“The short staff or half pike, forest bill, partisan, or glaive, or such like weapons of perfect length, have the advantage against the battle axe, the halberd, the black bill, the two handed sword, the sword and target, and are too hard for two swords and daggers, or two rapier and poniards with gauntlets, and for the long staff and morris pike.."

George Silver
Paradoxes of Defence, 1599

In Asia, the Bo-staff has long been recognized as an important weapon. In Europe, popular lore recounts how the staff was used by woodsmen, travellers and middle class as a cheap, reliable and effective form of self-defense.

As schools of defense promulgated during the 15th - 17th centuries, the staff was included as a key part of the curricula by such masters as Joachim Meyer, George Silver, and Joseph Swetnam because it forms the basis for the whole family of polearms, including the halberd, poleaxe, glaive and bill.

With the resurgence of interest in European martial arts, David Lindholm presents a synthesis of techniques preserved in the historical record, a useful guide for both novice and experienced combatant, including translations of the most important texts, analysis and photographic interpretation of each technique. This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in staff combat. Eastern martial artists will be fascinated by the striking similarities to their own art. Western martial artists will discover translations, interpretation and photographic exposition covering one of the key weapons in their art. SCA combatants will find fundamentals and tricks that work very well with their polearms, and students of military or Renaissance history will find key insights into the mind of combatants relying on the staff as a teaching tool and as a method of self-defense.

Mr. Lindholm, a recognized expert in the European martial arts based in Sweden, is a founder of the St. Mikaels Gille (a respected society of historical swordsmanship) and frequent lecturer at Symposia throughout Europe. His work covers a sweeping spectrum, ranging from early sword and buckler technique to rapier. With this book, he presents the first English book solely dedicated to European staff combat.

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