The Art and Science of Staff Fighting: A Complete Instructional Guide by Joe Varady

Author:Joe Varady [Varady, Joe]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: YMAA Publication Center
Published: 2016-12-30T05:00:00+00:00

Live Steel Fight Academy’s 2005 Tournament, where I took home Grand Champion after a hard day of fighting. I won five out of eight events that day: long sword, dagger, rapier and dagger, submission grappling, and, of course, staff.

The Seven Principal Rules

The Schoole of the Noble and Worthy Science of Defence was written in 1617 by English fencing master Joseph Swetnam. In it he lays out his “seven principal rules where on true defence is grounded.” Even in modern times, these rules still make up the foundation of almost every martial art. You would do well to learn them.

1. A Good Guard: … when thou hast thy guard it is not enough to know it, but to keep it so long as thou art within reach or danger of thy enemie.

2. True Observing of Distance: … thou shouldest stand so far of from thine enemy, as thou canst, but reach him when thou dost step forth with thy blow or thrust.…

3. To Know the Place: … thou must marke which is the nearest part of thine enemie towards thee, and which lieth most unregarded, whether it be his … hand, his knee, or his leg, or where thous maist best hurt him at a large distance without danger to thy selfe.

4. To Take Time: … when opportunity is proffered thee,… then make a quicke answer … quicker than I can speake it.…

5. To Keep Space: … if thou charge thy enemy … recover thy weapons into their place, and draw thy selfe into thy guard againe, and so preparing thy selfe for to defend, and likewise to make a fresh assault with discretion.…

6. Patience: … is one of the greatest virtues that can be in a man: the Wise man saith, he is a foole which cannot governe himself.…

7. Often Practice: … without practice the Proverbe sayes, a man may forget his Pater noster.* … For skill to everie reasonable man is a friend … by which meanes such have great advantage of the ignorant and unskillful.…

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