Medieval Swordsmanship: Illustrated Methods And Techniques

John Clements has provided an expansive, well-illustrated, and well-explained tome by which to understand (and begin learning, if that is your desire) Medieval Swordsmanship . I have not yet found an author who has such a breadth of detail laid out for the European Medieval Arts enthusiast in such an accessible form. It is a larger volume than Clements' earlier Renaissance Swordsmanship.What the book is:More than 200 pages of original drawings, which depict fighting stances, forms, and techniques, Clement's books not only make deciphering medieval fightbooks much easier but also makes the mechanics of learning to use the weapons accessible to the student/enthusiast of European Medieval Martial Arts. It is great starting point to understand (in a modern sense) what various medieval fight masters/books were teaching.While Clements cannot (and does not attempt to) recreate the EXACT conditions of the teaching/education/training of the old fight masters (that would be silly and not at all the point of his books), he does succeed in giving the enthusiast a fantastic starting point upon which to build a knowledgeable base of information and practical instruction of Medieval Swordfighting.I believe he has succeeded in what he has set out to do.What this book is not:An exhaustive, authoritative, exclusive, know-it-all book on everything (method, source, opinion, school-of-thought) about Medieval Swordsmanship. It is not perfect (and does not claim to be). Mr. Clements clearly states that he expects people of other groups and methods of instruction/schools of fighting to disagree with him. After all, there are many ancient fight books and manuals of instruction which do not agree upon technique and teaching.There is no all-in-one and one-for-all fighting manual that is "right".I would not use only this book and claim to be a master of European Marital Arts without training and/or instruction by a school/instructors who have studied and can interpret medieval fight books. Even then I could only claim to be a student of the ancient (and modern) masters.So why give it a "5", why not a "4" or "3" or "2" or "1"?This book met and exceeded my expectations. I am a student of Medieval Martial Arts (and have been for nearly 4 years as of Feb. 2015). Over the past 4 years,. I have bought and studied many different books (modern and facsimilies of ancient fightbooks). Although I can can say I have learned from each one, there was a slight disconnect from "translating/extrapolating" the static poses and information in ancient fightbook plates for use training in Medieval Martial Arts. Mr. Clements (along with Mike Loades) gave me the first "in-roads" into what the plates meant and how they were used.Do not expect me to agree with every conclusion in this book. Mr. Clements doesn't and gives specifics on why he wrote his books from the perspective he chose.(Tthat does show I am not just an over-excited fanboy who goes along with whatever someone else says.)He has satisfied every point he makes in his introduction as to the purpose of the book. There are many myths and improper uses of the sword (terminology, construction, use, instruction) that arise from not only media (movies, television, books) but also incorrect instruction (stage fighting and/or historical reenactment and/or training are not NECESSARILY historically accurate) and education (looking at the sword as only a museum piece or part of static history without regard to the actual use).**These methods of instruction and education are not necessarily wrong in that there is a specific reason that fighting schools and/or societies have evolved to give instruction for specific purposes, situations, and types of weapons. Fighting with 'wasters' or 'trainers' will not give the same feeling or training as fighting with steel weapons. None is "better" (meaning that fighting and using one type does not negate the validitity of using another) in the same way that records, mp3, cassettes, and cd's are valid and acceptable means of providing music. It all depends on one's preference and equipment.This book, along with Renaissance Swordsmanship, are excellent starting references for the enthusiast of European Medieval Arts.There are two DVD's that have sections or cover medieval fight books in their entirety. One is Reclaiming the Blade and the other is Medeival Fight Book.(And yes, this review has some of the same elements (OK, even most of the same words, phrases, content, etc.) as the review of Renaissance Swordsmanship. I read these two books simultaneously (and in some ways consecutively). I was similarly impressed with both books in the same way.

I have owned this title previously but due to time and tide I lost it and wanted to replace ot as I am able to return to training. I find it quite thorough and geared more to actual combat than to sport fighting. It is by no means complete as no manual will be, and is quite general in its teaching, but you can add the information from this book to your curriculum and it will fit in nicely. A very informative book and one no HEMA student should be without.

