Medieval and Renaissance Dagger Combat

by Jason Vail

Daggers are mentioned in many modern books about medieval and Renaissance swordplay, but until now none described how daggers were used in combat. Drawing from sources written from 1409-1600 (including the works of Hans Talhoffer, Fiore dei Liberi, Filippo Vadi, Joachim Meyer and more), this book uses step-by-step photos and historic illustrations to demonstrate the deadly and effective techniques of European dagger fighting. Talhoffer and the others were men with real fighting experience, not self-promoted "grand masters" or denizens of the training hall, and they wrote the manuals that form the basis for Medieval and Renaissance Dagger Combat. The dynamics of the knife fight have not changed over the centuries, and the masters' lessons are as useful against an attacker with today's tactical folder as they were against the first dagger.

Genres: Martial Arts, History, Nonfiction

234 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2006

Reviews

[G. Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice easy read

Easy and easy to read a pleasant change from the historical language of the usual treatises, nice comparisons of the different masters techniques.

[Mark Sewell · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are not many books devoted to this topic. Most of the old fight books that do deal with it do so as a small part of the overall work. The author here sifts through the available historical sources and presents a coherent work focused on the use of the dagger.

The reader may notice the similarity of some techniques to those of Asian martial arts systems, which is not surprising given that humans around the world have bodies that work the same way. The author notes the similarities as well. As he notes, this allows for the modern practitioner to "fill in the gaps" when reading the old European fight books; when footwork is less clear in some depictions, we can confidently put the appropriate movement in place without worrying overly about if we're being historically accurate.

This book is a welcome addition to the growing literature on Western Martial Arts. With a good mix of historical information and practical instruction, it allows for both academic study and developing physical skills with practice.

[Miroku Nemeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave this book 5 stars because it very effectively bridges the gaps between medieval and renaissance fighting manuals and their actual implementation on combat now in the real world. I've been training in different martial arts 30 years, and the similarities between much of what you can find in Ninjutsu and other Eastern martial arts (my focus for the last decade or so has been Eskrima) and the medieval European martial arts is profound not just in the congruence, but also because the medieval European and Renaissance texts arise from a context where techniques HAD to work and where bladed violence was very common.

[Seamus O'Griffin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good introduction to medieval dagger play. Lots of photographs. A good resource for writers or students of medieval combat.

[Kevin Halleran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent training resource!

Excellent exploration of historical sources and modern application. The ending sections on training and perspective are worthy of their own work.