(Part 2) Top products from r/wma

I can't think of any 'study guides' per se, but there are a number of resources that can help you out getting started in bolognese.

The best way to go about it is to read the primary texts and use modern supplementary material to help you sort out what is going on.

Here are some suggestions:
Giovanni D'all Agocchie's manual on the use of the sidesword can be found translated online in places. It's pretty easy to follow compared to other primary bolognese sources so is a good place to start. It contains a couple of very basic 'katas' which is what I like to start my students on as they are intended to help teach and learn the fundamental movements of the system. A full copy of his manual including stuff not directly related to side sword can be found here: http://www.lulu.com/shop/jherek-swanger-and-giovanni-dallagocchie/the-art-of-defense-on-fencing-the-joust-and-battle-formation-by-giovanni-dallagocchie-paperback/paperback/product-23737371.html

A 'cheat sheet' for the techniques contained in the manual can be found here and is a useful for guided practice: http://www.lulu.com/shop/reinier-van-noort/dall-agocchie-cheat-sheet/paperback/product-22581086.html

Manciolino covers mostly sword and buckler, and Tom Leoni does a decent job of presenting the material in a format that is easy to follow and practice from: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0982591136?pf_rd_p=c2945051-950f-485c-b4df-15aac5223b10&pf_rd_r=0WWCFEQSX1PFS73V14BW

A modern 'clift notes' version of the bolognese style can be found here, but I prefer reading straight from the master's pen: https://www.amazon.com/16th-Century-Single-Sword-Combat/dp/150321429X/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?keywords=16th+century+italian+fencing&qid=1551209540&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmr1

There is also a complete translation of Marozzo's manual on lulu.com which is the most comprehensive of all the bolognese texts, and covers side sword with all the companion weapons as well as longsword (spadone) and polearms. However it is much harder to follow than the others mentioned above, so I would hold off on tackling it until you have a good understanding of the basics.

Other important works of the Bolognese system are the Anonimo Bolgonese which is one of the older bolgonese texts. It contains a lot of important information regarding the system and contains a large number of techniques. It is however kinda badly organized and not as clear as the other texts, but it makes for a good supplement.

Also important is Viggiani's manual. It is a very different approach to the bolognese style, and is not a complete system like the others. However it presents much more of the body mechanics that make for good defensive/offensive maneuvers. It should likewise be viewed as a supplement to the general bolognese system.

I'm sorry I could provide more links as I am on my mobile, but I hope this helps.

If you mean these, I have no info on them, but they seem like they might work: http://histfenc.us/productcart/kids-training-sword-long

If you mean these, I have only ever heard that these are more like gekken-style tools than anything else, and could maaaaybe concuss someone with a good windup: http://histfenc.us/productcart/training-sword-with-crossguard-long

For what it's worth, I somehow wound up with a pair of these in my closet, which are pretty fun as boffers go, and they've held up pretty well over the years: https://smile.amazon.com/Toysmith-Mashoonga-Foam-Warrior-Sabers/dp/B00HV0L8BC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524512325&sr=8-1&keywords=mashoonga

Hi, where are you located? The nice thing about sabre is that it is still a living tradition, and there are a lot of people around that can teach it to you. Depending on where you are, you could probably learn quite a lot from a modern club. Ideally though, you'd probably get more out of a more classically-oriented group because sabre has changed a lot in recent years, and a lot of things that will be useful for heavier weight sabres (circular cuts, low line parries, expulsions, etc...) aren't really used anymore.

I was trained in classical Italian sabre, which is well documented and still has a living tradition. The earliest basis for this system comes from Radaelli, who method was written down by Settimo Del Frate and recently translated by Chris Holzman, who added a lot of his own material that would help someone get started. You can get it here:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Dueling-Sabre-Christopher-Holzman/dp/0978902262

Masaniello Parise also wrote about sabre in his book from 1883, and while his book was chosen to be the basis of all military training, most people preferred Radaelli's method, and he ended up hiring a number of his students to teach at the newly formed Scuola Magistrale in Rome. Some of those students, Pecoraro and Pessina cowrote their own book on sabre which was basically Radaelli's system but with an organization more consistent with what was already being taught in Rome. Barbasetti, also did something similar. Unfortunately, Parise's and Pecoraro's and Pessina's book haven't been translated to English yet. Barbasetti's book is available in English (http://medievalswordmanship.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/the-art-of-the-sabre-and-the-epee.pdf)

My training came through Maestro William Guagler's (who trained under Pessina's son, Giorgio and was a graduate of the program in Rome) program which was based on this same method. The sabre in his book, The Science of Fencing (http://www.amazon.com/The-Science-Fencing-Comprehensive-Instruction/dp/1884528058) , is very similar to Pecoraro and Pessina's book and is an excellent overview of the theory. If you look at this one, Barbasetti, and Chris's translation, you can get a pretty good picture of what 19th century Italian sabre would have been like.

Dimicator on facebook is one place for pretty great info on sword and buckler.

As for books... You could go with the pretty outdated Sword and Buckler book from Chivalry Bookshelf. Found here on Amazon.

