Synopses & Reviews
Among the substantial legacy of martial arts texts left by combat masters working in the medieval German tradition, this book stands out as one of the most remarkable and important, translated for the first time in English by Jeffrey Forgeng. The only major original text in this corpus to be disseminated in print, Meyer's manual is an ambitious comprehensive encyclopedia of traditional German martial arts, covering a range of weapons forms, and offering a rationalized introduction to a complex and organic tradition inherited from the Middle Ages.
About the Author
Jeffrey L. Forgeng is Paul S. Morgan Curator at the Higgins Armory Museum in Worcester, Massachusetts, and Adjunct Associate Professor of History at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Table of Contents
Introduction *
Part I: Contents of the First Book Concerning Combat with the Sword * Concerning the Combatant and His Division * Concerning the Sword and its Division * Concerning the Postures of Guards * Concerning the Cuts * [Handwork] * Concerning the Withdrawal * Advice about Stepping * Concerning Before, After, Simultaneously, and Instantly * Introduction to the Devices, and How They Can and Shall Be Executed from the Elements Explained So Far * How One Shall Attack to the Four Openings * Fighting from the Postures * The Third Part of the Treatise on the Sword *
Part II: A Systematic Description and Teaching of Combat with the Dusack * Contents of the Treatise on Combar with the Dusack, and in What Order This Combat Shall Be Described * Concerning the Postures of Guards and Their Use * Concerning the Four Cuts, the Four Good Drills Teaching How to Execute and Learn Them Correctly, along with Some Pertinent Examples * Concerning the Secondary Cuts, which Have Their Origin from the Four Chief Cuts, and How One Shall Execute Them in the Work * How One Shall Make Use of the Four Openings * Concerning Parrying and How All Cuts Are Divided into Three Types, Namely the Provoker, Taker, and Hitter * Now Follow the Postures Along with the Devices * Concerning the Watch and the Devices Assigned to It * Concerning the Steer and Its Devices * Concerning the Wrath Guard * The Straight Parrying or Slice * How You Shall Fight from the Bow * Concerning the Boar * Concerning the Middle Guard and How One Shall Fight from It * Concerning the Change and Its Devices * VAstion * Grappling *
Part III: The Third Part of This Book * Contents of This Treatise on Combat with the Rapier, and in What Order It Will Be Presented and Described * Concerning the Division of the Combatant and the Weapon and Their Use * Concerning the Guards and Postures with the Rapier * Concerning the Classification of the Four Cuts, and How They Shall Be Carried Out and Executed, with their Particulars, against the Oppenent in the Work * Concerning Thrusts * A Good Lesson and Precept on How One Shall Transform the Cuts into Thrusts, the Thrusts into Cuts * Concerning Deceiving * This Chapter Dicusses Changing, Chasing, Remaining, Feeling, Pulling, and Winding * The Second Part of Combat with the Rapier * High Guard * Low Guard on Left * High Guard on the Left * * How You Shall Fight from the Low Guard on the Right, which is Also Called the Side Guard * Here Follow Some Devices to Execute the Plow * Concerning Running In * Summary *
Part IV: Combat with the Dagger * Concerning the High Guard * Low Guard with its Parrying * Middle Guard * What the Chief Parryings Are * Cross Guard * Miscellaneous Techniques * Wrestling * Part V: The Fifth and Last Part of This Book, which Briefly Teaches and Discusses Combat with the Quarterstaff, Halberd, and Pike * Quarterstaff * Concerning the Postures of Guards * Concerning the Halberd * Combat with the Pike * The Second Part Concerning the Pike