More Bull Fighting and Less Running with The Bulls

“It’s one thing to understand the Arms and another to be a skilled man.”

Don Jeronimo Carranza

     Hello there!  This post will be a reflection with lessons learned from the Barony Beyond the Mountain (BBM) Yule rapier tourney I entered last weekend.  Let me start by saying that I am extremely happy that I went to this SCA event and entered the tourney.  I placed 5th and learned some important things in the process.

     The quote above seemed pretty appropriate in regards to the tourney for me.  Most of the time in his treatise when Carranza refers to “The Skill” he is talking about the actual practice of Verdadera Destreza.  He continues the quote above with, 

“A skilled man is he who is practiced in the practical aspects of the Arms 
or in things of the practical nature.” 

When he talks about “Arms” he refers more to the study of the theory of the practice.  I have been trying to balance these two studies recently and the tourney was a great chance for me to see how my skill is coming along.  So enough philosophy, here are my take home points: 

•      It was NOT a hybrid, it was Verdadera Destreza
•      A bad tournament mind can mess with you
•      Everything I do with the Right, I must do with the Left
•      Bonus lesson: Hand hits and sword hilts

     Last week before the tourney I mentioned at practice and on G+ that I was going to speed up my fencing for the tourney and that it would be a hybrid of my Destreza and my athletic/previous martial skill.   After putting it into action and some reflection I realized that wasn’t accurate.   What I put into use was far from perfect Destreza, since I am new to this, but it was the "Skill" and the moves I have been drilling for the past few months sped up and without conscious thought.   I was using the footwork, angles, and arm positioning as well as some basic combat theory.  What I realized is that if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it can be called 100% beginner Destreza, heh.  I now intend to go back to my footwork and technique drills and continue fighting folks slower and more intentionally, as I have been doing at practice, to ingrain the muscle memory more. Probably three quarter speed is my guess based on what the sped up moves feel like.  At the suggestion of a friend I will be speeding it up to tourney rate about once a month to see how the skills are porting over and being incorporated at full speed.  I do believe after watching the Puck and Romagnan bouts again that I need to slow down my tourney pace a bit and treat those full speed fights more as bull fights and less as a running with the bulls.

     I have been in a number of rapier as well as martial arts tournaments before and I can honestly say that headspace has never been a problem for me.  Last week was very humbling, as part way through I went up against some very good fencers who had my number and it messed with my mind in the moment.  Thanks to a bout that had me laughing hysterically (thank you Sorcha) and some good people, I was able to get out of it before the tourney ended.  Afterwards I did some reflection on how I ended up there, so I could avoid it in the future. I realized that in my previous tourneys I went into them without anything to lose and to paraphrase Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba, I was practicing with fierce joy.  This time around I was went into the tourney after months and months of practicing a new style and art.  I was truly wondering and some might say worried if I had wasted all of that time on something that wouldn’t actually work.  My mind got messed up in that moment when I started counting my fights won/lost as if those mattered.  The good news is I got out of it and my training did work and pay off.  Lesson learned that going forward I shouldn’t count my bouts at all and simply put, I should fight with more joy. 

     This next one isn’t as deep as the first points, but pretty important.  During the tourney I lost my right hand a number of times and when I switched to my left I was practically useless and as good as dead.  I am doing a few things to fix this.  1.  I need to think about my arm and hand position when I am fighting, 2. I am changing out my rig/hilt and going back to my first ring hilt which has more coverage than the clam shell I have been using, and 3. I have started drilling all of my techniques and footwork in my left hand as well.  Thanks to my arnis and previous martial training I am quite ambidextrous.  All of my standard warm up and technique drills are now going to be done on both sides.  Ta da! Let’s hope that works and is as easy as the paragraph sounds.  I am thinking it won’t be quick, but it should work.

     Bonus thoughts and research:  Getting my hand and forearm hit made me start to ponder the hilts/guards used most popularly within Spanish fencing and why.  Specifically the use of the cup hilt which adds more protection.  My very loose theory is that the development of the cup hilt and it popularly being known as the “Spanish cup hilt” could be directly related to Destreza and the stance that relies largely on the hand being held so far out.  Some evidence shows that they gained use (early to mid 17th century) at the same time that Destreza rose to popularity in Spain.  Yes, there are Italian cup hilts out there.  From what I found in a quick poke is that many of them are from northern Italy, which isn’t that far from Spain.  I also know that some Italian styles do have extended guards, such as Giganti if I remember correctly.  This is all a theory right now that I am starting to research and work out.  We will see if it turns into an A & S thing in the future, but either way I am finding all of it very interesting.

     Next post will be more philosophy as well as some reflections on the amazing Sebastien Romagnan Destreza book I just got in the mail and I am starting to read through.  You can find the link on my Destreza Resource page, but here it is again:  Destreza, Historical Fencing.

Thanks for reading.

I went to a fight and an A&S competition broke out

This post is going to be about my experiences at the SCA St. Eligius arts and sciences competition held last Saturday Nov. 14th, 2015 in the Barony of Dragonship Haven down in Connecticut.  The web page of the barony is here: Dragonship Haven. One of the sub categories they had was period fencing where you had to demonstrate and explain a technique you researched from a manual.

This was my very first time entering anything A&S related and it was educational to say the least.
I had thought it might be a by the book tourney where we talked and then fought, but instead is was a describe your research and demonstrate your technique.  When I registered I was asked to set up on one of the tables to show my materials.  Honestly being a fencing nerd is the only thing that saved me on this one.  I had 4 period manuals on me (Thibault, Pacheco, Viedma, and part of Godhino) and I put those out on a lovely table surrounded by a sword and dagger I grabbed from my car. Ta dah!

I was the only person in the fencing category and as a result I was grouped into Novice B (>3 yrs in SCA and new to A&S) where I needed to judge a combination of other crafts with my material being called performance art (this did make me smile). The other folks in the category included an enamel pin, an illumination, period wooden spoons, fabric arts, wooden chairs/boxes, and food.  Seriously how do people compare all of those to each other and then add in a fencing demo, lol.  A&S has my full respect for the complexity of such things.  Everyone in Novice B was very friendly and we walked around as a group and listened to each person present.  I did not win the category, but I was called up at the end to receive an prize for honorable mention and my demonstration. Woot!

