The Rapier Part Four Sword and Dagger and Sword and Cape Workbook: Left Handed Layout (The Rapier Workbooks: Left Handed Layout)

If you have two hands, and only one of them is holding the sword, you might as well have a second weapon. The most common companion weapon for the rapier is the dagger. Rapier and dagger fencing is fast, complex, and fun. In this workbook you will learn how to quickly develop the knack of parrying with the dagger while striking with the sword, using a series of games. You will then be taught a selection of rapier and dagger sequences from Capoferro’s Gran Simulacro, and develop from these sequences into freeplay.

We also cover the use of the cape as a secondary weapon, drawing from Capoferro and Alfieri, teaching you how to use the cape to parry attacks, to weigh down your opponent’s weapon before you attack, and even to blind them prior to running them through.

This version is laid out for left-handers, with space for written notes on the left-hand page. If you are right-handed we recommend choosing the version laid out for you. All technical exercises are shown in the videos for both right-handers and left-handers.

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 Guy can be found in his shed woodworking or spending time with his family.