," admits Tucker, whose office walls are plastered with certificates, awards and citations for his outstanding service. Tucker was born and raised in a postage stamp apartment that housed five children and four adults. A football scholarship to the University of Iowa served as his ticket to a better life. In 1961 he received his B.A. with a major in sociology and was immediately hired as an undercover agent for the Chicago FBN. In 1962, Tucker was serving in one of the U.S. Military units called in to escort black student James Meredith through the front door of Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi. Just as they were about take off for Oxford, however, Tucker and all other blacks were singled out and ordered to stay on base. This act of segregation was a turning point in Tucker's adult life. From that time on and for the rest of his life, he became a voice to be reckoned with as a Civil Rights advocate. In the Federal Law Enforcement agencies and in subsequent positions as U.S. Marshal for the District of Arizona and Protector for the Federal Courts, he was nicknamed "Tucker the Troublemaker." After a career with the USSS for almost 25 years, Tucker retired in March 1990. On March 26, 1990, he was sworn in as U.S. Marshal for the District of Arizona. In August 1994, Tucker was appointed Chief of Court Security for the Administrative Office of the United States Courts in Washington, D.C. In this capacity, he monitored the security provided to the Federal Judiciary and supervised the $150 million budget. He also coordinated the investigation of the bombing of the Federal Courthouse in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Tucker returned to Arizona in March 1996, and in January 1997, he started his own Investigations Company, T.I.P.S. (Tucker Investigations and Protective Services).

The Medieval Longsword

The Medieval Longsword PDF Author: Neil Grant
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472821556
Category : Antiques & Collectibles
Languages : en
Pages : 81

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Book Description
The formidable European longsword – featuring a double-edged straight blade in excess of 40in, and capable of being used with one or both hands – remains one of the most impressive and distinctive edged weapons of the late medieval era. Also known as the 'bastard' sword and the 'hand-and-a-half' sword, the longsword evolved from the war swords and great swords of the 14th century, and emerged as a battlefield weapon in the early stages of the Hundred Years' War. It went on to become a key weapon on the battlefields of late medieval Europe, creating a new system of sword fighting. Drawing together period sources, modern technical analysis and his own experiences with the longsword, Neil Grant explores the origins, manufacture and evolving use of this iconic late-medieval edged weapon. Illustrated throughout with specially commissioned full-colour artwork and an array of period illustrations and close-up photographs, this is the enthralling story of one of late-medieval Europe's most distinctive and deadly close-combat weapons.

Iberian Swordplay

Iberian Swordplay PDF Author: Domingo Luis Godhinho
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781937439330
Category : Fencing
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
In 1599, during the period when the Portuguese crown was united to the crowns of Castile and Aragon, a Portuguese master-at-arms called Domingo Luis Godinho wrote a manuscript in Spanish entitled Arte de Esgrima (The Art of Fencing). Although Godinho's life is largely a mystery and his text was never published, today his manuscript of utmost relevance in the study of Renaissance Iberian fencing, since it is the only complete treatise discovered so far describing the "Common" or "Vulgar" style of Iberian fencing, first documented in the 15th century, but by Godinho's day, displaced by the new system of La Verdadera Destreza. The work includes instructions for the single sword, a long-bladed, cut & thrust weapon taught alone and with the use of the shield, buckler, dagger, and cape, as well as paired with a second sword. Godinho's instructions also includes the longest known text on the use of the montante, or two-handed sword, a devastating weapon that was used by soldiers and body-guards, in duels and battlefields, in crowded streets and aboard galleys. Translator Tim Rivera provides a detailed introduction that explains Godinho's relationship to earlier masters of the "Common School" of swordsmanship, and a short primer on the various weapons, guards, parries, footwork and terminology of the tradition.

Diaria de Bello Carolino

Diaria de Bello Carolino PDF Author: Alessandro Benedetti
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Italy
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description


TWO HANDED SWORD HISTORY, DESIGN AND USE.

TWO HANDED SWORD HISTORY, DESIGN AND USE. PDF Author: MELVILLE NEIL
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781526733146
Category : TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description