Monthly Archives: January 2009

1784 Smallsword Glossary

John McArthur’s dismisses many distinctive and flamboyant characteristics of
Angelo’s style (such as thrusting in Tierce, the Fan Parade (Modern Parry 6)
and complex disarms). McArthur also organises his manual in a progressive
series of lessons. These two points convey the root difference between the two:
Angelo knew his students as civilian gentlemen for whom fencing was in many
cases primarily a beneficial exercise, while McArthur believed that his subscribers,
mainly officers, were going to need a reliable and simple system of fencing
in actual combat. Continue reading →