What did I pick as a technique to demo?  In the end I chose a Godhino cutting technique that I had read and worked out about a month ago.   Here is link to the partial Tim Rivera translation and I used the fifth chapter: Art of Fencing, by Godhino .  While Godiho actually studied more of a pre-Caranza style, the technique I chose is full of tajos and reves cuts with a combination of angular footwork that actually demonstrates the concepts of Destreza quite well.

I had planned originally to discuss Carranza and Pacheco in general if it was going to be a by the book tourney, but it turned out not to be what I thought and I adjusted on the fly.  I did include a basic overview of how Spanish fencing differs from other styles as well.

While many of the manuals out there, such as the Italians, have wonderful illustrations and plates I have found that the Spanish authors are less inclined to artistic drawings and more prone to flowery language you need to decipher. The only exception is Thibault, but many consider him outside of the Destreza main stream due to some of his modifications.  This more literary approach to fencing is an interesting way to learn and it was fun to try and bring a bunch of words to life for folks in an arts and science way.

Let me finish by saying that everyone in Dragonship is SO incredibly nice and we love visiting them.  This was my 2nd time down there as I competed in the fencing tourney they held last year.  We have some members of our house (House Ragnarson) that live down there so it is always fun to catch up.  The Baron and Baroness are extremely welcoming and we started out our visit with hugs from her Excellency as soon as we walked through the door.  I lost count of how many thank you's I received for being what they termed a guinea pig for this type of arts and sciences meets fencing demo.

I am so happy that I had the opportunity to enter this competition.  It was an amazing and educational experience to what the arts and science side of things is like and I would not hesitate to compete in it again.

Knowledge is Acquired from Use : Practice summary

“El Conoscimiento que se adquiere con el uso”

“Knowledge is acquired from use”

The Treatise of the Philosophy of Arms

Don Jeronimo de Caranza

The above quote kind of summarizes my practice yesterday nicely or at least I am hopeful that it does. This post will go into my take home lessons from that fencing practice, but before I start I will give some context to the above quote.  Prior to practice I was reading a couple of essays on Destreza to get into the mood.  One of them was from Ramon Martinez and can be found on his site here Martinez Academy of Arms . He references that quote as from Carranza’s treaty with a partial translation that can be found here: The treatise of the Philosophy of Arms and of the true Skill and of the aggression and defense of Christianity.  

It is a great small paper where Martinez goes into a brief analysis of the treatise.  One of the many criticisms of Carranza in period was that he was accused of saying that an analysis of motion should come before the activity.  Martinez uses the above quote to show how it was not true, although he does admit that Carranza can be crazy flowery and verbose and hard to understand at times (which I agree with fully).

I hadn’t been to practice in about 2 weeks due to life conflicts so I have been taking some time to really dive deeper into the historical material, treatises, manuals, dvds, essays etc. to a much greater degree.  While this has been wonderful in helping me formulate concepts, context, techniques, etc. what I found last night was that while the research can be amazing it REALLY needs to be paired with the practical use as well.  I know big surprise, you can’t learn martial arts only by thinking about it, hehe.  I always knew that, but due to the way I was previously taught the fighting arts (from in person lessons, classes and such) I have never had to experience the actual work that it takes to learn a new physical activity in this way.  I know that in the end my study will enhance my practice exponentially, but in the immediate it is kind of breaking my brain to learn this way.  I went home a little frustrated, but I know this is part of the process of learning a new skill set.  I am feeling better now that I have processed the practice and figured out what I did right and wrong and what I need to do better next time.  So in the end I am gaining a better appreciation for why people blog about fencing, lol. 

Here are my take home summary points.  The story portion of the take home is below:

• Drill first then fight, when I am able to get in the techniques it is because they are muscle memory
• Get my Romagnan book and work on his material since it seems awesome and useful
• Work on counter to Remy’s spiral into my leg
• In conclusions keep my sword farther back when I engage the person’s hilt with my left hand
• Figure out why my hand kept getting hit
• Work on blade control and getting the atajo
• Arm conditioning
• Practice moving to the right and get comfortable with it, drill this
• Footwork, footwork, footwork, just because
• Angle, angle, angle and do that more naturally

After a brief conversation/drill with Lupold about his new Sebastien Romagnan book I jumped right into some fighting against him.  To put it simply, I was sloppy as all get out.   I did ok and worked out some kinks, but honestly I felt like I was a mess and thinking so much about the techniques that I couldn’t get one off to save my life.  I was in my feet mentally and thinking about angles and such, but getting little actually done.  I should not be surprised really, but this helped me understand better how I should structure my practices for now.  In previous practices I have started out drilling the material from Puck with Pacheco’s 4 general techniques.  These are what I am really trying to make my bread and butter and put into my muscle memory.  Big take home from this is drill at least briefly first then fight.  I also asked Lupold if I could fight him in his competitive style next practice since I know it differs from his Spanish greatly.  I know I will get my Destreza butt kicked, but I want to try fighting him in a different game as well since I would like to be prepared for other styles.

Next I fought Remy who was working on his own historical style.  I dropped my right angle guard to a lower point on his chest which helped a great deal.  As a result he wasn’t stabbing me in the stomach/ upper leg as much and ended up getting my right shin and calf more, lol.  He was nice enough to try this out slowly with me so I could figure out what was happening and how I could stop it.  We drilled that a bit and it was great.   I did get a couple of moves off that were the spirals and hits and when I did it was because they were the ones I trained into my muscles.  I need to do this more.  We also both seemed to be getting into situations where we had double conclusions with each of us holding onto the other one’s hilt.  It was hysterical and we had to break before turning things into a ground game.  My take home from that was if I am moving for a conclusion on someone keep my own sword back farther.  Lastly he was stabbing my sword hand more than I liked and next week I have to figure out why.  I was sloppy, but not as sloppy as my first fight.

