Very well written book with clear and precise pictures that serve as a guide for mastering stance and execution. I have not read another book in this subject matter before, but with the instruction in this book, I feel that it is one of the better selections you could make.

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

8/10 stars

A solid, very well-researched guide to longsword fighting in the technique of the 15th century fencing master Sigmund Ringeck. While based on Medieval/Renaissance texts, mainly Sigmund Ringeck's manuals expanding on the Liechtenauer tradition, as well as later successors, such as Paulus Kal's guide, The Art of Longsword Figthing offers a surprisingly modern spin on the techniques, adapting and interpreting them for contemporary martial artists/fencers.

The first part forms an introduction, into which Smith crammed plenty of information regarding the general philosophy of martial arts as well as technical details such as differences between various types of swords (bastard sword, longsword, and war sword), cutting techniques, tips on training, and even the amount of guesswork inherent in interpreting old manuals, every one of which presents a slightly different version of footwork, stance, defense/offense etc.

The second part goes in detail through various stances, indicating proper posture, and guiding the reader through the movements. It contains a wealth of information in the form of photographs and illustrations, depicting the correct body and sword positions, angles of cuts, etc.

Ringeck's style focuses on offense and incorporates defense into offensive techniques. Smith does a good job explaining the foundations of this style and elaborating the reasoning behind it; I for one feel quite convinced by it as it nicely dovetails with the general principles of martial arts: the economy of movement; the priority one's own safety over flashiness and/or prolonged combat, which can lead to unnecessary danger; the devotion to the perfect execution of moves.

The Art of Longsword Figthing is a meticuluously illustrated and detailed guide to fencing, but as Smith points out, it is only conceived as a help, and not the sole source of learning. One cannot learn swordfighting from books, but from hours and hours of physical drills.

I'll be definitely coming back to this book, going through the stances and sequences of steps in more detail. All in all, a valuable source of information for all interested in swordfighting.

I have received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks.

The Art of Longsword Fighting is a technique guide aimed at teachers and advanced students based on the historical European longsword school of Sigmund Ringeck. Due out later in 2021 from Pen & Sword, it's 248 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is an interestingly relevant modern primer based on medieval texts and includes quite a lot of in-depth background history and interpretation. The material is presented in a logical and accessible manner. The first section covers actual practice setup and execution - including core concepts and background info on style, safety (lots of good general info here with good takeaways for other styles and forms also), terms, training equipment, and learning new techniques. The second section covers the actual extant medieval writings left behind: general lessons, positioning, anatomy (neck, upper body, abdomen, etc), points of attack, and more.

The instructions throughout are accompanied by photographs and clear line drawn illustrations. The captions in the photographs are illuminating and the author does a good job of illustrating the differences between different contemporaneous European schools of fencing and martial arts by comparing them to one another with regard to foot and body positions.

Four stars. Obviously this is a niche title - but it is a good choice for public library, re-enactors, SCAdians, RenFaire folks, students of military history, and allied audiences.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

A. very enjoyable book for anyone interested in historical swordfighting. It will be of use to the historical European martial arts crowd, those involved in swordfighting for the theatre, writers who want to understand how swordfighting works to make their own descriptions more believable, and people who just love the idea of swordfighting as an actual, practical art.

This is an excellent book that has good information. The title is a bit misleading, as the book seems to be more about how to learn longsword fencing from a book, rather than actually about how to learn longsword fencing itself. It would greatly benefit from more photos and diagrams to help illustrate the moves and concepts being described. Overall, a good introductory read best used alongside another book.