Encased in Steel Anthology I

Celebrating four years of Encased in Steel.

The writing team behind the Encased in Steel blog (Keith Farrell, Alex Bourdas and Ben Kerr, with guest author Benjamin Hawkins) have compiled some of the best articles from the last four years into the first Encased in Steel anthology. The articles have been edited heavily and updated significantly, to ensure a high quality of both scholarship and written language. Some new and unique articles have been written specifically for this volume, that are not available on the blog.

The book is divided into five thematic parts, each dealing with a different element of the study of historical European martial arts. Topics include chivalry, history and research, studies of weapons, test cutting, and practical concerns. Suitable for anyone with an interest in European history!

Keith Farrell is one of the senior instructors for the Academy of Historical Arts, based in Scotland. He teaches HEMA professionally, often at international events, and has an interest in coaching instructors to become better teachers. He has authored Scottish Broadsword and British Singlestick and the AHA German Longsword Study Guide, and is one of the regular contributors to the Encased in Steel online blog. He has been a member of HEMAC since 2011.

Contents:

• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Part 1: Chivalry & Christian Values
  • 1 About Being Fearless: According to Dom Duarte (Alex Bourdas)
  • 2 He Who Takes Up the Sword Will Perish by the Sword: Justification for Christian Violence (Ben Kerr)
  • 3 Chivalry: According to Ramon Llull (Alex Bourdas)
  • 4 Chivalry: According to Geoffroi de Charny (Alex Bourdas)
• Part 2: HEMA History & Research
  • 5 Research into Historical European Martial Arts (Keith Farrell)
  • 6 Western Composers and Western Martial Arts (Keith Farrell)
  • 7 Liechtenauer or a Derivative? (Keith Farrell)
• Part 3: Weapon History & Research
  • 8 A Perfect Length: The Single-Handed Sword (Alex Bourdas)
  • 9 A Perfect Length: The Staff Weapons (Alex Bourdas)
  • 10 Fustibola: The Mighty Staff Sling (Ben Kerr)
• Part 4: The Practice of Cutting
  • 11 An Argument for Test Cutting in Training (Ben Kerr)
  • 12 Cutting with the German Longsword (Alex Bourdas)
  • 13 Cutting Concepts (Keith Farrell)
  • 14 Qualities of a Cutting Sword (Benjamin Hawkins)
• Part 5: Practical Concerns for HEMA Clubs
  • 15 “Aggressive” vs. “Assertive” in Martial Arts (Keith Farrell)
  • 16 Changing Partners in Martial Training (Ben Kerr)
  • 17 The Importance of Training Judges (Ben Kerr)
  • 18 Validating What We Do in Martial Arts (Keith Farrell)