My last major opponent and training partner was Xavier.  I am so happy that he has been learning this stuff with me because I couldn’t have gotten this far so fast without his help.  Like previous weeks we went over some footwork and distance stuff, then moved to the 4 Pacheco general spiraling drills (thank god because I missed these, lol).  We then moved onto fighting a bit.  What I found against him was that I was yielding to his atajos and blade pressure quite a bit and rolling my wrist transitioning to tajos and reves cutting attacks (when I was able to).  According to Puck this is useful if done on purpose, but also might be the 3^rd and worst case solution if you weren’t able to stop it in the first 2 steps which is what was happening to me.  I am glad I am doing it, but I need to work on my blade control and atajos more so I don’t have to get to this third spot or, if I want to do those, I need to do them on purpose from the start. I also need to work on my conditioning and arm strength.  By the time I drilled with and fought Xavier my arm could barely stay up in the right angle guard.  My last major revelation was that I like going left to the outside line and I am not as comfortable going to the right.  Xavier was great and pulled out a couple of beanie babies to put on our shoulders (not kidding, but it is a great way to work on stability and smoothness, lol) and we drilled moving to the right a bunch of times.  I need to do more of that.

I was also able to go over some of the Godhino slashing techniques I was reading about.  Donovan was able to show me what they look like.  I am glad that I could see someone actually do them.    Again a fine example of how words alone do not teach a technique very well. While potentially useful they seem to be more designed for cut and thrust. 

So that is about it.  I am glad I am not as frustrated today after processing this stuff.  Looking forward to next week to see what happens and in the mean time I am going to try and read some more material and see about keeping that balance between knowledge and use  J

Thanks for reading

La Verdadera Destreza Resource List

RECENT UPDATES

Update July 21, 2020: Updates by section

Masters: Added David Rawlings  

Period Manuals: Charles Blair's search tool is active and updated to new address

Articles, Websites, Blogs: Added London Longsword Academy

Previous Updates: Moved the May updates to bottom and moved all other updates to a google doc that you can access through a link

INTRODUCTION

                     

When I started practicing the historical Spanish fencing style of La Verdadera Destreza (called Destreza for short or abbreviated LVD) I had to do a great deal of web searching to find various materials from which to study.   Other than seeing a really cool episode of Highlander the TV show (Season 5, episode 14 “Duende”) I had very little idea of what I was getting myself into until I started to dig around, search, and talk to people.   I felt a connection between this fencing style and what I practiced with Arnis (Filipino stick fighting), but I had no idea why or if I was just being delusional. 

I am lucky though that there are a great deal of things around the internet about Destreza, but they were surely not all located in a single place (especially the English materials/translations and sites). Thanks to the guidance of my friends as well as some searching on my part I found quite a bit of information.  

My goal with this post is to try and compile, in an annotated bibliography of sorts, most of what I have found to date, with links for people to follow and learn more on their own.  Big thanks to everyone that has either pointed or inspired me to find some of this material (especially Lupold, Donovan, Xavier, and Alesone).   This is certainly not a complete list of what is out there, but it is some of what I have found most useful and will hopefully give you a starting point from which to jump into the deep pool that is Spanish fencing.

I have organized the list into the following sections to make navigation easier.  There is overlap since many of the sites contain more than 1 type of information.

- THE MASTERS -
- PERIOD MANUALS -
- ARTICLES, WEBSITES, BLOGS, AND DVD's -
- BOOKS AND E-BOOKS -
- YOU-TUBE AND VIDEO RESOURCES -
- PREVIOUS UPDATES -

La Verdadera Destreza (The True Skill) Resource List

THE MASTERS

Historical Destreza Masters: This is an introduction to the masters that I am most familiar with.  They are listed chronologically and are linked extensively in other sections on the page:

• Don Jeronimo de Carranza (born ca 1545 -died ca 1607) - Referred to as the father of Spanish fencing.  He was a military Captain, a courtier, as well as Governor and Captain General of Honduras during his lifetime.  He wrote only one treatise that became the foundation for the entire style of La Verdadera Destreza, published in 1582, but written in 1569.
• Don Luis Pacheco de Narvaez (born ca 1570 - died ca 1640)- A student of Carranza and fencing master to King Philip IV of Spain.  He is considered to be one of the most prolific Destreza authors.  Early in his writings he publicizes and restates much of Carranza's teachings, but later in life, in an effort to differentiate himself from Carranza, became more critical of his former teacher.  Eventually many Destreza practitioners of the time broke into 2 schools of thought, the Carrancistas and the Pachequistas.  I have only found the 3rd part of one of his books that has been translated into English by Tim Rivera.
• Luis Domingo Godinho (manual from approx. 1599)  - Practiced an older style of fencing sometimes called Destreza Vulgar or Comun that existed alongside LVD, but published his manual in 1599 after Carranza.  Earliest known authors of that style were Jaime Pons, Francisco Roman, and Pedro de la Torre writing as early as the 1470s.  The style seems to focus largely on cutting actions of the blade and has some similarities that can be studied along side Destreza.
• Gerard Thibault d'Anvers (born ca 1574 - died ca 1627) – Dutch fencing Master sometimes said to be “outside of canon” for the Destreza style due to variations in body positioning and sword grip.  Studied in Spain and went back to the Spanish Netherlands where he taught and gained fame.  He wrote one of the most comprehensive fencing manuals of the period that was published after his death. 
• Diogo Gomes de Figueiredo (manuals from 1628 and 1651) - He published a manual titled "Oplosohia e Verdadiera Destreza das Armas" that is available at the AGEA, but sadly not in English (linked below).  He also wrote a piece, that is translated and linked on the practice of the Montante or Spanish 2 handed sword.
• Luis de Viedma (manual from 1639) - Originally practiced the vulgar style and later learned to fence the "true" style.  His work was published in 1639 and is a manual for the Masters on how to teach the art. He is described as a combination of both Carranza and Pacheco and reportedly learned from Andalusian masters until opening up his own school.  His manual, which was translated by Tim Rivera, is wonderful.
• Don Francisco Antonio de Ettenhard (born ca 1650 - died ca 1701) – He served both Carlos II and King Philip V and was Captain of the King's German guard.  Considered to be one of the 4 great masters of Destreza (alongside Carranza, Pacheco, and Rada).  Spoke in great detail about how to counter the Italian style of fencing.  One of his works from 1675 has been partially translated by Mary Dill Curtis from Spanish and he is cited in the article on the Spanish response to the Italian style.
• Miguel Perez de Mendoza y Quijada (works from 1665, 1672, and 1675) - Weapons instructor to Balthasar Carlos, Philip IVs heir apparent, as well as the King's natural son Don Juan of Austria.  Reportedly belongs to the Pacheco school.  One of his works is also available on AGEA.  His works are also cited in the Spanish response to Italian paper.
• Pedro Texedo Sicilia de Teruel (manual 1678) - I do not know much about him, but his work is cited in the paper on the Spanish response to the Italian fencing tradition.
• Alvaro Guerra de la Vega (work from 1681) -  From the same part of Spain as Rada and his predecessor by about a generation.  Rada and de la Vega are reportedly the only 2 LVD masters to reference a 3rd medio and also seem to have very similar stances and modifications to the LVD guard.  He is also cited in the Spanish response to Italian paper. Most of his manual is translated and available from The ARMA website.
• Juan Antonio de Arrieta Arandia y Morentin (manual 1688) - I do not know much about him, but his work is cited in the paper on the Spanish response to the Italian fencing tradition.
• Don Nicolas Tamariz (manual 1696) - Reportedly the Lieutenant of the Headmaster of the city of Seville.  There is a transcription (not translation) of his treatise published by AEEA. Some of his manual is cited in the Spanish Response to the Italian fencing tradition paper by Charles Blair.
• Don Francisco Lorenz de Rada (manuals from 1695 and 1705 - From a slightly later period of Destreza's evolution. I haven't found much of his work translated to English, but this is the style reportedly practiced by Ramon Martinez and Sebastien Romagnan (works and sites for both of them are linked below). Romagnan's book goes into this style in detail and the article on Spanish response to Italian also references his work.  Rada is one of only 2 LVD authors that describes a 3rd medio or distance between the 2 primary medios.  He elaborates on atajo (method of gaining the blade) and breaks it into 8 different methods. and modifies the Destreza stance, techniques and strategies.