Then there is new book (BTW thanks for having me look this up, I didn't even know this existed)

Next in line would be Manciolino.

You could also try looking at Lignitzer through Wiktenauer.com. That is going to more updated than David Lindholm's books (two links btw), or Christian Tobler's. But, it is nice to have physical copies.

Are you looking for history of the region and culture or historical treatises?

A single compendium of treatises that I (with a lot of help from others) put together.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1trCQd0eCL8cyaJGKIOkr8rPSSGtaOC7I0nw2PvAQaAw/edit?usp=sharing

For "old style" broadsword the most important texts are probably Hope, Wylde, McBane, Page, Miller, and Lonnergan. For the later "regimental" broadsword styles look at Sinclair, Angelo, Taylor, Mathewson, and Roworth. Roworth is the most accessible for a new practitioner.

Cateran Society is probably the single go to source, though there would be others. If you had to buy one book it would be "Lessons from the Broadsword Masters" which effectively combines his previous books. This will give you a good grounding on the cultural and military history of the region and then an a comprehensive look at the techniques and approaches.
https://www.amazon.com/Lessons-Broadsword-Masters-Christopher-Thompson/dp/0359139639

Unortunately Wagner and Rector's "Highland Broadsword" book is out of print. https://www.amazon.com/Highland-Broadsword-Scottish-Regimental-Swordsmanship/dp/1891448218
The included treatises/manuals can all be sourced elsewhere now but there are some essays that would be nice to be able to read.

Scottish Broadsword is nice but not necessary, I would consider it informative once you have a main core of research and practice done.
https://www.amazon.com/Scottish-Fencing-Small-Sword-Broadsword-Battlefield/dp/0999056735/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_img_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=33678FJ3DZY411T3YJA9

There were definitely historical occult activities and secret orders involved throughout the medieval and renaissance periods in Europe and we know of a few Knights involved with them. What you are looking for is not within the scope of HEMA as this moniker relates only to the "martial arts" of European history. However, there are some I am certain that are still involved in the martial arts of HEMA and also still engaged in fraternal orders and mystical contemplation. No doubt you will discover modern fencers who are also adepts of some order such as Rosicrucianism. You can find some basic info about this order here: https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Doctrines-Rosicrucians-Ancient-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01B1JGKUW/ref=pd_sim_351_35?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01B1JGKUW&pd_rd_r=9da93dff-bff3-4796-b714-17cd93f896ff&pd_rd_w=CLoqa&pd_rd_wg=WsCE6&pf_rd_p=5abf8658-0b5f-405c-b880-a6d1b558d4ea&pf_rd_r=6XMHK2AQXK7NH91X70PN&psc=1&refRID=6XMHK2AQXK7NH91X70PN

It is also worthy to note that there are those involved in orders such as the Knights of Pythias. Case in point, one HEMA'ist who wrote a book on the modern application of Chivalry as a guide for inspired living can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/Knightly-Virtue-Living-Modern-World-ebook/dp/B07VN9DXM4/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=knightly+living&qid=1573049374&s=digital-text&sr=1-1

Hope this helps you on your search.

I've gotten a lot of use out of Mashoonga Foam Warrior Sabers. $35 for a pair, and they'll last for at least a couple years of regular use as long as you don't cook them in your car a couple times like I did. :/

They're just a materials upgrade of the classic pool noodle/duct tape toys, so no crossguard, pommel, or edge to speak of, but the balance and weight are great for kids and the handle is long enough that I can do longsword grips on an imaginary pommel. Normally, though, I use them 1h as sabers or arming swords.

The biggest sell is that they have excellent shock absorption; I once saw a dad sucker-smack his 12yo son across the forehead with one of these. About the funniest thing I've ever seen, since the kid's expression was 100% bewildered humor and 0% pain. Also, try as you might, you'll never hit anything hard enough to put a bend in the core.

I think this book might be of use to you. It can answer a lot of the basic German questions in a concise and useful manner: https://www.amazon.com/German-Longsword-Study-Guide-Farrell/dp/099267350X

Another good option is this one: https://www.amazon.com/Fighting-German-Longsword-Christian-Tobler/dp/1937439232/ref=pd_sim_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1937439232&pd_rd_r=H7DC6Z3YA6PFJ4ZVN4YT&pd_rd_w=VbAS2&pd_rd_wg=PNWII&psc=1&refRID=H7DC6Z3YA6PFJ4ZVN4YT

I say this as basically it seems that you are looking for a starting point into German longsword. The question you ask is not quite so simple as listing off techniques. This is one of the main parts of fencing with the longsword and honestly can take up chapters to talk about properly. The above books have most of the options listed, as well as ideas on how to implement them. They should be able to help you.

Silver's Paradoxes of Defence and Bref Instructions. Plenty of versions online, but the most modern transcription from Silver's handwritten manuscript is the book Master of Defence https://www.amazon.com/Master-Defence-Works-George-Silver/dp/1581607237/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_img_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=EZ12ZKKE4MNW2QZESYQN and Stephen Hand's English Swordsmanship https://www.amazon.com/English-Swordsmanship-Fight-George-Silver/dp/1891448277 is a superb how-to manual.

