Steel and Silver

30/07/2023

I’ve joined a new club which is keeping me quite busy and sadly I don’t think I’ll have time to keep this page active going forward. If you want to keep seeing my sporadic mix of anecdotes and sword themed memes please follow Masters of Defence (link in the comments).

Before I go though, I just need to get one thing off my chest…

People who are decidedly against the backsword and the masters who used it seem to think all backsword and highland broadsword fighting relied entirely on the basket to protect the hand so made for fighters who are fundamentally flawed with any sword without a basket hilt.

The only source I’m aware of that does encourage relying on the basket is Andrew Lonnergan’s “Fencers Guide” published in 1771. The rest view the basket as an extra layer of protection after proper wards and slips just in case they fail. Probably because this is what happens when you ward with the basket rather than the forte.

19/06/2023

This line always reminds me of the suffragette mentality, and Edith Garrud's attitude in particular. So for Mrs Garrud's birthday, Marie is wearing Votes for Women ribbons.

07/06/2023

Another colourful victorian has come to my attention... R G Allanson-Winn, a.k.a. Shaikh Rahmatullah al-Farooq, was the fifth baron of Headley. 20 years after writing his books on the noble science of defence, he converted to Islam and presided over the British Muslim Society for some time. He was also offered the throne of Albania in 1925 (three years after he became bankrupt) but refused it.

30/05/2023

Don't you hate it when you are so focussed on executing your technique perfectly you forget to be prepared to fly out?

22/05/2023

Here's another noteworthy figure from British martial arts history:
Ned Donnelly was one of the most significant and successful instructors in the history of British boxing, noted for his “inborn knack of imparting his own knowledge”. Apparently he was also fond of drink and a proficient step-dancer.
He developed his skills as a prize fighter and believed the advent of the Queensbury Rules meant newer fighters lacked the experience of a fight with more serious risk of injury and might become lax in their defence.
“The Prize Ring is now extinct. The prizes have disappeared, but the lessons remain.”

12/05/2023

28/04/2023

We were at a HEMA event recently and I realised we use some technical terminology people from other clubs aren’t familiar with. Do let us know any technical terminology your club uses.
..

Ting tang = bout, fight --> Fancy a ting tang?
Struggle snuggle = grappling (especially when there is no clear winner) --> That wasn’t a throw, that was a just struggle snuggle.
Combat duvet = fencing jacket --> Get your combat duvet on, it’s time for a ting tang.
Combat nuzzle = headbutt (but gently) --> And when they get REALLY close, give them a combat nuzzle.
Dinner plate = buckler --> That’s a shiny new dinner plate you have there.

19/04/2023

Archibald MacGregor was a Paisley fencing master who toured Scotland in the late 1700's giving lectures and instruction on the sword. He shows a distinct preference for the spadroon over the broadsword or small sword, though this seems to be mostly based on the techniques typically taught using these weapons.
N.B. He refers to a buckler in his text but what he describes seems more like a targe.

10/04/2023

History repeats itself once again

02/04/2023

Edith Garrud is often credited as the creator of suffrajitsu, the martial art used by the suffragettes and in particular The Bodyguard which was suited to women and the clothing they wore.

The term 'Suffrajitsu' was coined by an anonymous English journalist in a widely republished article first issued in March 1914.

Garrud was keen for her training not be seen as an encouragement to attack police officers, but rather as a means for women to defend themselves against assaults, especially in domestic situations.

26/03/2023

I would just like to say a quick but heartfelt thank you to the HEMA community for the way it supports the sharing of knowledge, particularly those parts of the community that put translations and transcriptions of primary source swordsmanship manuals online for free. Thank you, you wonderful people.

14/03/2023

It is generally agreed that the best number of swords to own is n + 1, n being the number you currently own.

Coincidentally, TORM is this weekend.