Modern Destreza Masters, Authors, and Instructors: These are the sources linked in the sections below that I have found to be most useful:

• Puck Curtis and Mary Dill Curtis - Based in California at the Sacramento Sword School.  They teach the material, have written articles and manuals, done translations, and also run a couple of blogs/websites.  Puck is also a classical Italian fencing instructor.
• Ramon Martinez and Jeanette Acosta- Martinez - Based in New York.  They run a fencing school, produce the only Destreza DVDs available, and have written many articles.  They are Maestro for both the Italian and French schools of classical fencing as well.  The name of their school is the Martinez Academy of Arms.
• Tim Rivera - Based in St. Louis.  Teaches Destreza as well as the Spanish fencing style that preceded it, commonly called Vulgar or Comun.  He has done multiple translations, written articles on the topic and he also has a website with materials.
• Sebastien Romagnan - Based in France.  Teaches a Rada style of fencing and has written a large and very informative book based on this style.
• Ton Puey - I believe he is based in Spain.  He is a professional Verdadera Destreza instructor as well as a member of the AGEA Editora board.  His school is called the Academia da Espada and he has an amazing youtube page with many videos and resources on it (see links below).
• Eric Myers - Based in California.  He also teaches at the Sacramento Sword School.  He is a classical Italian and historical fencing instructor who co-authored a monograph and translation on Montante (the Spanish 2 handed sword) by Figueiredo.
• Steven Hick - A fencer and co-author of a monograph and translation on Montante, (the Spanish 2 handed sword) by Figueiredo.
• Charles Blair - Based in Chicago. He is a fencer and professional research librarian who has researched and written some wonderful material on LVD and the counters to the Italian style of fencing. Also created a search tool for finding Spanish fencing treatises.
• Manuel Valle Ortiz - Based in Spain and one of the founders of Agea Editora and chairs their editorial board.  A surgeon, fencer, author, and scholar who has written and presented internationally on LVD.
• Alberto Bomprezzi - A scholar and fencer from Spain who is the Master of Weapons of the Asociacion Espanola de Esgrima Antigua (AEEA). 
• Rob Runacres - A scholar and fencer from England.  Founder of the Renaissance Sword Club with schools in England and France.  He runs the Alte Herran channel on Youtube and is also responsible for translating a treatise written by a soldier from the Spanish Netherlands.
• David Rawlings - He is the owner of the London Long Sword Academy and is very well known in the HEMA community for his teaching and historical swordsmanship.  His current Destreza classes include Viedma and Thibault, but he has an extensive knowledge of other historical styles as well.

I know there are other modern and historical masters out there that I need to discover, but these are the ones I have been pointed to and found most often on the internet.

PERIOD MANUALS

I am listing the sites and giving an idea of what manuals you can find at each location.  There will be some duplication between this and the websites section, but it is necessary since many of the sites have a great deal of information on them. 

 Destreza Translation and Research Project

• A site run by Puck and Mary Curtis that includes partial translations of Ettenhard, excerpts from Pacheco's New Science and a letter Pacheco had written as well.   http://www.destreza.us/translations/index.html
• (Also linked in websites section for additional information.)

Spanish Swordsmanship Society of St. Louis

• This site is run by Tim Rivera who has done work translating multiple period masters. Contains source links, transcriptions, and translations of the 3rd part of Pacheco's Libro de las Grandezas de la Espada (1600), as well as a manual on teaching masters by Viedma (1639), and  a portion of some of Godinho's work (1599).  In the past year (2019-20) Tim has added multiple translations by him and others to his site including those by Luis Mendez de Carmona, Parts of  Book 1 of Pacheco's Grandezas,  and a translation done by Javier D. Bermudez of Alvero Guerra de la Vega
• A direct link to the page with the translations is at  http://www.spanishsword.org/translations
• Their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SpanishSword/posts/2141935885857670
• (Also linked in websites and youtube video sections for additional information.) 

