The Medieval Dagger by Guy Windsor

The Medieval Dagger by Guy Windsor

In Mastering the Art of Arms, Volume One: The Medieval Dagger, Guy Windsor presents a complete guide to the principles and practice of Italian dagger combat, as set down in Il Fior di Battaglia, a manuscript written in 1410. Readers are guided step-by-step through the process of mastering this six hundred year old art, from choosing a dagger to striking with it; from guard positions to steps and turns; from disarms to locks and takedowns; from safe falling practice to formal drills, and finally pressure testing their skills with sparring.

Both a primer on the art and a methodology for on-going training, this book will give the complete novice a solid starting point, while providing useful drills and ideas for advanced martial artists. Those who study other traditional knife arts, and modern military combatives, will find many familiar techniques present in this ancient system.

Dr. Guy Windsor is a world-renowned instructor and a pioneering researcher of medieval and renaissance martial arts. He has been teaching the Art of Arms full-time since founding The School of European Swordsmanship in Helsinki, Finland, in 2001. His day job is finding and analysing historical swordsmanship treatises, figuring out the systems they represent, creating a syllabus from the treatises for his students to train with, and teaching the system to his students all over the world. Guy is the author of numerous classic books about the art of swordsmanship and has consulted on swordfighting game design and stage combat. He developed the card game, Audatia, based on Fiore dei Liberi's Art of Arms, his primary field of study. In 2018 Edinburgh University awarded him a PhD by Research Publications for his work recreating historical combat systems. When not studying medieval and renaissance swordsmanship or writing books Guy can be found in his shed woodworking or spending time with his family.

Dr. Guy Windsor is a world-renowned medieval and Renaissance martial arts instructor and pioneering scholar. Since creating The School of European Swordsmanship in Helsinki, Finland, in 2001, he has been teaching the Art of Arms full-time. His day work entails locating and analyzing historical swordsmanship treatises, determining the systems they represent, developing a syllabus for his students to train with, and teaching the system to students all over the world. Guy has consulted on swordfighting game design and stage combat, and is the author of multiple classic publications on the art of swordsmanship. He created Audatia, a card game inspired on Fiore dei Liberi's Art of Arms, which was his primary topic of study.

For his efforts replicating medieval warfare systems, Edinburgh University awarded him a doctorate by Research Publications in 2018. Guy can be found in his shed woodworking or spending time with his family when he is not studying medieval and Renaissance swordsmanship.