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Quarterstaff
A quarterstaff (plural quarterstaffs or quarterstaves), also short staff or simply staff is a traditional European polearm, which was especially prominent in England during the Early Modern period. The term is generally accepted to refer to a shaft of hardwood from long, sometimes with a metal tip, ferrule, or spike at one or both ends. The term "short staff" compares this to the "long staff" based on the pike with a length in excess of . The height of the staff should be around the same as the user plus their hand set upright on their head (approximately ). Etymology The name "quarterstaff" is first attested in the mid-16th century. The "quarter" possibly refers to the means of production, the staff being made from quartersawn hardwood (as opposed to a staff of lower quality made from conventionally sawn lumber or from a tree branch). OED; English longbows were traditionally made from staves of yew or ash that were split into quarters. If the longbow was not in use, the 'q ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stage Combat
Stage combat, fight craft or fight choreography is a specialised technique in theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat without causing harm to the performers. It is employed in live stage plays as well as operatic and ballet productions. With the advent of cinema and television the term has widened to also include the choreography of filmed fighting sequences, as opposed to the earlier live performances on stage. It is closely related to the practice of stunts and is a common field of study for actors. Actors famous for their stage fighting skills frequently have backgrounds in dance, gymnastics or martial arts training. History Ancient The history of stage fighting and mock combat can be traced to antiquity, with Aristotle quoted as noting that tragedy is conflict between people or indeed it may be traced to the origins of the human species and primate display behaviour. Display of martial aptitude is a natural occurrence in warrior, warrior societies, and rit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depicted as being of noble birth, and in modern retellings he is sometimes depicted as having fought in the Crusades before returning to England to find his lands taken by the Sheriff of Nottingham (position), Sheriff. In the oldest known versions, he is instead a member of the yeoman class. He is traditionally depicted dressed in Lincoln green. Today, he is most closely associated with his stance of "redistribution of income and wealth, robbing the rich to give to the poor". There exists no canonical version of the Robin Hood mythos, which has resulted in different creators imbuing their adaptations with different messages over the centuries. Adaptations have often vacillated between a libertarian version of Robin Hood ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prize Playing
A Prize Playing was a test of martial skill popular in Renaissance England with the London-based Corporation of Masters of the Noble Science of Defence. It involved several dozen bouts against continually refreshing opponents, with little or no rest in between. This practice was revived after a fashion in the late 17th century in the form of "Prize Fights", whence the term prizefighting for modern professional boxing. Renaissance Prize Playings The time and place for a Prize Playing was determined by the four Ancient Masters of the school. Notices called Bills of Challenge were posted of the event and a wooden scaffolding was erected in a public square. A good number of formalities were observed and at one time rules were endorsed by the Crown. On the appointed day and time, following a procession of drums and flags the Player was paraded to the raised scaffold with much fanfare. The public gathered close to watch, cheer, and throw coins onto the platform; the student would e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stick Fighting
Stick-fighting, stickfighting, or stick fighting, is a variety of martial arts which use blunt, hand-held "sticks" for fighting, most typically a simple, non-lethal, wooden staff or baton. Schools of stick-fighting exist for a variety of weapons, including gun staffs, bō, jō, bastons, and arnis sticks, among others. Cane-fighting is the use of walking sticks as improvised weapons. Some techniques can also be used with a sturdy umbrella or even with a sword or dagger still in its scabbard. Thicker and/or heavier blunt weapons such as clubs or the mace are outside the scope of stick-fighting (since they cannot be wielded with the necessary precision, relying on the sheer force of impact for stopping power instead), as are more distinctly-shaped weapons such as the '' taiaha'' used by the Māori people of New Zealand, and the '' macuahuitl'' used by the Aztec people of Mesoamerica in warfare. Although many systems are defensive combat techniques intended for use if attack ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joseph Swetnam
Joseph Swetnam (died 1621) was an English pamphleteer and fencing master. He is best known for a pamphlet and an early English fencing treatise, criticized by some female writers as women-hating. Three defensive responses as pamphlets were made by Rachel Speght, Ester Sowernam and Constantia Munda. The pamphlet wars Swetnam's pamphlet attacking women was one of the most influential of the era. ''The Arraignment of Women'' (1615) ''The arraignment of lewd, idle, WIktionary:froward, froward, and unconstant women'' was published in 1615 under the pseudonym Thomas Tell-Troth. Despite this attempt at anonymity, Swetnam was quickly known as the true author (The full title of the original pamphlet was: ). Swetnam describes in this document what he views as the sinful, deceiving, worthless nature of women. He addresses his remarks to young men of the world, as if warning them about the dangers of womankind. He cites personal experiences as well as those of well-known Bible, bibli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Company Of Masters
The Company of Maisters of the Science of Defence was an organisation formed in England during the reign of Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ... to regulate the teaching of the ''Arte of Defence'' or ''historical fencing, fencing'', using a range of weapons, including the rapier, quarterstaff, and, most notably, the broadsword. This school of fencing persisted throughout the 16th century but declined after the end of the Tudor period. Tudor England It served to prevent unlicensed instructors from operating, both as a form of quality assurance and as a monopoly to protect the livelihoods of its members. It also regulated the conduct of members to one another, both instructor and student. Like the guilds it resembled, the company certified its members with v ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Boy Scout