Iberian Swordplay Domingo Luis Godhino's Art of Fencing translated by Tim Rivera

• I own a copy of this book, but have not worked my way through it yet.  Godhino published this in 1599 at the same time Pacheco published his first work.  It is not LVD, but instead is what might be called Vulgar or Comun Destreza which existed side by side with LVD.  You can purchase it at Freelance Academy Press  as a book for $32.95 or as an e-book for $15.95. 
• Ebook: http://www.freelanceacademypress.com/ebook--iberianswordplay.aspx
• Book: http://www.freelanceacademypress.com/iberianswordplaydomingoluisgodinhosartoffencing1599.aspx 

      Carranza Treatise Translation

• Direct link to a translation in progress of Carranza's “The treatise of the Philosophy of Arms and of the true Skill and of the aggression and defense of Christianity”.    It was written and had a small distribution in 1569, but is not considered to have been published on a large scale until 1582 (originally in Spanish I believe).  This is reportedly the foundation work for Destreza. This translation is wonderful and takes some time to absorb.  It is of the 1st and 2nd dialogues and sadly does not contain the 3rd and 4th.  The work largely goes into the philosophical aspects of the art and skill.  http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~wew/fencing/caranza-t.html
• Also, here is a link to Wiktenauer, a HEMA Alliance Project site with pictures of the original drawings from Carranza's book. There are actually only 6 drawings (other than the general intro plates) in Carranza's treatise which, as you might imagine, is one of the problems with studying this style. You can find a full copy of the original, as well as other manuals, at the Schola Artis Gladii database below. http://wiktenauer.com/wiki/De_la_Filosofia_de_las_Armas_y_de_su_Destreza_y_la_Aggression_y_Defensa_Cristiana_(Jer%C3%B3nimo_S%C3%A1nchez_de_Carranza)
• (Wiktenauer is also linked in websites section for additional information.)

AGEA Editora (Asociacion Galega de Esgrima Antiga)

• They are the Galician Association for Historical Fencing / Galician HEMA federation.  Amazing site with MANY historical manuscript transcriptions/translations for sale.  Sadly much of the work is in Spanish and Portuguese, but not all as they currently have at least 2 books in English. They recently updated their website to include articles as well as the translated manuals.  I am linking the English version of the page, but you can also select a different language if you go to "language" in the upper right. It is also now easier to determine which manuals are in English.   http://ageaeditora.com/en/
• AGEA Editora linked my resource list on their facebook page, which I find so extremely flattering.  They actually responded to a previous comment I made regarding Godinho's work with a piece of knowledge that I am grateful to them for sharing:    "Editor's note: «Arte de Esgrima» was actually written in Spanish, or at least that was the author's intent. However, Godinho being Portuguese and not very fluent in Castilian, his attempt produced a text full of Portuguese grammatical mannerisms, false friends and oddly spelled or chosen words, which greatly hampered the understanding of an already complex work.     Since our main purpose was to make the treatise accessible, we found it necessary to normalize the text either towards Spanish or towards Portuguese.  AGEA Editora's criteria is always to respect the language chosen by the author; so we performed a ---very conservative--- edition to remove the misunderstandings, misspellings and some of the Portuguese grammatical structures which are more alien to the Spanish reader"
• I have both of their books that are translated into English and love them.  I will hopefully write more on that in the future.  I also have one I picked up in Spanish just because it contains some beautiful Spanish circles (which I have a weak spot for). I am very excited to hear that they are working to have more available in English, so keep checking back.
• Their facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/ageaeditora/
• (Also linked in websites section for additional information.)

Schola Artis Gladii et Armorum (S.A.G.A.) Treatise Database

• This is a Hungarian school for European Martial arts and their site is amazing for anyone studying or looking to study historical manuals.  I am currently just scratching the search capabilities and links within this site.  You can find links to MANY original materials, including original untranslated versions of Carranza and Pacheco.  I am sending you directly to their treatise data base.  http://www.middleages.hu/english/martialarts/treatise_database.php
• (Also linked in websites section for additional information.)

Academy of the Sword by Gerard Thibault (published 1630)

• Update: A new edition came out in 2017.  It is slightly smaller than the original, but all the material is there.   Here is the link to the new edition: https://www.amazon.com/Academy-Sword-Gerard-Thibault/dp/1904658849/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=H3HFFTEANCAQWFV598ZP
• There is also an old translation by John Michael Greer (from 2006) which is out of print, but was published by The Chivalry Bookshelf.  This was originally written in French, by a Dutch author about a Spanish fencing style. I was able to get this on inter-library loan.  It has some amazing plates and pictures and descriptions in it.  I have read that it is considered somewhat “outside of the canon” of Destreza because of some of the liberties Thibault takes with his fencing.  There are still many similarities though and it is a great piece of source material.  Heck, he even goes into detail on how to fight a person firing a musket at you. I am including the link to the book on amazon. Even though it is out of print, the isbn number can be useful if requesting it on an interlibrary loan.  http://www.amazon.com/Academy-Sword-Gerard-Thibault/dp/1891448404
• If you are looking for a site about Thibault's style I might suggest this one.  It seems pretty insightful if you want to head down that historical fencing path. http://terrasylvae.com/academy-of-the-sword/ 

The Association for Renaissance Martial Arts (ARMA)

• This site has a paid section to view their collection of period manuals, but I have not used that portion of the site.  They also have free materials in their collection.  It appears they have 3 manuals related to the Spanish style.  An anonymous untranslated piece, a copy of Thibault's manual (I can not tell if it is translated or not, but you can find it untranslated on other sites), and what I consider the most interesting of the group, a free partial translation of Alvaro de la Vega's brief treatise which I am linking here.   I have my opinions of this work that I express in my summary blog post on the Spanish response to Italian article. 
• Translation is here: http://www.thearma.org/Manuals/destreza.htm#.VtRvO_krJQK
• (Also linked in websites section for additional information.)

The Oakeshott Institute

• Website with a blog on historical swords weapons and armor.  http://oakeshott.org/ 
• Contains a transcription and translation of "Memorial of the Practice of Montante" a 1651 manual by Diogo Gomes de Figueiredo, along with an article on the material.  This was all done by Eric Myers and Steve Hick.  Not directly related to Destreza, but Figueiredo was a practitioner of Destreza and this is a substantial work regarding the Spanish 2 handed sword and related historical techniques.  It is relatively clear to follow if you wish to recreate the style.  It focuses on the 16 "simple" rules and the 16 "composed" rules (the counterpoint to the simple), detailing the positioning of the feet and the actions required to complete the form.  If you are interested in Spanish 2 handed swords this is a good place to start.  A link to the translation  http://oakeshott.org/memorial-of-the-practice-of-the-montante-by-diogo-gomes-de-figueyredo/

Ceallach Mac Donal fencing manual link page

• Great site with links to MANY historical manuals, translated and untranslated.  Not all of the links are active, but a great starting point if you know the master you are looking for.  It includes links to Carranza, Pacheco, and Thibault.  http://kelly.dwarfworks.com/sca/Manuals

AEEA (Asociacion Espanola de Esgrima Antigua)

• This site is completely in Spanish, but  I have found that google translate works very well. They have recently updated it so I am relearning what is on there. They used to have multiple articles and have also published a transcription of Don Nicolas Tamariz's work, "Cartilla y Luz en la Verdadera Destreza" (see link below). Sadly, the transcription is a PDF and I have not found a short way to translate it at this time.   http://www.esgrimaantigua.com/index.php  
• Here is a direct link to the Don Nicolas Tamariz transcription.  It says Ettenhard on the folder, but it is in fact Tamariz when you open it up.  https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21AMYMWbcduA0k5Rk&cid=CF3734B7F52F3683&id=CF3734B7F52F3683%21470&parId=CF3734B7F52F3683%21699&action=locate
• (Also linked in the websites and video resources sections for further information.)

