Research and Discussion Forums

Well as for online resources, I can recommend browsing google with appropriate searches, but the information can be wildly divergent and of questionable quality.

One good site would be De Re Militari, the Society for Medieval Military History at http://www.deremilitari.org/
You can find some quite ...

Eli --> If you want some good battles for inspiration and "source material", check these out:

From the movie "Against All", an old Czech historical movie. It shows well the chaotic and brutal nature of mass combat with melee weapons, and highlights the need of coordination, keeping of reserves and ...

The researching writer would do well to read up on accounts of duels and private feuds from history, a great deal of which can be found via this site. For a more generalized look on the nature of battle for the individual soldier, be sure to read John Keegan's "The Face of Battle" and "The Mask of ...

There are strikes from the various guards that can be used to break into opposing guards. For example, the plough can be attacked with the schielhau, using a short edge cut to strike at the wrists or shoulders. (At least, it works for me, interpretations on this strike varies a lot.).

This strike ...

Different people have different comfort zones. This in time leads to different groups having different comfort zones. Back in the bad old days, skills such as these were a a life and death matter, and hence training was harder and more injuries accepted. Some sports use armour and sword simulators ...

The way I see it, Nathan, is that we're NOT "all cats". The intent and method of many groups are so qualitatively (I mean "quality" as in content) different that trying to pry them into an inclusive framework would be impossibe.

Some groups, such as the ARMA seem intent on re-creating a martial ...

Having done a lot of group combat, I'd have to say that the swirling melee is the quickest way to get killed there is. If one does not stay together i group combat, one is usually toast.

As for larger unit interactions, I have no direct experience, but what kills you most often in small group ...

So, having deliberately worked out on slick and snowy surfaces for last month, I feel I've learned a lot. The most poignant thing that comes to mind is hip alignment, or angle. By keeping my lower abdominals contracted and my hips tilted "upwards", I gain a lot of upper body control and balance ...

Tony, Steven and Jason all offer excellent advise, with a sword hardly being needed at all. Kudos.

This thread has proven quite interesting. It's made me want to look closer at Fiore, for one thing. I know of the Exile's translations, but are there any other ways to get hold of the different versions of Fiore's text? Where have you found yours, mr Hartikainen?

Good point about the swimming in still vs. moving waters. All experiments I've done have been in quiet little lakes.

I... didn't realize there were still people describing the European martial techniques as brute any more. I'm stunned by the ignorance of this video. And they even call it a "broad" sword...

So in essence, there is no best sword for home defense. Train earnestly, as they say. Train ringen or other hands on martial techniques, in conjunction with knife and club work.

And be on the lookout for weapons in your home that are not weapons. Hammers, wrenches, sticks, garden tools etc. If I ...

I haven´t seen any documents regarding this either, but me and my friends have tested it. Swimming in full plate is way out (at least for us), but swimming in chain mail did work. One has to find one´s limit of bouyancy. 30 pounds worked for most of us, but more than that was very hard. It depends ...

And here I would have to say that the Kendokas I sparred with displayed a lot more fighting spirit than the fencers. They were not afraid to strike hard or to be struck hard in return, they were just limited in their repertoire and tactics. I do not know if this is common in all Kendo dojos, but the ...