Thisis a practical guide to smallsword fencing intended for beginners, foilists whowish to try a dueling weapon, and coaches looking for practical exercises fortheir students. The exercises provided were used in fencing academiescenturies ago and are still applicable today. They are easily incorporated intopractice sessions. Also included are fight sequences designed to guide thefencer in employing good swordplay when sparring. This book offers a bit of everything. Fencingexpert Michael Stevens outlines for the reader how fencing with a smallsworddiffers from modern competitive sports fencing, focusing on scoring points andon avoiding injury. He briefly examines the history of the smallsword and hasincluded a section on fencing theory, explaining how to hold the sword andoutlining the various thrusts and parries. He provides advice on how to bestspar with the smallsword and how to cope with fencers who present differentchallenges.