@@radianman thank you very much for your support! I am happy you are finding these helpful.

@@chrz6183 I am happy you find it so!

@@holtfreterlabs3294 I must/have to Ask you Sir : do you practice any other style ? Or it's just evolutionary convergence ?

@@chrz6183 I studied kendo for a long time, (I still do the kata), I did a variety of other martial arts while in the Marines, got my black belt in the Marine Corps martial arts program, and then did a lot of Liechtenauer for a time. I wrote a book on it and how I find the art. During the pandemic I read the Getty translation by Greg Mele and Tom Leoni and just never left. How about you? What else do you train?

@@holtfreterlabs3294 My first real set was jeet kune do, then I got into wing chun and Filipino martial arts... got involved in the study of bladed weapons training and its relationship to empty hand boxing. Volta seems very familiar with all of this ! 🤩 Thinking about X cross pattern, "figure 8", or "five petal flower" as it could be found in those glossery ☺️🤗

@@lilithcohen4327 it was great to have you there in the class! I cannot wait to work with you again soon

@@Tanstaaflitis I look forward to hearing your thoughts!!!

@@radianman sometimes these manuals are so difficult to understand and it’s in those moments that I think about the simplest explanation. In those circumstances, I feel that is where truth is found in them. Just my interpretation of the art and I thank you for the support.

@@mulli032 not a silly question at all! Admittedly I have not but in doing so the next thing would be to look at the origin points for each stroke! That makes this much more complicated and dynamic! I am going to take a look at this! Thank you for that observation and question!

Sound very familiar with other ancient blades arts around the world : mechanically, and strategicaly. I see some filipino eskrima and éventuellement some wing chun Bart cham dao but in longer range 🤩

Thank you for all of this and yes! It was hilarious when I hit the ceiling. 😅. I really think you are going to enjoy next weeks segment when we put all Volta together!

A really interesting and useful explanation and interpretation of Fiore.

@@andyedwards9222 thank you so very much! I really appreciate it! The following video goes into more combinations of foot and sword turning too.

These are excellent observations and questions. My thoughts on the matter that that in real combat situation of the 14th Century, you are going to get what you get when it comes to dagger and grappling. For this reason, we might be able to step into a blow as often discussed in the manuscript, or after placing the point into a weakened part of the body, then press to drive. Having done the point test I did recently, it really does not take much for you to feel the point under armor. The immediate shock of 'oh! This is sharp' hit my mind and I shied away immediately. That made me turn away to stop the pain and I suspect would have given the opportunity for another more committed strike to come in. I had this conversation with someone the other day about 'what is the perfect outcome of a strike?' To me, the perfect outcome is not when you cut the person or stick them. Its one you can work off of to get to a controlled position to deploy even more accurate attacks because they are constrained and contained. I often times wonder about this because of how much fighting against someone, I find, is a series of deflecting, retaining, constraining, and maintaining to do more harm. Especially for the combat professional at the time who is coated in armor. We are planning more experiments like this for the future so we might be able to see what happens with this. Thank you again for you comment and support!

Thank you for all of this and I agree it is much more nuanced than that. Forgive me, I also can see how this would have been 'click baity' and that is not something I want for my channel. I was very excited from this range day and felt really pumped up. I felt fast and really well balanced. I will consider that more in the future when I post. So again, thank you for that! I really appreciate what you are saying regarding the shape of the armor and the person. In fact, Hans Talhoffer and Fiore both comment on this in their manuscripts regarding how to teach instructors and how someone should fight. In essence they both prescribe to the concept of the phrase 'know thyself,' which revolves around all the concepts you just said. I am a retired Marine and I still work to keep myself in some sort of shape. Having been able to be a part of a military unit also helped in my fitness, but not everyone is afforded that same opportunity. You are absolutely right regarding the fit of the armor. These are basic pieces I picked up from Kult of Athena that fit me well. I have more pieces and this suit I am using a lot right now because I feel there is a method to Fiore's postures and why they are offline. More to come on that soon! Thank you! I am finding a lot of really interesting things in this regarding the uses of the sword by having that strike target. I am hoping to have a continuation to a series I started called 'Sword Caliber' which involved the usage of swords against a SPES fencing jacket and a historical recreation made by a friend if you haven't seen it already. Thank you again for your support and your comment!

