The Medieval Longsword Quotes

“Every martial art, from T’ai Chi Chuan to the nuclear deterrent, is based on a doctrine—an idea of how combat works.”
― Guy Windsor, The Medieval Longsword: A Training Manual

“Lep: They say that one can’t feint, nor disengage, and that there isn’t enough time to perform body evasions and similar things. Gio: They say this because one rarely finds men who aren’t moved by wrath or fear or something else when it comes to acting in earnest, which causes their intellect to become clouded and for this reason they can’t employ them. But I say to you that if they don’t allow themselves to be defeated by these circumstances, and they keep their heads, although they may be difficult, they’ll do them safely. Lep. But what’s the reason for teaching them if they’re so difficult to employ in earnest? Gio: They’re taught so that courageous men can avail themselves of them in the appropriate occasions. Because one often sees many who were somewhat timid and fearful, yet nonetheless were able to perform them excellently when done in play; but then they were unable to avail themselves of them when the occasion arose in which to do them in earnest. Lep: I believe it, because when one loses spirit, one consequently loses art as well.”
― Guy Windsor, The Medieval Longsword: A Training Manual

“A properly constructed warm-up involves three things: loosening the joints, warming the body, and light stretching. Ideally it will also activate core stabiliser muscles, increase strength, and increase both aerobic and anaerobic endurance.”
― Guy Windsor, The Medieval Longsword: A Training Manual

“Four aspects of any action: time, measure, structure, flow p.”
― Guy Windsor, The Medieval Longsword: A Training Manual

“First one, then the other, describes in clear fencing language, in detail exactly what occurred. For example: “Mary was in coda longa, I was in posta di donna. Mary attacked with a thrust to my face. I tried to exchange the thrust, but my sword caught on the back of my mask and I missed my parry. Mary’s thrust landed in my face”. Then Mary describes what she thought happened “well, I started in tutta porta di ferro, and attacked with a mandritto fendente … (you’ll be amazed how rarely you’ll agree with each other to start with). Lastly, the observer states what he thought happened. If the observer doesn’t have a reliable fencing memory, use a video camera too. When”
― Guy Windsor, The Medieval Longsword: A Training Manual

“when entering into measure to strike, there should be a clear threat made.”
― Guy Windsor, The Medieval Longsword: A Training Manual

“The rules of feinting are pretty simple: you must create a credible threat. As your opponent responds, your strike should take less time than his second parry. Your end position should also close the line of his riposte. He may not notice that his parry has failed, and may hit you as you hit him. That he has made a mistake doesn’t make his blow any less effective. In”
― Guy Windsor, The Medieval Longsword: A Training Manual

“It is of course also possible that the attacker is deliberately feinting to draw the parry to bind it, and will strike on the same side if he manages to open the line, or on the other side if not. Feints”
― Guy Windsor, The Medieval Longsword: A Training Manual

“Any position you find yourself in can be considered a guard if you understand its tactical and technical properties. Slavishly copying a position from the treatise is useless unless you have some idea of what the position is for, what openings it leaves and what strengths it possesses.”
― Guy Windsor, The Medieval Longsword: A Training Manual

“As a general rule, like counters like. So you can try counterattacking with roverso fendente against roverso fendente, and so forth.”
― Guy Windsor, The Medieval Longsword: A Training Manual

“To work on a movement you need: A clear picture or feeling of how it is now A clear picture or feeling of how it should be A real-time feedback mechanism for identifying the difference. And”
― Guy Windsor, The Medieval Longsword: A Training Manual

“No one ever throws a perfect blow in the exact line it is supposed to be in—but by having a set of lines with which to classify blows, we can improve our own efforts, and respond more effectively to our opponent’s. Fencing principles help us draw general conclusions from a basically chaotic situation.”
― Guy Windsor, The Medieval Longsword: A Training Manual