Alison Kannon is an avid costumer and a rabid historical martial arts and fencing enthusiast. She has been studying and teaching Sixteenth Century European martial arts since 2001. She is an enthusiastic historical re-enactor and created Elizabethanmafia.com in order to share her research of the fashion, culture, and martial arts of Early Modern England.
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Tag Archives: HMA
Joseph Swetnam: On Holding the Rapier
Swetnam suggests three ways that a fighter may hold the rapier. The first is called the Natural Fashion. This grip is formed by holding the rapier with the thumb forward or on the rapier blade. The second manner is formed … Continue reading
Upcoming Happenings at Elizabethan Mafia
This week has been particularly crazy. I’m in the finishing stages of my first article so I haven’t had much time for other writing. I did want to update you all on a small change to these projects though. I found out last week … Continue reading
Posted in Events
Tagged Dueling, Fencing, Fighting, Foundations Revealed, HMA, Project, Your Wardrobe Unlock'd
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Historical Fencing At The Coblog
There is an excellent article today over at The Coblog on getting the most out of historical fencing. I quite enjoyed reading it and I wanted to recommend it to y’all as well.
Dueling According to Saviolo’s Honor and Honorable Quarrels: Certain Lies and General Lies
Last week we discussed giving the lie. However, as Saviolo goes on to discuss, there are many different types of lies. Today I would like to talk about some of the different kinds of lies that may be given. There … Continue reading
Dueling According to Saviolo’s Honor and Honorable Quarrels: Giving The Lie
Dueling in the 16th century was often used as a form of private judicial combat between two individuals in order to settle disagreements over reputation and honor. “Giving the lie” began the process of the duel itself and there were … Continue reading
On The Advantages And Disadvantages of Height
I know a lot of tall fighters and a lot of not-so-tall-fighters. I am a not-so-tall-fighter. I’m not short by any means but at 5’7” I’m usually shorter than the 6’-ish fighters I generally face. I know a lot of … Continue reading
Posted in Fighting, Philosophy
Tagged Fencing, Fighting, George Silver, HMA, Philosophy, Vincentio Saviolo
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Joseph Swetnam: The Principal Rules of True Defense
Before beginning his discourse on fighting, Swetnam takes the time to lay down “seven principal rules where on true defense is grounded”. These seven principles cover such cornerstones as distance, time, and place as well as several other precepts that … Continue reading
George Silver: On the Placement of the Feet
I thought I would take some time today to talk about my theory on Silver’s stance. While Silver discusses wards in his discussion of the Four General Fights, he does not directly discuss the placement of the feet. In his … Continue reading
George Silver: The Four Times
In his discussions of time in his Bref Instructions, George Silver outlines Four Times: The time of the hand, the time of the foot, the time of the hand and foot, and the time of the foot and hand. The … Continue reading
George Silver: No Perfect Fight Without Both Blow and Thrust
Silver is most often known as a proponent of the blow rather than and advocate for the thrust. His fighting style, by virtue of favoring the English Broadsword as the weapon of choice, incorporates far more cutting attacks than thrusts. … Continue reading