I am really happy to hear that you are enjoying the channel and I am grateful for your support. I hope it continues to speak to you and I thank you for contributing your thoughts to this series. From many of the discussions I have had with people who study those traditions it sounds like there is a lot of similarities across them. At the end of the day, the body only moves in so many ways and has so many weaknesses and it is very evident that that these are what all traditions aim to exploit and protect based upon the materials that are found around them.

Thank you for your comment and your observations. You are correct that the dagger is not the same. I was endeavoring to state that the strike patterns seen in the dagger section of the manual if used in the same manner create a similar function within the body. The point of this was to connect all of the arms together. The point of the sword is to loosen the wrist and to feel how the sword's weight will pull it forward. For me, I feel the sword fall forward. In allowing it to, the hand extends as well as the wrist. The point of that was to discuss that each of the tools of war have their own weight, balance and functionality. It was to involve the concept that when we add something to our body that is external, like a hand held weapon, and let its balance affect us, that there are different motions that occur. Again, that is my own observation when I hold the sword lightly and let it fall forward based on extension and retraction. Adding muscular tension to this, IME, adds to this and builds a better balance of motion between the weapon and my body. Thank you again for your observations and your comment.

It really was. These kinds of techniques are very hard to simulate in a safe manner and we often times have to work with one another after experiencing certain things that happen to us so we can understand what is happening. Unfortunately there is only so much that can be replicated in a controlled space. Thank you for our comment.

@@holtfreterlabs3294 Yes, it is risky. In both Iaijutsu and Iaido, which are very similar, my experience is there is very little partner training until students are very advanced, and when there is we generally use wooden bokuto. I am aware of extremely advanced students in Japan who sometimes do carefully choreographed partner practice (not sparring) with dull (but pointed) metal blades, but I am also aware of at least one fairly recent accidental death there that resulted from this. Even without a point, a thrust to the face could still do permanent damage to the eye or break bones. I have been pondering for more than 30 years how we could safely and realistically integrate sparring into such techniques, but given the close distance and other factors it would be very difficult and would require too many accommodations. Safety is paramount.

A lot of what is demonstrated in my work here is analyzing the play, image, and the concepts from previous sections of the manual. It is very easy to understand why it may be a little unrealistic because of allowing the movement to happen. In a serious altercation, this would surely be a very different outcome. In my experience, the purpose of these kinds of plays, kata, etc, is to build and understanding of concepts that work and integrate within more kinetic sparring. One thing I feel people forget about this work I am doing is that this is NOT a modern day self defense course and that it should be treated as more experimental archaeology. We are no longer fighting with swords, we are no longer wearing 31 layers (maximum) of linen for clothing, and we are no longer without black powder devices. Treating this channel as a self defense course is dangerous and I fear sometimes people think that is what I am prescribing for. My hope is to share what I feel we as a species did in a different time and how this might inform more of who we are today. As a practice of martial arts, this kind of work builds a bigger sense of peace within me because of just how awful these techniques are. They are very close in proximity and are very VERY intimate. A lot of these plays work in conjunction for both in and out of armor. I have done sparring with sharp swords before and as a consequence it is why I have started to use the sharp simulators because they are the closest thing to how swords perform. They also teach a lot about movement and how to get around the blade differently. In doing these types of immediate actions like the scabbard plays, it is impossible to do them safely as the whole point of them is to hurt the person and then kill them. As you said, even without a point, a thrust to the face can be fatal or permanently marring to the body. I don't know if they would help, but Black Fencer does make sharp sim katana and wakazashi in their store line. I have a set to help teach a client on the lethal observations of Nihon Kendo Kata with better safety. I would recommend them for your search and hope they help you out. For me, those sharp sims really helped me in my practice for Armizare. I have also done a product review on them in my channel too. Thank you again for your contribution and comments! Have a great day!

@@holtfreterlabs3294 Well said! Thank you for the tips. I found the results of your experimentation with how blades behave with sharp edge on edge contact particularly enlightening. In Iaijutsu we train to block, deflect and party mostly using the side or back of the blade, but I was aware from having studied a little of Fiore dei Liberi of the advantages of blocking with the edge, but these cannot be replicated with rounded edges that tend to slide.

@@radianman 100% agree! The practice of sharp arms reveals a lot of what i feel is lost within the manuscripts. The use of training arms teaches other important facets of swords. Namely the weakness and strengths within their strike alignment. The basic construction of the sword itself is very much to disperse energy and retain strength. At least with western swords. I am aware that the Japanese construction reinforced certain actions as well because of resource availability. All of these facets inform so much of martial arts and I believe it really shows how much the use of the land is the big signifier to these historical weapons and practices.

