The unfair advantage: The subtle differences in 19th century French dueling épées

Reduced weight.

Upside-down mounted blades.

A sneakily set handle.

Early attempts in gaining an unfair advantage with épées de combat.

Caveat emptor: Things in the mirror are smaller than they appear

On April 1, 2017, FencingClassics gave the people what they wanted: 

FREE unconditional access to a FREE newly discovered resource. 

What it all worth it?

Revealed: Alchemia Dimicandi—A Transcription of an Unknown late 17th-ct. German Fencing Text

Between the 1940’s and the early 1960’s the Diplom Fechtmeister (licensed fencing master) Karl Lochner discovered a short German text on “fencing in earnest”.

Dating from around the late 1600’s to early 1700’s, the “Alchemia Dimicandi” of a minor German nobleman cuts through the traditional Lektion-Contra-lektion patterns of contemporary fencing pedagogy—and provides a unique glimpse at actual, hands-on dueling practice with the transition rapier or small sword…

Silence of the Sticks: Why wooden weapons fell out of favor in 19th-century Germany

The Irish beat each other with shilelaghs, the English drew blood with singlesticks and quarterstaves, the French wielded canne and baton. The Portuguese still play at jogo de pao and the Italians had the bastone. The Germans, however, showed no interest in wooden weapons, at least after the Fechtschul traditions of dussack and assorted staff weapons (most of which with a blade of one kind or another) had disappeared. How come?

Meet J. Christoph Amberger

This site’s editor, J. Christoph Amberger, was born and raised in West Berlin, Germany. He studied in Berlin, Göttingen, Aberdeen, and Annapolis and holds an M.A. in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College Graduate Institute. After Obtaining his J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 2015 and passing the Maryland bar, he is now an attorney in Baltimore City.

About J. Christoph Amberger

Who is this guy?

J. Christoph Amberger was born and raised in Cold-War West Berlin, Germany. He studied in Berlin, Göttingen,