The ARMA Study Method
for Historical Swordsmanship

Doing Things the ARMA Way

Guidelines for Rapier Fencing

Guidelines for Contact-Sparring with padded weapons

How to make ARMA padded contact-sparring weapons

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For practicing historical swordsmanship today, the following advice is offered:

Cross train. Whatever form of historical fencing you are pursuing, realize that training is a continual, never-ending process. Seek out as many varieties and methods of swordsmanship and weapon sparring as you can find. Almost any method has some virtues to offer and practicing exclusively with only one method is limiting.

Always endeavor to engage as many sparring partners as you can and particularly the better ones. The better the opponent, the more you will be challenged and the more you will learn about yourself. Training with only inferior opponents will not bring you to your highest level and can even lead to lazy habits. Do not neglect either free-play/sparring or live-blade practice.

Research. Read and study everything you can find on the subject and pay special attention to the works of the classic masters. Don’t exclude the wealth of information available in either sport fencing or the modern Asian martial arts. But don’t forget that to question, doubt, and inquire is part of our Western heritage.

Practice hard and often. Although it’s a cliche’, the three most important things in gaining true skill with the sword are: practice, practice, practice! Also, there is really no substitute for proper instruction. For instance, find a good, qualified coach for collegiate fencing and/or kenjutsu stay long enough to actually learn how to fence. Don’t treat it as a short term activity. But remember, what they teach in the sport fencing form today is not the historical reality. Whether or not such instruction is available, there are still numerous exercises, drills and routines that should be followed according the counsel of the historic Masters of Defence.

Some suggestions for Medieval Sword Training:

- practice using both single-hand and two-hand grips (i.e., sword and long-sword/bastard-sword)
- practice use and coordination of a round shield, kite shield, and heater shield
- practice cuts and strikes (for proper delivery, angle, flow, and recovery)
- practice full-contact strikes at a fixed soft-target or pell (for power and focus)
- practice steps & footwork
- practice controlled strikes and cuts at a fixed and mobile target
- practice parry & riposte combinations with and without a partner
- practice use and coordination of an off-hand dagger
- conduct contact sparring with safe, padded weapons (or wooden weapons and proper armor protection)
- spar at full speed with intent
- spar at half-speed with exaggerated, casual intent
- spar without verbal comment or instruction
- spar by alternating offense only/defense only
- practice with a single sword alone without any buckler or dagger
- practice against (and with) pole-weapons,
- practice against and with great-swords, two-handed swords, and the single sword alone
- practice routines using a historically accurate replica blade
- conduct test-cutting with a sharp live-blade (to understand how it’s really functions)
- do some aerobic exercise for stamina
- do some form of weight training for strength

Some suggestions for Renaissance Cut & Thrust Sword Training:

- practice cuts and strikes (for proper delivery, angle, flow, and recover)
- practice steps & footwork
- practice parry & riposte combinations with and without a partner
- practice use and coordination of a 2nd weapon (i.e., buckler, dagger)
- practice full-contact strikes at a fixed soft-target or pell (for power and focus)
- practice controlled strikes and cuts at a fixed and mobile target
- conduct contact sparring with safe, padded weapons (or wooden weapons and proper armor protection)
- Spar at full speed with intent
- Spar at half-speed with exaggerated, casual intent
- Spar without verbal comment or instruction
- Spar by alternating offense only/defense only
- practice with a single sword alone without any buckler or dagger
- practice against (and with) pole-weapons and larger shields
- practice routines with a historically accurate replica
- conduct test-cutting with a live-blade (to understand how it’s supposed to work)
- do some aerobic exercise for stamina
- do some form of weight training for strength
- practice rapier fencing

Some rudimentary suggestions for Rapier Fencing Training:

- practice thrusts
- practice footwork (for speed, agility, and mobility)
- practice lunges and recovering
- practice point-control at a fixed target
- practice parry & riposte combinations with and without a partner (to gain coordination and reflexes)
- train with and without a second-hand weapon (dagger, buckler, etc.)
- practice with the sword held in the opposite hand
- practice with single dagger against single dagger, and against rapier & dagger
- practice routines with a historically accurate replica
- conduct constant sparring (the only way to learn timing, perception, proper movement and feedback)
- Spar at full speed with intent
- Spar at half-speed with exaggerated, casual intent
- Spar without verbal comment or instruction
- Spar by alternating offense only/defense only
- do some aerobic exercise for stamina
- do some form of weight training for strength
- practice cut & thrust swordsmanship

There is something to consider when acquiring sparring partners. Finding opponents who equally match one’s particular level of ability can be difficult. Quite often they are either noticeably superior or inferior. Though one may practice with individuals with whom you are better than and can readily defeat, it is important not to allow yourself to become lax. We must resist the feeling to fight softer or to quit trying in an effort to somehow make things "more interesting and challenging". This attitude not only does a disservice to your true skills, but also to your sparring partner by not offering them an honest test. Practice like this surely leads to bad habits and weakens one’s edge. This is not to say that when facing those you are truly superior to that one should always crush and overwhelm them. Not at all. For in those cases you obviously need to teach and instruct without diminishing an individual or breaking their spirit. On the other hand, if one faces partners against whom you are soundly beaten, one must avoid the urge to view it entirely in terms of simply something we failed to do or entirely in terms of something the opponent did. This is not useful. Victory or defeat is always a matter of that which we do or fail to do, in combination with that which an adversary did or failed to do. Sometimes the two are indistinguishable.

