--- product_id: 5192614 title: "Medieval Swordsmanship: Illustrated Methods And Techniques Paperback – October 1, 1998" brand: "john clements" price: "£28.87" currency: GBP in_stock: true reviews_count: 11 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/5192614-medieval-swordsmanship-illustrated-methods-and-techniques-paperback-october-1-1998 store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # Medieval Swordsmanship: Illustrated Methods And Techniques Paperback – October 1, 1998 **Brand:** john clements **Price:** £28.87 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Medieval Swordsmanship: Illustrated Methods And Techniques Paperback – October 1, 1998 by john clements - **How much does it cost?** £28.87 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/5192614-medieval-swordsmanship-illustrated-methods-and-techniques-paperback-october-1-1998) ## Best For - john clements enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted john clements brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Full description not available ## Images ![Medieval Swordsmanship: Illustrated Methods And Techniques Paperback – October 1, 1998 - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/417UCTsdwQL.jpg) ![Medieval Swordsmanship: Illustrated Methods And Techniques Paperback – October 1, 1998 - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51yei1eSqhL.jpg) ![Medieval Swordsmanship: Illustrated Methods And Techniques Paperback – October 1, 1998 - Image 3](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31yz8FOlqtL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Another excellent tome for Medieval Martial Arts Enthusiasts *by J***N on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 17, 2015* John Clements has provided an expansive, well-illustrated, and well-explained tome by which to understand (and begin learning, if that is your desire) Medieval Swordsmanship . I have not yet found an author who has such a breadth of detail laid out for the European Medieval Arts enthusiast in such an accessible form. It is a larger volume than Clements' earlier Renaissance Swordsmanship.What the book is:More than 200 pages of original drawings, which depict fighting stances, forms, and techniques, Clement's books not only make deciphering medieval fightbooks much easier but also makes the mechanics of learning to use the weapons accessible to the student/enthusiast of European Medieval Martial Arts. It is great starting point to understand (in a modern sense) what various medieval fight masters/books were teaching.While Clements cannot (and does not attempt to) recreate the EXACT conditions of the teaching/education/training of the old fight masters (that would be silly and not at all the point of his books), he does succeed in giving the enthusiast a fantastic starting point upon which to build a knowledgeable base of information and practical instruction of Medieval Swordfighting.I believe he has succeeded in what he has set out to do.What this book is not:An exhaustive, authoritative, exclusive, know-it-all book on everything (method, source, opinion, school-of-thought) about Medieval Swordsmanship. It is not perfect (and does not claim to be). Mr. Clements clearly states that he expects people of other groups and methods of instruction/schools of fighting to disagree with him. After all, there are many ancient fight books and manuals of instruction which do not agree upon technique and teaching.There is no all-in-one and one-for-all fighting manual that is "right".I would not use only this book and claim to be a master of European Marital Arts without training and/or instruction by a school/instructors who have studied and can interpret medieval fight books. Even then I could only claim to be a student of the ancient (and modern) masters.So why give it a "5", why not a "4" or "3" or "2" or "1"?This book met and exceeded my expectations. I am a student of Medieval Martial Arts (and have been for nearly 4 years as of Feb. 2015). Over the past 4 years,. I have bought and studied many different books (modern and facsimilies of ancient fightbooks). Although I can can say I have learned from each one, there was a slight disconnect from "translating/extrapolating" the static poses and information in ancient fightbook plates for use training in Medieval Martial Arts. Mr. Clements (along with Mike Loades) gave me the first "in-roads" into what the plates meant and how they were used.Do not expect me to agree with every conclusion in this book. Mr. Clements doesn't and gives specifics on why he wrote his books from the perspective he chose.(Tthat does show I am not just an over-excited fanboy who goes along with whatever someone else says.)He has satisfied every point he makes in his introduction as to the purpose of the book. There are many myths and improper uses of the sword (terminology, construction, use, instruction) that arise from not only media (movies, television, books) but also incorrect instruction (stage fighting and/or historical reenactment and/or training are not NECESSARILY historically accurate) and education (looking at the sword as only a museum piece or part of static history without regard to the actual use).**These methods of instruction and education are not necessarily wrong in that there is a specific reason that fighting schools and/or societies have evolved to give instruction for specific purposes, situations, and types of weapons. Fighting with 'wasters' or 'trainers' will not give the same feeling or training as fighting with steel weapons. None is "better" (meaning that fighting and using one type does not negate the validitity of using another) in the same way that records, mp3, cassettes, and cd's are valid and acceptable means of providing music. It all depends on one's preference and equipment.This book, along with Renaissance Swordsmanship, are excellent starting references for the enthusiast of European Medieval Arts.There are two DVD's that have sections or cover medieval fight books in their entirety. One is Reclaiming the Blade and the other is Medeival Fight Book.(And yes, this review has some of the same elements (OK, even most of the same words, phrases, content, etc.) as the review of Renaissance Swordsmanship. I read these two books simultaneously (and in some ways consecutively). I was similarly impressed with both books in the same way. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A dearth of information *by C***T on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 11, 2021* I have owned this title previously but due to time and tide I lost it and wanted to replace ot as I am able to return to training. I find it quite thorough and geared more to actual combat than to sport fighting. It is by no means complete as no manual will be, and is quite general in its teaching, but you can add the information from this book to your curriculum and it will fit in nicely. A very informative book and one no HEMA student should be without. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ it would have been nice to have a more definitive guide to accessing equipment *by I***E on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 11, 2018* Other reviewers have commented on the author's excessive diatribes against other sparring methods than his, which is all true. Mr. Clements could do with a little humility, regardless of the clear fact that he has more than earned the right to his beliefs. His instruction methods and logic are sound, and spot on. For the beginner just starting (which is me). it would have been nice to have a more definitive guide to accessing equipment, training swords, wasters and the like. Perhaps this is hard to keep up-to-date. But a good place to start is the ARMA Houston website - they do a better job than the home website does as regards equipment. All-in-all, plenty worth the money for this book, considering I can't read either Italian or German. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/5192614-medieval-swordsmanship-illustrated-methods-and-techniques-paperback-october-1-1998](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/5192614-medieval-swordsmanship-illustrated-methods-and-techniques-paperback-october-1-1998) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-05-20*