@@sunsandbulls8976 I am glad to hear this! I have to say that doing the deep dive exploring and study of Fiore’s Armizare has also changed a lot of my perspective on Liechtenauer’s five words as well as the processes of the bind and crossings. If you feel comfortable sharing, what meanings and ideas are opening to you?

@@theholeyknight the honor was mine, my friend. As stated, you demonstrated incredible resolve and grit to make it through all of those bouts. I had to use all the stops in contending with you. Your closing and dagger work pushed me to use my ability to shift between sequences. I really enjoyed all this work. I wish I could have seen the arming sword work which was amazing to do with you. Looking forward to the next time!

@@JosephAllen-d2e he was very very tired. I was his last pass in sword and the second in Lance. They were 4 minute rounds with 3 contenders. We got breaks, he didn’t. He was very tired and did his best. It was hard to work against him.

@@JosephAllen-d2e This was not a tournament. It was a rank test called a Prize Play for our rank of Free Scholar. In our Prize Plays we are supposed to fence people who are better than us and still be able to show that we know the art. 3 four minute fights with three different weapons. A total of nine fights. It was one of the most exhausting and rewarding things I've done.

@@Michael_Lammer I thank you so very much for your support and am happy to hear that it sparks ideas and considerations! Looking forward to more thoughts from others.

@@joeycaldwell8015 it took me some tim to find a place where I could train at as well. Have you ever thought of setting up a study group or looking in the local area for historical martial arts?

Indeed! I just responded to the other comment and as stated there, I want to remind everyone that this is not a modern day self defense course nor is it one that is commenting on the arms of today. The rondel dagger of this age is very different and in many cases possessed no edges or had a triangular or square profile. It is very different in comparison to the two sided blades of the time. As stated to the other comment, I believe the context to all of Fiore's works is for both armor and unarmored combat, meaning it has to work to the greater value and in this case, is armor because of how limiting the target areas are. It is incredible important for people to see that it is indeed stupid to grab a blade. I do not think that Fiore thought differently but was talking of a tactical approach of a different bladed object and a different context of time. Again, thank you for making this comment as it is important to place the right tools, tactics, and considerations in their place.

I appreciate your comment here and I believe anyone who is watching this video should pay attention to this! As I have stated about this channel, this is not a modern day self defense course and I do not prescribe people to take it as such. The rondel dagger of the 14th century is not a knife like today. In many cases, they were narrow and might have been square in shape or round. Additionally, they were meant to be grabbed and used in reinforced grips with wearing of armor. The context to this weapon tech is not the context of today and people should absolutely heed this comment made here! The images of the Getty of Fiore's manuscript often times depict human beings without armor, and yet, it is my estimation that this is done so to be able to better see the anatomy of the fight without the confusion of the lines of armor. The maestro of this time knew his trade and I suspect tactics like this listed here show a much more desperate concept that depict just how awful and terrifying this kind of situation would have been. I do not think he is thinking this is a situation you would walk away unharmed from, but rather showing all the things necessary that could preserve one's life. In training, I was taught to shove my arms and legs, hands and anything else that I could to stop the arm of someone with a knife. It was taught to me most likely would result in getting injured myself. In trying to stop a knife, we often times will find ourselves in a situation of we get hurt ourselves. Thank you again for putting this out there. In no way is the work of this channel about modern day self defense! And it should be noted that defending against a modern day knife which is much more focused on slashing vs armor piercing of the rondel dagger requires a very VERY different approach to it! Thank you again!

@@aj5332 thank you for your honesty. I am working on being more concise and admittedly my excitement and passion for this get the better of me and I keep at it. Thank you for the support!

It would have had to have been last year or older. I would like to see it some time. I don’t know which one it was in.

This means a lot and I’m so very happy you got something from this. I really look forward to working with you in the future again! You were a blast to work with and had the beneficial mentality which made learning so prominent.

Thank you so much for your support and for your observations! I can totally see what you are saying. A thing I think about are the parts that Fiore is not speaking about in his manuscript. The parts where they will hit your face and head butt you and the like, just as you say. It’s difficult to put that into place and it helps to have viewers like you state these observations. Thank you again!

You have my utmost thanks in your response and confidence. I really appreciate it. I only hope to continue to share perspectives of this art in a way that convey what we are doing.

If I remember correctly he says this defense is better in armor.

🤡🙃