A Scout, Boy Scout, Girl Scout or, in some countries, a Pathfinder is a participant in the Scout Movement, usually aged 10–18 years, who engage in learning scoutcraft and outdoor and other special interest activities. Some Scout organizations have split this wide age group development span into junior and senior programs. Scouts are often organized into patrols of about 6–8 Scouts under a patrol leader with a number of patrols forming a larger troop under the guidance of one or more adult leaders or Scoutmasters. Many troops are affiliated with local, national and international organizations. Some Scout organizations have special interest programs such as Air Scouts, Sea Scouts, high adventure, Scout bands, mounted scouts and cyclist Scouts. In the United States there were around 6 million scouts in 2011. Foundation At the beginning of the twentieth century, there was popular interest in frontier and military scouts. Boys and girls emulated these scouts in dress ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johannes Liechtenauer
Johannes Liechtenauer (also ''Lichtnauer'', ''Hans Lichtenawer'') was a German Late Middle Ages, German fencing master who had a great level of influence on the German school of swordsmanship, German fencing tradition in the 14th century. Biography Liechtenauer seems to have been active during the mid-to-late 14th century in Germany, 14th century. The only extant biographical note on Liechtenauer is found in Nürnberger Handschrift GNM 3227a, GNM Hs. 3227a (dated c. 1400), which states that "Master Liechtenauer learnt and mastered [the art of the sword] in a thorough and rightful way, but he did not invent it or make it up himself, as it is stated before. Instead, he travelled across and visited many lands for the sake of this rightful and true art, as he wanted to study and know it." His German family names, surname indicates he was from a place called ''Liechtenau'' (modern ''Lichtenau''). There are several places with this name. Massmann (1844) mentions five candidate locatio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robin Hood And The Tinker
Robin Hood and the Tinker ( Roud 3982, Child 127) is an English-language folk song, part of the Robin Hood canon. Synopsis Robin Hood meets with a tinker and tells him that two tinkers were put in the stocks for drinking ale and beer. The tinker tells him that he has a warrant for Robin Hood in his pouch. Robin tells him to come with him to Nottingham. They stop at an inn to drink. When the tinker is drunk, Robin takes the warrant and his money and leaves the tinker with the bill. The host tells him that the man he drank with was Robin Hood. The tinker starts tracking him down and fights with him, but when he is winning, he lets Robin blow on his horn. This summons Robin's men and ends the fight. Robin offers him a hundred pounds to join the band. Adaptions Howard Pyle Howard Pyle (March 5, 1853 – November 9, 1911) was an American illustrator, Painting, painter, and author, primarily of books for young people. He was a native of Wilmington, Delaware, Wilmington, Delaware, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lunge (fencing)
The lunge is the fundamental footwork technique used with all three fencing weapons: foil, épée and sabre. It is common to all contemporary fencing styles. The lunge is executed by kicking forward with the front foot, and pushing the body forward with the back leg. It can be used in combination with different blade work to deliver an offensive action such as an attack. The lunge is one of the most basic and most common types offensive footwork. Relation to the attack The lunge is often used to deliver an attack. In sabre, the end of the attack is defined by the front foot of the lunge landing on the piste. An attack can be made with a lunge on its own, or can be made with a step-forward-lunge, which are both considered single tempo actions. History The characteristic motion of the modern lunge traces its ancestry to European swordplay of the 16th and 17th centuries. Scholars of fence such as Egerton Castle attribute the first true lunging attack to Angelo Viggiani an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
German Renaissance
The German Renaissance, part of the Northern Renaissance, was a cultural and artistic movement that spread among German thinkers in the 15th and 16th centuries, which developed from the Italian Renaissance. Many areas of the arts and sciences were influenced, notably by the spread of Renaissance humanism to the various German states and principalities. There were many advances made in the fields of architecture, the arts, and the sciences. Germany produced two developments that were to dominate the 16th century all over Europe: printing and the Protestant Reformation. One of the most important German humanists was Konrad Celtis (1459–1508). Celtis studied at Cologne and Heidelberg, and later travelled throughout Italy collecting Latin and Greek manuscripts. Heavily influenced by Tacitus, he used the ''Germania'' to introduce German history and geography. Eventually he devoted his time to poetry, in which he praised Germany in Latin. Another important figure was Johann Re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
German School Of Fencing
The German school of fencing (') is a system of combat taught in the Holy Roman Empire during the Late Medieval, German Renaissance, and early modern periods. It is described in the contemporary Fechtbücher ("fencing books") written at the time. The geographical center of this tradition was in what is now Southern Germany including Augsburg, Frankfurt, and Nuremberg. During the period in which it was taught, it was known as the ', or the ''"Art of Fighting"''. The German school of fencing focuses primarily on the use of the two-handed longsword; it also describes the use of many other weapons, including polearms, medieval daggers, messers (with or without a buckler), and the staff, as well as describing mounted combat and unarmed grappling (''ringen''). Most authors of writings on the system are, or claim to be, in the tradition of the 14th-century master Johannes Liechtenauer. The earliest surviving treatise on Liechtenauer's system is a manuscript dated to possibly t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
