Rapier
I first took up rapier in 2011, though I didn't truly begin to learn proper fencing until about 2017. My interest is primarily in the historical styles of Northern Italy, though I have an appreciation for all historical styles.
I currently hold the rank of Provost within the Academie d'Espee (2023), and am a member of the Order of the Sea Dragon (2017), the Order of the Sea Stag (2021) and the Order of the White Scarf in Atlantia (2023).
I have a fairly extensive collection of treatises, translations and other rapier-related books which I have cataloged on the website Library Thing. My collection can be found here.
Class Pages
An explanation on the Italian concept of “tempo” aimed at newer fencers. This class draws heavily on several period rapier treatises as well as some basic physics.
Florentine fencing master Marco Docciolini published his treatise in 1601, and this text was translated into English in 2017 by Steven Reich and Piermarco Terminiello. Landing in a transitional period between the "sidesword" manuals of the mid 16th century, and the "rapier" manuals of the early 17th century, the work not only is a key point in the evolution of swordplay, but contains several novel insights not found in many other treatises. For modern historical fencers, the text may be intimidating due to it's lack of plates, and so Ishmael Steadfast Reed and I set out to bring the work alive through photography and video. We read through the text, experimented with the guards and techniques described, and then filmed them both from the side and above using an improvised camera jib.