[Gabriele Becattini]

hello to everyone,

i would like to know if someone could tell me if there's a good training manual for singlestick/cutlass

fighting, i'm especially interested in 19th century source but a modern manual is also welcome.

thanks for help.

gabriele

[Marc Pengryffyn]

Broadsword and Single-stick, by R. G. Allanson Winn and C. Phillips-Wolley (London, 1890) is the one I know. I have an original edition, in fairly battered condition (which is not for sale!), but there's a Paladin Press 2006 paperback edition apparently, probably available via Amazon. In addition to the weapons mentioned in the title, the authors also consider quarterstaff and bayonet, with a final chapter on self-defense with walking-sticks, umbrellas etc. I'm actually surprised nobody's scanned it and posted it online, given that the copyright is well-and-truly expired....

The Wikipedia article on singlestick also has some links that might interest you-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singlestick

Cheers

Marc

[Carlo Arellano]

Although primarily a saber manual, this might also be useful: A New System of Sword Exercise for Infantry (London: William Clowes and Sons, 1876). The book mentioned by Marc is for sale at amazon in the second link.




http://ejmas.com/jnc/jncart_burtonnewsword_0200.htm
http://www.amazon.com/Broadsword-Singlestick-...1581605129

[Gavin Kisebach]

Lynn Thompson at Cold steel has a video out, though I've never seen it and can't vouch for it's worth:

[Mark Millman]

Dear Mr. Becattini,

You might try to find the 1971 Land's End press edition of Domenico Angelo's 1787 The School of Fencing, which also contains his son Henry's later, and shorter, works--charts or posters, really--Hungarian and Highland Broad Sword and The Angelo Cutlass Exercises. Copies are not uncommon but can be somewhat expensive; ones I found ranged between US$40 and US$190. Two are listed in the Bookstore section here, one at US$180, and another which does not list a price. You can also search on Amazon.com or on BookFinder.com. Make sure that you get the Land's End Press edition of 1971, or the Hippocrene Books reprint of 1982, and not the 2005 Greenhill Books one, as the Greenhill publication doesn't include the cutlass exercises.

There's also A. J. Corbesier's 1869 book, Principles of Squad Instruction for the Broadsword. Corbesier was the fencing-master at the U.S. Naval Academy, and this book is intended to teach sailors to use cutlasses. Actually, it refers to and illustrates sabers, but the same system would have been used for the shorter cutlasses. Don't confuse it with his later, and more popular, work, Theory of Fencing: With the Small Sword Exercise, which doesn't discuss your weapon. I don't believe that either of Corbesier's books has been reprinted, and original copies can be expensive; however, one at the very reasonable price of US$18 does seem to be available through the Bookstore. You can also read on-line copies. A quick search found two, one at Open Library, and one at the Internet Archive.

Photographs from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries survive, showing U.S. sailors using singlesticks to practice cutlass drills on the decks of their ships. Presumably they used Corbesier's system, but it's very difficult to be certain.

I hope that this information proves helpful.

Best,

Mark Millman

[Gabriele Becattini]

many thanks to everyone for your interesting answers.

gabriele

[Ken Pfrenger]

Here are two I put up years ago:

Singlestick section from Cassell's Book of Sports and Pastimes
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/4933/cassell.html

Anti-pugilism http://www.geocities.com/cinaet/anti-pugilism.html

There are plates for the antipugilism manual that I can dig out if you are interested.

[Gabriele Becattini]

ken,

thank you for the links, both manual are short but very useful for my research,

if you could show me the plates of the anti-pugilism manual it would be great.

do you have also some material about bare-fist boxing, savate and wrestling too?

gabriele

[Eric Myers]

I like Allanson Winn and Phillips-Wolley too, and another title not yet mentioned: Lessons in Sabre, Singlestick, Sabre & Bayonet, and Sword Feats, by J.M. Waite, 1880. Not sure where it is available these days, I got mine 10 years ago from Patri Pugilese.

[Eric Myers]

Actually, if you do a search for singlestick on googlebooks, you'll find quite a bit of material.

[Ken Pfrenger]

Here are the illustrations from the Anti-Pugilism manual.

I have quite a bit of pugilism, wrestling and savate as well, some on the computer and some hard copy...what specifically were you looking for?

[Gabriele Becattini]

Hi Ken,

for first thank you for the picture,

i have practised boxing and other combat sport for several years, and now i have become interested

in their earlier form like the bare fist boxing and savate as practised in the 19th century,

i'm also a student of duelling sabre and i'm very interested in other 19th century conbat style like walking stick, bayonet, singlestick, dueling knife.

i would be very grateful to you if you could send me some scanned manuals and other material.

thank you for your help.

gabriele

[Ken Pfrenger]

My good friend Kirk has made a number of titles available to download here:
http://lklawson.isa-geek.org/sync/Martial_Arts/European/

You should be able to find what you are looking for there.

[Gabriele Becattini]

ken,

great link with a great source of material, many thanks to you and obviously to your friend for sharing all

of this

best

Gabriele