The Art of Combat: A German Martial Arts Treatise of 1570

by Joachim Meyer

First published in 1570, Joachim Meyer s The Art of Combat is among the most important texts in the rich corpus of German martial arts treatises of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Meyer is unique in offering full recommendations on how to train for various weapons forms. He divides his book into five parts by weapon longsword; dusack (a practice weapon analogous to a sabre); rapier; dagger; and staff weapons. For each weapon, Meyer lays out the principles of its use and the vocabulary of techniques, and then describes a range of specific devices , attack combinations for use in combat. This rational approach, along with Meyer s famous and profuse woodcut illustrations, make this a crucial source for understanding the history and techniques of medieval and Renaissance martial arts. In the first ever English translation of this important work, Jeffrey Forgeng has sought to improve accessibility of the text. His Introduction is the first substantial account to be published in English of the German Fechtbuch corpus, and the Glossary likewise is the first of its kind to be published in English.

Genres: History, Martial Arts, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published January 30, 2006

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a commentary on the treatise itself - not Forgeng's translation, which is excellent, as is his intro essay.

The one big thing I came away with here was 'flashy, flashy'.

Basically, Meyer teaches you how to fence, sure, but there are a lot of - what seem to me to be - extraneous movements. There's also a note about thrusting being disallowed by the government of the time, to give you an idea.

Of course, I'm biased - I come from the school of Liechtenauer, which aims to end a fight as simply, and deadly, as possible.

Meyer is still a key part of the German tradition, and my opinion would very likely change with some experience trying to put Meyer's devices into action, but as for now I will stick with PPvD, Ringeck, and 3227a as my fencing guides.

[Michael Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book, well written and beautifully bound. I use the translation almost every week and therefore own two copies of the book. One for home and one for work!

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

both read and currently reading, heh.
Out of the historical treatises I study (largely Lichtenauer's KDF, along with some southern european greatsword (Godinho, Alfieri, and Figuredo)), this is by far the one with the most developed pedagogy

[Alfred Langerbeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for HEMA enthusiasts, only one of its kind

[Cade Hinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite European fencing treatise, Meyer illustrates his style effectively and informatively.

[Mich Must Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a translation of a text from that was written in 1570 by Joachim Meyer. It is a full guide to German martial arts of the time. The introduction is very informative and gives historical details of the time that helps the reader to fully understand the text. This includes earlier forms of martial arts and how they were taught compared to Meyers preferred method.

The actual writing is fairly easy to understand and pretty fun to read. The translator Jeffrey Forgeng mentions that there was difficulty in translating exactly and he did the best that he could. The writing is very colorful and sometimes rather comical (to me anyway). Many texts of the past come off as dull, however this is clearly not. Some spots can get a little confusing, but that’s not the case overall and a quick look at the illustrations when available helps out a lot.

This book has re-printings of original black and white, wood-cut prints, which are quite beautiful. They were apparently very expensive to produce at the time. The illustrations are actually quite useful as you’re trying to grasp the instructions. The book goes through the long sword, Dusuck, a rapier, and staff weapons.

Overall, I liked this a lot. This is good for anyone interested in historical warfare, martial arts, German history, or cultural changes in weapon use. This is written at a time when martial arts are waning in favor of guns. Meyer was trying to preserve and promote what Meyer described as “the knightly and noble art of combat”. You can tell throughout this book how proud and honorable he felt his craft was and this book is the result of such a passion.
michmustread.com

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meyer's opus on German martial arts. Aimed at single combat and introducing concepts that are clearly geared toward sport over life or death fighting. On my "currently reading" list because I'm constantly reading it and bouncing around through the sections (not organized in a way 20th c. readers usually follow).

[Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this to help me learn more than just the physical aspect of medieval martial arts. It was a good read and had some good information in it. It is a specialized topic and might not be a book for everyone.

[Tom Morin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forgeng is the best translation of Meyer, bar none. If you're here, you already know who Meyer is and know about his treatise.