Against the Alfanje by Pacheco translated by Xose Nieto, Notes and explanations by Ton Puey, Revised by Rob Runacres

• Translation of a portion of a Pacheco book that deals with how LVD works against a Turkish or curved blade.  This is a direct link to the document on google drive   https://drive.google.com/file/d/16k6CIvEROQtXokqRdW4hJVm-ADmE5ZC5/view 

Book of Lessons by Pedro De Heridia translated by Rob Runacres

• I own this book and Rob was wonderful in helping me work through some problems I had ordering it.  It is not on LVD, but does contain some Destreza adjacent material.  Written by a soldier who served in the Spanish Netherlands.  Description of the book on the page is, "Dating to the early 17th century, the Book of Lessons is a compilation of fencing instructions, attributed to Pedro De Heredia. This translation includes the complete lessons for single sword, sword & dagger, and sword & cape, with 71 colour images". Cost is 50 pounds and is located at   https://www.fallenrookpublishing.co.uk/books/book-of-lessons/

Historical Spanish Fencing Treatises Search Tool created by Charles Blair

• I am just starting to use this amazing tool for research.  It was created by Charles Blair (see modern masters section) and is pretty much exactly as advertised.  A search tool for finding period manuals in various libraries, google books, etc.  http://destreza.lib.uchicago.edu/?fbclid=IwAR0lTZt5QcanljNRmooqjqQ7OcfC-aFKhMG4HDwsoDBYT3KARkovqa2kaFU   

Complete Treatise of Fencing of the Spanish Saber by Jaime Merelo y Casademunt (1862); Translated by John Jakelsky

• I do not own this as I have not moved into later period Spanish Sabre, but I am told it is very good.  Available in both hardcover and paperback from Lulu: 
• (Hardcover $47.99) https://www.lulu.com/shop/john-jakelsky/complete-treatise-of-fencing-of-the-spanish-saber/hardcover/product-24174031.html?fbclid=IwAR20R5R78UclNELAF--Av-L_eMa92jWq-rpW20f--1j7-eB-WXt5X3VAW7Q 
• (Paperback $29.99) https://www.lulu.com/shop/john-jakelsky/complete-treatise-of-fencing-of-the-spanish-saber/paperback/product-24081027.html?fbclid=IwAR2feoL9muCo016BHGgcd0-y7ZXjCurN6i37VcLxpsZsq4dRonqJ24s2EDY

Working Translation of Rada's Nobleza de la Espada

• This is a gentleman who has been working hard and with the Destreza community to put together and slowly transcribe and translate Rada's Nobleza de la Espada.  He runs a HEMA affiliated study group and website.  I have not read the translation myself yet, but he has been very open about the process and is wonderful at taking feedback with this work in process.  He also runs a great resource list that might have items and links that I have missed. (I am honored he was kind enough to link my resource list on there.  The more we share and cross link the stronger our community becomes.)   https://destreza-fencing.com/resources
• (Also linked in the websites section.)

Lois Spangler's Translations of Texedo and Oplosophia

• Lois is doing amazing work in translating multiple Destreza texts.  She also has a patreon that I support and have listed in the Websites section if you are interested in supporting her ongoing translation of Pacheco's Compendio.(Also lined in Articles, Websites section and video section)
• Destreza Sword and Dagger according to Texedo http://www.storytrade.net/hema/destreza-sword-and-dagger-according-to-texedo/?fbclid=IwAR1u-WQ1nGlvkb6XpI_KncIzq0cKeluaZ81s0KOlL0ANNdtaAp84WWuARIA
• Destreza Sword and Dagger in Oplosophia http://www.storytrade.net/hema/destreza-sword-and-dagger-in-oplosophia/?fbclid=IwAR3TSfgUNO4pghDbOOYHMzFHuVzseSQ2AoLW3GnOaroQiw0g05ozQWXb-9M

ARTICLES, WEBSITES, BLOGS, AND DVD's

Martinez Academy of Arms

• This is the school site for Maestro Ramon Martinez.  It contains a number of articles along with 3 Destreza DVDs available for sale ($95 for the set) made by Martinez.  I found them very useful and I summarized the 3rd DVD on my blog .  I have been told he practices more of a Rada style of Destreza. I have also read that the first 2 DVDs are dated or off target from some of the more current Destreza research. They are the only commercially available Destreza DVDs on the market. Under the reference section of the site there are also articles and papers written by Maestro Martinez.  http://www.martinez-destreza.com/

Puck and Mary Curtis Blog / School

• Great site that includes drills and materials to understand Destreza.  Dig around here and you will find the site very rich with material.  http://www.puckandmary.com/blog_puck/
• Here is a direct link to a blog entry titled “Fourteen Actions Required for Destreza”.  http://www.puckandmary.com/blog_puck/2015/08/fourteen-actions-required-for-destreza/
• Here is a link to the Sacramento Sword School where Puck teaches. https://sacramentoswordschool.com/
• (Also linked in the youtube section for a number of fights that Puck has with commentary.)

 Destreza Translation and Research Project

• Run by Puck and Mary, contains a blog with drills, resources on other Destreza masters and a bunch of other materials that I found useful.  http://www.destreza.us/ 
• (Also contains translations and is linked in Period Manuals section.)

Spanish Swordsmanship Society of St. Louis

• This is a great site where you can find some great articles so click around a bit  http://www.spanishsword.org/   
• Their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SpanishSword/posts/2141935885857670
• (Also contains translations and is linked in Period Manuals section.)

