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A review by firerosearien
The Art of Combat: A German Martial Arts Treatise of 1570 by Joachim Meyer, Jeffrey L. Forgeng
4.0
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.
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.