• Contamine's War in the middle ages, dated but still useful
  
  
  
• Keen's Medieval Wafare
  
  
  
• DeVries' Infantry Warfare in the Fourteenth Century
  
  Those are a couple of good starting points.

I've personally done both classical fencing and HEMA/WMA and modern fencing (epee). Very little in classical sabre will be applicable to modern, at least from what I've seen. It has, at least for me, made me think more creatively and tactically in all my sword-sports.

In terms of where to start other than local clubs, I'd recommend two books: Gaugler's science of fencing (http://www.amazon.com/The-Science-Fencing-Comprehensive-Instruction/dp/1884528058/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397083438&sr=8-1&keywords=the+science+of+fencing) and Chris Holzman's book on radaellian sabre (http://shop.swordplaybooks.com/product.sc?productId=12&categoryId=12). Gaugler is writing specifically from a southern Italian perspective, but he's good for general theory. Chris' book is nothing short of fantastic, and offers lots of insight into the dueling culture around fencing in 19th century Italy.

Jon Clement's ideas are currently widely considered to be rather outdated understandings of medieval swordsmanship by the HEMA community, whether or not you like the man as a person. I'd recommend this this book by Richard Marsden as a good starting point for an aspiring HEMAist.

If you can find an affordable copy, Anglo's Martial Arts of Rennaissance Europe is a great, thorough overview. Might be on the dry side for a 13 year old, but it's about sword fighting. It should keep their interest.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Martial-Arts-Renaissance-Europe/dp/0300083521

Or Marsden's HEMA in its context

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Historical-European-Martial-Arts-Context/dp/0984771662/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=Marsden+hema&qid=1566727440&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Clement's early books are pretty awful. There, I said it.

> Out of interest, what source of Silver are you reading

http://www.amazon.com/English-Swordsmanship-Fight-George-Silver/dp/1891448277

Probably the best German longsword book that I gleaned the most from when I first started out was "Sword Fighting: An Introduction to handling a Long Sword" by Herbert Schmidt.
https://www.amazon.com/Sword-Fighting-Introduction-handling-Long/dp/0764347926/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1481632759&sr=8-8&keywords=german+longsword

These are books with images, theories, and explanations on how to fight.

There are a couple out there but they are as the same as they are different just like any Martial Art.

Example of a book for German Longsword and other weapons

Fighting with the German longsword by Christian Tobler

https://www.amazon.com/Fighting-German-Longsword-Christian-Tobler/dp/1937439232

There are a bunch of books published by Chivalry Bookshelf like the one above.

Some can be found at abe books as well as the usual amazon search.

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?bsi=0&ds=20&kn=chivalry%20bookshelf&sortby=17&prevpage=2

I'll reiterate what others have said about Clements. He is an important figure in the history of modern swordfighting but he also wasn't a diligent student of the arts when he was putting out books and videos back then. A lot has been learnt since then.

I have several books, and I'd point you to:

Sword Fighting: An Introduction to handling a Long Sword by Herbert Schmidt - this covers the German Liechtenauer techniques.

Mastering the Art of Arms Vol 2: The Medieval Longsword by Guy Windsor - this covers the Italian Fiore techniques.

Both books are modern interpretations of the historical techniques, written by instructors, with lots of photographs showing multiple angles of a particular action. Useful for a beginner and an intermediate practitioner as you can see exactly what you are suppose to do, instead of having to decipher a translation or drawing.

This: armor and equipment can protect you from cutting and stabbing, there’s nothing to protect you from the blunt force trauma of collapsing your spine.

Davenriche in San Jose, Ca runs periodic quarter staff workshops, but even then the instructors are very careful, and it’s primarily choreography based out of distance. This is a school that has weekly full plate sparring nights and hosts regional competitions. The owner literally wrote a book on longswords .

The example you are thinking of might be from the records of the interrogation of Samuel Probst, who killed a journeyman printer in a fencing match in 1595 in Augsburg, Germany. After city officials establishing that he and the deceased had no ill will, and after the fencing school masters petitioned on his behalf, he was released with no punishment.

You can find the account in several places, but the best place is in Ann Tlusty's Augsburg During the Reformation Era. It is also mentioned and contextualized in Tlusty's more famous (and expensive) work, The Martial Ethic in Early Modern Germany.

https://www.amazon.com/Augsburg-During-Reformation-Era-Anthology/dp/160384841X

https://www.amazon.com/Martial-Ethic-Early-Modern-Germany/dp/1349366471

Here are a couple of modern secondary sources which might be of use:

https://www.amazon.com/Newer-Shorter-Easier-Method-Fencing/dp/0956487165/

https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Manual-Smallsword-Fencing-ebook/dp/B00TIWMIYM/

Here's a good list of original treatises:

https://smallswordproject.com/historic-texts/

Modern sport fencing will certainly teach a lot of what you need for smallsword fencing, but it will also teach some very bad habits. If you can't find any means of getting smallsword training then by all means take it up. Avoid "sabre" and pistol grips, and take a look at the foil section of Hutton's "The Swordsman":

https://www.amazon.com/Swordsman-Manual-Defence-Against-Uncivilised/dp/1845743652