Academia da Espada / Ton Puey's fencing school

• This is a link to the facebook page of Ton Puey's fencing school.  Much of it is in Spanish, but not all and the material that isn't is wonderful.  Also, remember that google translate is your friend when you go to some of these pages.  You can also find a youtube channel of his linked in another section below.  https://www.facebook.com/academiaespada
• Not a link to his school, but a write up of an Interview with Ton that goes into the history of Spain and his work with the blade  https://tempus-fugitives.co.uk/an-interview-with-ton-puey?fbclid=IwAR1HtvKU-fkTsQ7OuyVliKCpTfanWIgvUqgmNTuquoRYcMS3AcylXFCKOkQ
• (Also linked in the Youtube section where you can find his channel that contains lessons as well as a number of his fights.)

The Spanish Response to the Italian Fencing Tradition, 1665 to 1714 by Charles Blair

• This is a research paper that is an awesome academic article on the period material and how the Spanish responded to the Italian style.  Located here: The Spanish Response to the Italian Fencing Tradition 1665-1714
• This is an amazing research paper that I have read and used to change how I fence. I can only say READ it if you can find it can help everyone out. I also did an entire summary of this article on my blog here. http://blackbirdsandblades.blogspot.com/2016/02/spanish-response-to-italian-fencing.html 

Acta Periodica Duellatorum

• This is an independent academic journal for historical European martial arts.  It is the professional publication where the above article by Charles Blair was published.  They currently have 4 issues and started in 2013.  Their material is amazing for its academic quality.  They are peer reviewed and the review board is incredible.  They publish articles on multiple historical styles that have included LVD.  You can download all of the articles in PDF for free, but please consider donating to support this wonderful resource.
• Here is a link to their main page: http://actaperiodica.org/
• Here is a link that will place you on their "about" page.  You can navigate to the issues by clicking on the tab on top.  On the issues tab you can see and download the articles that are available going back to their first issue : Current Issues 

Schola Artis Gladii et Armorum (S.A.G.A.) Treatise Database

• I am giving you a direct link to the English main page of the site  that can be sort of hard to find.  This contains all sort of period lifestyle links as well as dictionaries and the like.  Dig around and enjoy.  http://www.middleages.hu/english/main.php
• (Also contains translations and is linked in Period Manuals section.)

The Association for Renaissance Martial Arts (ARMA)

• This site has a number of interesting articles on fencing and Western martial arts if you poke around. They have a paid members section with a number of manuals available.  I have not joined to see those yet, but I have enjoyed their free stuff.   http://www.thearma.org
• (Also contains translations and is linked in Period Manuals section.)

     Wiktenauer

• A HEMA alliance project and a great resource in the historical western martial arts community. Think wikipedia, but for western martial arts research and and you have this website.  http://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Main_Page
• (Also contains translations and is linked in Period Manuals section).

The Oakeshott Institute

• A site created to further the research into ancient and historical arms and armour.  Not directly related to Destreza, but interesting articles and they have done a good deal of historical research in multiple areas.  http://oakeshott.org/ 
• (Also linked in the period manuals section.) 

AGEA Editora (Asociacion Galega de Esgrima Antiga)

• They are the Galician Association for Historical Fencing / Galician HEMA federation.  They have period manuals, but recently also added a section of articles to the site as well that are wonderful.  I look forward to them possibly adding more as time goes on.  This is a direct link to the English versions of their article page.  http://ageaeditora.com/en/journal/
• (Also contains translations and is linked in Period Manuals section.)

AEEA (Asociacion Espanola de Esgrima Antigua)

• This site is completely in Spanish, but I have found google translate can be a very useful friend on such occasions.  They are an organization in Spain that researches period Spanish fencing styles.  They have also published some articles as well as a transcription of Don Nicolas Tamariz's treatise.    http://www.esgrimaantigua.com/index.php 
• Their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EsgrimaAEEA/?fref=nf
• (Also linked in the period manuals and video resources sections for more information.)

Lois Spangler's Storytrade Blog with material on  Figueiredo's Oplosophia

• This is a blog by Lois Spangler, based out of Australia and the Brisbane school, who took the Portuguese version of Oplosophia, published by AGEA editora, and has done translations of parts of it.  She has also done translations of Texedo's work with the dagger.  She continues to do some amazing work with our community.   Here is the page with her Destreza posts.  http://www.storytrade.net/category/hema/destreza/
• I am also a supporter of her patreon where they are working to translate Pacheco's Compendio.  Supporters get to look at the translations early, but each will be available to everyone 3 months afterward.  I can not say enough about how great her work and generosity is and encourage others to support her.  You can join and support her at https://www.patreon.com/LoisSpangler/posts
• (Also linked in video section through the Brisbane School of Iberian Swordsmanship for a class/workshop on using the cape in LVD and in the Period Manuals section for her excellent continued work in translating multiple pieces)

HROARR

• A site that contains a great deal of information and resources for the historical european martial arts sports community including lists of manuals, links to blogs, articles, how to begin study, etc.  They are not strictly LVD, but they have quite a bit of material on there that is related.  http://hroarr.com/
• HROARR overview of the Iberian Montante written by Ton Puey http://hroarr.com/article/an-overview-of-the-iberian-montante/
• A group of related LVD videos https://hroarr.com/study/study-videos/study-iberian-fencing/
• (Also linked in the video resource section.)

SCA Guide to Historic Combat

• Not strictly LVD, but a great list of  resources that include  organizations, manuals, websites, etc. to help people studying historical martial arts   http://www.sca.org/officers/arts/histcombat.html 

Brisbane School of Iberian Swordsmanship

• They are doing some great stuff at this school in Australia focusing strictly on LVD   http://www.bsis.club/
• They have made their class notes available to help people learn as well http://www.bsis.club/useful-links/study-and-training-resources/bsis-class-notes/?fbclid=IwAR232AoOkjs0qCkTw0FLWt7XvE0JIuZ-mk6fqJeKOYQdccKYIeRNKJ-wbQ8
• A link to their resource page (I feel honored that they included my resource list as one of the items on this page) http://www.bsis.club/?page_id=162
• (Also linked in the video section for a seminar they had on Figueiredo's use of the cape in LVD and lecture on the use of the dagger in LVD.)