Other reviewers have commented on the author's excessive diatribes against other sparring methods than his, which is all true. Mr. Clements could do with a little humility, regardless of the clear fact that he has more than earned the right to his beliefs. His instruction methods and logic are sound, and spot on. For the beginner just starting (which is me). it would have been nice to have a more definitive guide to accessing equipment, training swords, wasters and the like. Perhaps this is hard to keep up-to-date. But a good place to start is the ARMA Houston website - they do a better job than the home website does as regards equipment. All-in-all, plenty worth the money for this book, considering I can't read either Italian or German.

This book obviously is written by someone full of passion for the techniques of Medieval Swordsmanship. However, the passion does not cover for some of the flaws. With a little more research worked into this and a correct of some of the faulty information, it would have been the bible for writers, reenactors and people interested in the historical technique of medieval sword fighting. Still when used with other historical works, it is an excellent resource.He covers medieval swords, their making, swords use with shields and against shields. He discusses sparing methods, how to stage reenactments, then historical decline of the swords, and then how the sword has evolved in martial arts of today.It's a good work, but due to glaring problems it just misses as being a great work. I would still think writers and reenactors - using it conjunction with other works - would find it a useful book and would not want to miss it.

The information in it is very detailed. I like the fact the it tells you the differences between a good sword and a bad one. You can always tell a good source of martial art information when they say practice, practice, practice, does NOT make perfect action. I gives a body drawing instead of photos. This seems not as good as photos but in reality its is much better then photos. It shows where to place feet, hips, and shoulders in relation to each other. This is what makes the difference between dodging a blow or investing in better armor. if you ever wanted a book on medieval combat or just fun information on how it was done, this is the book to get. Saying that, it does not tell how people lived during this time-line or the way they fought. It does tell you how they fought. In a good fight most don't watch the way-in but they all watch the fight itself. Good book, Thumbs up!

I found that even though John does spend a lot of time criticizing other methods, this is a necessary exhibition of misconception in the world of swordsmanship today.Not only is this a great book for those who seek to start on the path of combat the way it was done hundreds of years ago, it is an awakening to those of us that think we have been doing it all along.Don't expect this book to teach you how to fight. But do expect it to give you basic stances, cuts, attack routines and terrific illustrations. No book can teach you to fight, but John does an exceptional job of presenting a template that can be used to learn swordsmanship through training.If you are on the fence...buy it. You will be pleased with your purchase. I was.

This is my first book on the subject so I should say that I cannot compare this with other related works.This is a good book, the reason I've given it 4 stars is because I think the title is slightly misleading; it should be called something like Medieval Swordsmanship; a beginners guide. Its not comprehensive. I would like one work that if you work at it long enough, could turn one into a competition level fighter.This book is very good about telling us the state of hema and other sword related groups, equipment and training methods. I think this can help a beginner greatly and get him started with guards, parries, strikes and a few manoeuvres. Of course you will still need someone to spar and train with and an instructor would be more than helpful. No book can change that. The author is very confident in his beliefs of how its done and there is one particular area where he is probably wrong in his assertion. I actually don't think this is a big problem I just thought I'd mention it.There are descriptions and illustrations but they are not comprehensive and can be hard to follow. To get the most out of this book you would have to study it very hard and of course the subject matter is a skill that will take a lifetime to master. Unfortunately there is no shortcut but I think this book is a great start on that journey.

John Clements is a professor. He speaks without egotistical embroidery.His descriptions , instruction and suggestion , are clear and concise .He is a 'hands on' professor unlike the legion of 'arm chair experts'.No fancy footwork or spins . Just a serious study and practice of debilitating , winning or killing an oponent.

Whilst the book does contain useful information about the weapons and techniques it aims to cover, I felt much space was wasted in repetitive and long-winded criticism of methods and views of modern re-enactors and enthusiasts. A more structured approach to the practise and development of techniques would have been more useful. Having said that, I would still buy it for the information it does contain. Medieval Swordsmanship: Illustrated Methods and TechniquesMedieval Swordsmanship: Illustrated Methods and Techniques

A really excellent book on Medieval Swordsmanship . Very easy to follow and full of good information on the aspect of medieval life .Have advised my friends to get a copy.

great