What We Train
Backsword
The backsword was a weapon widely used in Tudor England, so much so that it was regarded as a quintessentially "English" weapon for a time. The sword was equally adept at cutting or thrusting, though it has a slight bias towards the cut. Traditionally it was only sharped on the forward edge of the blade, resulting in a triangular cross section. This is why the name "back sword" was coined, referring to the stiff back of the blade. The backsword is the principal weapon studied at WSA Swindon, using the instruction detailed by George Silver within his two works on the Paradoxes of Defence.
Rapier
Brought to England by Italian masters, the rapier swiftly became a commonly carried weapon for self-defence. Many old English fencing masters decried the use of rapiers, but they ultimately became the more popular choice of weapon for duellists. At WSA Swindon we look at the use of the rapier as described by the English master Joseph Swetnam, but we also examine and utilise contemporary Italian manuscripts due to their undeniable influence on the fencing zeitgeist of Tudor England.
Pugilism
Classes at WSA Swindon will often begin with a short session focusing on unarmed combat, also called pugilistics. Much of what we use for unarmed combat comes from the works of Lt. William Fairbairn, who developed a simple and practical method of combat which was used extensively in the early 20th century.
Dagger
Used as both a companion to other weapons or employed on its own, the dagger was likely one of the most common methods of defence seen in Tudor England. At WSA Swindon we use the dagger in tandem with both backsword and rapier, but also look at how Italian masters such as Achille Marozzo advised on how to use the dagger as a weapon in its own right.
Polearms
Beating someone with a stick is probably the oldest form of weapon use in human history, so we would be remiss to not include it in our syllabus. We primarily focus on the use of the quarterstaff, but also look at weapons such as the English billhook and the halberd.
Longsword
One of the most recognisable weapons of medieval times, this weapon had fallen out of fashion by the late Tudor era but many fencing masters still recognised the skill required to wield the longsword. At WSA Swindon, we use the longsword as a supplement to our core disciples as it is an excellent way to develop good fencing posture, body mechanics and footwork.
We are currently working on an interpretation of the English longsword, using the Ledall Roll as our primary source. But as this is a very patchy resource, we do turn to other sources to aid us in filling the gaps.
