HEMA at Home - Pringle Green's Sword Defence

The ongoing series teaching British Military Swordsmanship from home. This is working from Pringle Green (1812) with reference to Roworth (1798-1824) and Angelo (1799), and is for all military swords used on foot, including Broad sword, sabre, spadroon, hanger and cutlass.

[@theodosioskantasmd7388]

Seems like a clear-cut system, very good within its context of use, i.e. in naval combat, in confined spaces, adapted for the bowl-hilt cutlass and using the most relevant of the guards, the hanging guards and fencing from a high seconde. Thanks for bringing this up Nick!

[@user-rr3sw8iv1c]

Hello from Korea! Been loving your videos so far :)

[@keithbrown4727]

Fantastic! As a beginner, looking for a simple method to start with...thank you!

[@joejoelesh1197]

I've been charged with running a quick one time demonstration/ class to a children's reading group. They are finishing a pirate book, so are interested in cutlass. Because of this, I think I'll use Lt. Green's notes. It will be a large group of kids, which we don't have gear for, so it will of course be a no contact class. I hope to also run a full speed demo if I can get a solid club mate to help.

[@super.history.brian.pilchard]

Thanks heaps for the KZbin series and for the texts on your website :)

[@notfeedynotlazy]

8:49 KZbin auto subtitles: "The main purpose of training an evil crew..." Plainly, KZbin shares the opinion that all British naval crews since Drake onwards have been pirates ;-D

[@privadoprivado1176]

certainly, can't really argue with that...

[@DragonQueLee]

Sir Francis Drake (ad his companions John Oxenham and William Parker), Sir Andrew Barton, Governor Nathaniel Butler, Sir Michael Geare, Sir John Hawkins, Sir James Lancaster, Sir Henry Mainwaring, Sir Walter Raleig (and his companions Lawrence Keymis and Roger North), Sir Amyas Preston, Sir George Somers, Sir Francis Verney, Sir Henry Morgan (and his companions John Ansell, Edward Dempster and Edward Collier), His Grace the Lord Archbishop of York Lancelot Blackburne, Sir Richard Hawkins, Captain William Jackson, Vice-Admiral John Morris, Sir Chistopher Myngs... one could say that the only reason the Royal Navy actively hunted pirates djring the "Golden Age of Piracy" was to get rid of freelancers 😂

[@notfeedynotlazy]

Can't argue with that, myself. Evil Crew Training indeed

[@themanformerlyknownascomme777]

Though the Royal Navy never considered Drake to be one. Only the Spanish did

[@AtlatlMan]

KZbin confirmed Franco-Spanish Catholic plot.

[@user-sn6rg4zg3c]

Thanks Nick!

[@ramibairi5562]

Great instructions and amazing video ;)

[@michaelmcbride1204]

Thanks Dude, Job well done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Abdulhakeembennette]

I know nothing about swordsmanship but this is the method I've intuitively used in every fake swordfight I've been in. I can confirm it works well against groups of untrained children.

[@notfeedynotlazy]

I usually "train" small children at medieval events. As in, I told them the four basic parries against the four basic blows (high and low right and left). I shall conside also teaching them afterwards THIS system, even if it's not "medieval" (because it is "pirate", and that works for small kids). Good to know you had sucess with it.

[@DragonQueLee]

can testify this system can be used at home AND by little girls who want to be a pirate princess.

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

Ah excellent, the next Dread Pirate Roberts?

[@xxprodudex1278]

I LIKE your videos

[@CDKohmy]

Seems like George Silvers guardant fight.

[@jf5078]

Reminds me of William Tuohy's method.

[@exploatores]

good, something that is posible to do in a small apartment.

[@KendricStern]

You misspelled "Biitish" as another B word I believe. Excellent video! Thank you for your work.

[@nolanolivier6791]

A question: if one were inclined to begin training at home with no access to direct instruction, what would be a good choice of training sword to purchase?

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

There are a whole load of options here, which is best can depend on what country you are in, how much you want to spend, and some personal preferences. Overall the best starter sword for Napoleonic swordsmanship is the Black Fencer synthetic 1796 infantry sabre. We worked with them to get it to accurately match a range of antique swords. It has realistic handling, a good price and is exceptionally durable. Their steel range ie excellent too, but I presume you wouldn't want to make that much if a jump as a first sword. Alternatively the Go-now heavy sabre, which is a padded training sword. We use those as beginner weapons as they are very good. Single sticks are also a historical tool that several companies make and you can even make at home.

[@nolanolivier6791]

@@AcademyofHistoricalFencing ok, cool. Thank you for the response as well as the recommendation. I was looking at black fencer's line, considering picking up a couple.

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

@@nolanolivier6791 No problem. They make a great range of swords. we have at least 300 of their synthetics in the AHF, and dozens of their steel swords too. The spadroon is also very good, again one we had a hand in specification for.

[@KlausBeckEwerhardy]

'People should thrust more with military swords.' This sounds like a somewhat messy idea;)

[@sergireig]

So radical 😂😂

[@ramibairi5562]

Were Cutlasses ever used in land warfare and how do they fare against other blades of the time ( both Colonials and Europeans) ?

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

Most definitely. Cutlasses were equipped to crews when going ashore. They were issued sword belts for them, as well as pistols for this purpose. Boarding pikes were also sometimes takne ashore too. There are a lot of reasons cutlasses would be used on land, largely to do with supplies, escort, the attacking of towns and coast forts. The Navy even sometimes sent troops to assist in army operations.

[@ramibairi5562]

@@AcademyofHistoricalFencing Did they perfom well against other swords of the time ?

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

@@ramibairi5562 That kind of information is hard to find as actions in group combat rarely mention which weapons were being used. I've seen accounts of them being used against Turkish shamshirs and doing well. There is no reason they wouldn't do well. They are not as short as people think, have good cutting power cut are not excessively slow of clumsy, and have excellent hand protection. Officers sometimes drew ship's cutlasses too, and that would suggest they had faith in them as they could buy and own their own fighting swords.

[@allengordon6929]

Landlubbers called them Hangers

[@Th0ughtf0rce]

Is that one of your good spadroons, Nick? ;)

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

Nope, this is the Kraken 1804 cutlass.

[@DamonYoungYT]

How have you found bouting within this system?

[@AcademyofHistoricalFencing]

Good. But do remember it is intended to group combat that often won't be against highly skilled or technical fighters. Of course a one on one fight with those with a rather more develop repertoire, this will be a simplistic approach. Doesn't mean it can't work though. It had already been the method I had adopted for fighting pole arms already, simply from personal experience.

[@DamonYoungYT]

Academy of Historical Fencing Yes, all good points. Thanks.

[@xxprodudex1278]

First