Swordsmanship, as with most martial-arts, is a path not a destination. Keep in mind that while there are certain universal concepts of fighting (i.e., perception, distance, timing, technique, attitude), every form of weapon use or method of swordsmanship has its own historical context. No one style or form should not be viewed as an end-all, be-all, ultimate method. There really is no "best sword" or "best weapon". It is as much mental (psychological) as physical. Above all should be the realization that when this activity is treated as a historical fighting art, it takes discipline and physical conditioning. It does not work well with a light-hearted, romanticized, weekend past-time approach. It is a true martial-art and really should be treated as such. If you come to feel inadequate or lacking in skill during your learning and training, this is a good sign for it means you are honestly recognizing you could be better and that there is more to higher skill than you yet know. The desire to improve is a further step down the path. Now get off your PC and go fight!

A good training program should include a wide varity of activities. It is important to develop physical attributes, technical skill and mental abilities. This page will give you some ideas on how to achieve this. It is about training methods not fighting techniques themselves. The bottom line is practice, practice, practice.

Test Cutting
Anyone claiming to be a serious swordsman who has never used sharp weapons at length on solid test-targets is bogus. It is vitally important to training and takes consdierbael practice. Practice cutting must be done on a regular basis to sharpen your skills. It also prevents improper techniques from developing. Many groups today can be seen using ridiculus cuts that would not work with real weapons on real targets. These bad techniques develop and become popular because the poor rules and training encourage their use. An effective practice cutting regimine would include at least weekly sessions. The practitioner should practice all of their cuts on a variety of targets. Stick to the basic cuts at first untill they are mastered. Recommended targets include: bamboo, fresh tree saplings wrapped in wet staw or wet cardboard, thick cardboard tubes, soaked in water or dry, thick rope, thick plant fiber, raw meat and bone, and scrap armor or helmets. When starting out, simple targets like plastic soda bottles, water or milk jugs, and foam noodles (sold as pool toys) are useful. Be especially carefull and take things slow. This takes practice as it can be a very hazardous activity.

Solo Drills
This is great for developing skill and technique. It can be done with real weapons or sparring weapons. Use care with real weapons. It is easy to hit yourself when trying new techniques. If done with vigor it can be a great workout. It can be done with or without targets. For sparring weapons use punching bags. Or build your own target out of bungee cords, duct tape, and paper (E-mail Todd Palmer for details). Videotape your sessions to spot flaws. Twice a week for an hour should be sufficient to improve your skill.

Free-Play / Sparring
There is nothing like the real thing. However the real thing is illegal and something to be avoided. So the next best thing will do: fighting against opponents with a safe sparring system. How you go about this is very important though. Every sparring system has strengths and weaknesses. Each system emphasizes a different aspect of combat. The important thing to know is what those strengths and weaknesses are. Then use a variety of systems to give yourself balance.

Sharps - ("real weapons")
No you can't really spar with real and sharpened weapons. But it is possible to face off with a trusted partner and make incomplete attacks and blocks at very slow speed. This will give you an appreciation for the feel and effort real weapons demand and the damage sharp edges can suffer under improper technique. Be sure to wear heavy gloves or gauntlets.

Blunts (not stage weapons, not props, not "wall-hangers")
An unsharpened historically accurate replica sword. With blunted weapons it is possible to make slow, controlled, light contact on restricted target areas.There are available some blunted weapons especially designed for reeinactment combat or staged-fighting, but avoid these as they are typically too thick, heavy, and incorrectly balanced.

Wooden weapons (wasters)
Wooden weapons can be used faster and harder than blunted weapons depending on the amount of control, armor and targets. They have a more realistic feel than padded weapons but require more restrictions on technique. Wooden weapons should be made with a destinctive edge (i.e., flattened instead of round) and have a realistic weight. The farther you get away from historical weapons the more likely you are to learn bad habits.

Padded weapons
The best thing about padded weapons is that you can have very agressive fights between fighters without armor, with armor, or a combination of both. This media allows for the largest amount of target areas and legal techniques and still be safe.

These are not the same things as "boffer weapons" used by live role playing groups which amount to little more than PVC pipe in pipe insulation wrapped with duct tape. These weapons are too light, too flexible and often have no discernable edges. The ARMA sparring weapons described on these pages are realistically weighted and balanced, have rigid cores, and have discernable edges.

Flexi-Rapiers and Replica Rapiers
Flexible rapier simulators are now available that offer longer tapering blades of diamond, lozenge, or hexagonal cross-section.  While they are often still too whippy they are ideal for rapier fencing.  A historically accurate replica rapier, vital for general practice, is also useful for light-contact free-play provided the point is completely blunt and padded.

"Schlager" blades
For learning how to use rapiers, schlager blades are useful as substitutes for replicas. Although they are too flexible and "whippy" most of the time they are often far better than modern fencing foils or epees, which are unrealistc for simulating the longer, heavier, and wider rapier.

Cross Training
Getting in good physical shape by swordsmanship alone is very difficult. For those who prefer other methods here are some ideas about the benifits of other activities. ...Practice, practice, practice.

Rating of Training Methods for Building Fighting Attributes

More information is available in the Member's section area on Training featuring material on content, structure, equipment, and organization, plus conducting practices & classes.