Teaching & Interpreting Historical Swordsmanship [Paperback]

Brian R. Price (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 30, 2005

Historical swordsmanship and the rich spectrum of European martial arts has captured the attention of students of military history, Eastern martial artists, reenactors, stage choreographers, fencing historians, and tournament combatants. With this rediscovery has come an explosion of schools teaching historical fighting arts. Thousands of new students and teachers are clamoring not only for interpretations, but for something even more rare: guidance on techniques for teaching and interpreting the long-lost arts. There are many volumes on performance training, sports philosophy, fencing and martial arts instruction. But to date there are none that take the unique requirements of historical European martial arts into account. For the teacher must be at once an interpreter and teacher, researcher and student. Problems of artistic interpretation, translated and incomplete texts, and the larger issue of historical context are all addressed alongside practical advice about conducting single and group drills, structuring practice sessions, developing underlying principles for each system to train skilled swordsmen in both mind and body. In this volume, many leaders of the historical swordsmanship community from around the world have come together to offer valuable insights to new generations of students and instructors. The reader will find both practical hints on how to teach and philosophical approaches to guide the development of their own drills and practice exercises, treasured advice from teachers both modern and ancient. Contributors include Brian R. Price, Stephen Hand, Christian H. Tobler, Johann Heim, Milo Thurston, Sean Hayes, Colin Richards, William E. Wilson, Guy Windsor, Matthew Galas, and Luca Porzio Finally, this book goes further in that the insights presented are not limited to historical martial arts. Any teacher of physical arts will find culturally-based, practical solutions to the development of skills for students and the problems faced by their teachers.

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About the Author

Brian R. Price has been studying swordsmanship and competing in medieval-style tournaments since 1981. He is the founder of the Company of Saint George and the Schola Saint George, a school of European swordsanship that focuses on the use of the medieval knightly weapons. He is the author of "Techniques of Medieval Armour Reproduction" and "The Book of the Tournament"

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Chivalry Bookshelf (July 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891448463
• ISBN-13: 978-1891448461
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,353,830 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)