Recommendations for good books on teaching fencing?

[KeithFarrell]

Hey guys, I would like to look at some textbooks about teaching fencing. In particular I am interested in teaching theories and models and woud like to see how other people believe these can be applied to the teaching of fencing. People keep saying that there are good books available that discuss this sort of thing and I would like to have a read at a couple. So, can anyone make some recommendations? Cheers!

[Phil C]

Szabo "Fencing and the Master"
Nadi "On Fencing"
Gaugler "The Science of Fencing"
Evangelista "The Art and Science of Fencing"

All classics of the genre and give a solid grounding in the needs of teaching groups and individuals, how to develop and build skills and techniques and also provide a useful framework which can be used to "map" historical tecnhiques in order to develop a developmental currciulum (much as Ken illustrates in his spadone book).

Anything else you can find by these authors is also very well worth reading (though possibly slightly dated).

[KeithFarrell]

Thanks Phil!

[Motley]

Another book worth a look is Ken Mondsheins new "The Art of the two handed sword".

It has a few translations of some Spadone sources in the first part, the best of which is the two handed stuff from the Riccardiano.

The best bit of the book though is the second part where he applies fencing theory to a two-handed sword (nominally Spadone but he has been very open that he is really pitching it at any part of HEMA), he references all the books (and more) that Phil mentioned but also shows how it can be used. It has definitely given me a lot to think about. I believe that there is some merit in taking a modified version of this approach (respecting your sources) and then applying the source you study over the top.

So I think that it is a very good intro to showing how the classical fencing sources can be adapted to our context. Even if you don't agree with his approach there is a lot to learn I think, to me it seems to fit in with the general theme I have wanted to explore and what a few others have been finding - that general fencing concepts are still very important to us in HEMA.

[KeithFarrell]

Thanks Dan. That sounds like a very interesting piece of work, I shall have to get my hands on it soon.

[Mark T]

Hi Keith,

Also check out The Learning Process DVD by Charles Selberg.

Mark T