Ringeck's invaluable 15th-century compilation of the lessons of German fencing master Johannes Liechtenauer is given new life by two modern students of the sword. The original text is presented with extensive interpretations and detailed, instructive drawings to capture the medieval swordsman's art.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
just Great!:
It opens up your mind... to the range of movements available for the longsword (some of them you'd never thought possible), to what swordplay was... The things I've learned from it so far helped me greatly in improving my stage combat performance, even if the book doesn't contain specific stage swordplay techniques (quite the opposite, I'd say).
The best book for describing longsword technique:
I am a "newbie" to the longsword. For the last six months I have been studying on my own. I have used other books and publications to try to understand the guard and strike positions. These sources use "static" drawings or photos. This approach makes it difficult to visualize the full movement of a maneuver. The authors of "Sigmund Ringeck's Knightly Art of the Longsword" converted photos to drawings. The drawings include arrows that represent the flow of the maneuver. It is much easier to get a... more info
Changed my perspective on longsword:
This is a seemingly accurate and easy to follow presentation. Manuals like this are hard to find. I was able to take it and within the space of a week employ many new gambits in my practice. I would have considered most of these beforehand to be inaplicable at speed or too awkward to quickly learn. Very direct and clearly illistrated. If you're part of any of the medieval re-enactment groups out there this book will be very rewarding.
Great Place to Start:
This is an excellent book. It is a great place to start. Having said that, there is nothing like having a good Western Martial Arts instructor though.