Destreza-fencing.com

• A HEMA affiliated study group website with a collection of many things related to LVD including brief history, working translation of Rada's Noblez, and resource list. (As I said above in the manual section, I am honored that they were kind enough to link my resource list on there.  The more we share and cross link the stronger our community becomes.).https://destreza-fencing.com/home
• (Also linked in the period manual section.)

London Longsword Academy

• This is a link to David Rawlings' school where he is currently teaching Destreza classes on Viedma and Thibault.  He has extensive knowledge of other historical styles as well.  As of July 2020, due to the pandemic, he is teaching his classes online (for a reasonable price) so this is a wonderful opportunity for distance learning. https://www.londonlongsword.com/ 
• (David is also linked in the Masters section and there is a link in the videos section as well to his material.)

Destreza in the SCA Facebook Page

• I have moved into the future and now have a FB account.  I am not sure how I lived without it, especially as a tool to help me connect with others in the Destreza community.  There are many groups out there for us to connect in and this one is where I tell people is a great start, but certainly not the only entry point. This are some very good LVD discussions are occurring there and here is a link to the SCA Destreza page where many of the masters and authors I list here post.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/356001691175362/

Facebook Groups

• As I said above there are tons of FB groups out there talking about Destreza. In my experience the community is extremely welcoming to new folks.  Some of the big names in the field are talking daily in these groups with folks about techniques, theory, research, etc.  Not all groups are completely in English (i.e. Spanish, Russian, etc.), not all are strictly LVD, and some require you to answer a few questions about your experience and interest.  All of that should be expected.  I am sure there are other groups that I am missing, but here are a few that I know of:
• Common Iberian Swordplay: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CommonIberianSwordplay/
• Rapierists: https://www.facebook.com/groups/151725608343207/
• SCA Rapier Combat: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2401072975/
• Diestro: https://www.facebook.com/groups/diestros/
• Destreza Saber/Sabre: https://www.facebook.com/groups/530369250795196/
• Montante Swordsmanship: https://www.facebook.com/groups/349053965246597/

BOOKS AND E-BOOKS

Freelance Academy Press 

• There are at least 3 works from this publisher related to Destreza that I am familiar with and potentially others coming in the future if rumors are true.  One is a translation of Godhino by Tim Rivera that is linked in the period manuals section.
• The 2 other books are collections of works from the Western Martial Arts Workshop and are wonderful.  They contain other WMA materials including fencing of other styles.  I am strictly focusing on the Destreza pieces here.  http://www.freelanceacademypress.com/

Book - In the Service of Mars Vol. I ($39.95): Contains "Jeronimo Sanchez de Carranza: A man of Arms and Letters" by Mary Dill Curtis

o Great article for context of the life of Carranza, but not technique related.

o   http://www.freelanceacademypress.com/intheserviceofmarsvol1.aspx

 Book - In the Service of Mars Vol. 2 ($39.95): Contains "From the Page to the Practice: Fundamentals of Spanish Swordplay" by Puck and Mary Dill Curtis

o   Foundational material that collects many of the things from Puck’s blog in one place.  This is a great way to get started and how I began my journey through the technique used in Destreza.  This material is what I would suggest everyone start with if they are interested in learning how to fight in this style.

o   http://www.freelanceacademypress.com/intheserviceofmarsvol2.aspx

2020 UPDATE: Currently "From the Page to the Practice" is available again for purchase in PDF for $7.95.  You can still get it in the Anthology, but now this is a wonderful other option http://www.freelanceacademypress.com/frompagetopractice.aspx

Destreza Historical Fencing by Sebastien Romagnan

• Since the first edition sold out a second edition has been released with some minor edits.
• It is a very large and comprehensive book.  I and my friends love this as it is one of the only full books on this historical style.  I will post more about it in the future.  It is based on Rada's Noblez and is a great resource.   http://destreza-historicalfencing.blogspot.com/2015/08/destreza-historical-fencing.html
• (Also linked in the Youtube section where you can find his channel that contains some of his fights as well as many lessons on Destreza.  Most of his instruction is in French, but that should not stop you from understanding the techniques.)

Destreza Cuts and Reverse-Cuts by Sebastien Romagnan

• This is Sebastien's second book on one of the major aspects of this style, the use of the Tajo and Reves.  Just like the first it is wonderful in content and quality and I suggest getting it.  You can order it through any of the Amazon's (US and French) or directly from him if you email him through the contact tab on his web page.
• Here is a link to the most recent book page: http://destreza- historicalfencing.blogspot.com/2017/01/cuts-and-reverse-cuts.html
• Here is a link to the page on Amazon (US): https://www.amazon.com/Destreza-cuts-reverse-cuts-S%C3%A9bastien-Romagnan/dp/2954886234

 SPADA: An Anthology of Swordsmanship

• The first anthology by this group. While it is a good reference for fencing in general and has some great articles on other related topics, it doesn't contain much on Spanish that I found relevant to my work at this time.  The only article in it on Spanish fencing is "Spanish Influence in the Rapier Play of Vincentio Saviolo" by Stephen Hand & Ramon Martinez.  It is a comparison and analysis of the possible Spanish style within the Italian fencing techniques of Saviolo.  A very good academic read if that is what you are interested in, but not something I would suggest if you are just starting out in your studies. I will say it did contain a great article on grappling and wrestling in renaissance fencing though.  It costs about $57 for a used copy on Amazon.  http://www.amazon.com/SPADA-Anthology-Swordsmanship-Memory-Oakeshott/dp/1891448374

 SPADA 2: An Anthology of Swordsmanship

• The second anthology is one I would recommend more than the previous in the series, but once again interlibrary loan is always your friend.  First, it is a better buy at $20 new (cheaper used). I also found the articles more relevant to my current study.  Once again only a single Spanish Destreza article that is about 4 pages long. "The Circle and The Sword, A Focus On Carranza and Pacheco De Navarez in Renaissance Spain" by Mary Dill Curtis & R.E. "Puck" Curtis.  It goes into Carranza's treatise and its influences.  No technique at all, but instead it focuses on the philosophy, societal context, and interactions between these 2 masters.  I find this kind of material wonderful to study.  Similar to the last anthology it also has other great articles including one on the medical reality of historical wounds.  http://www.amazon.com/SPADA-Anthology-Swordsmanship-Stephen-Hand/dp/1891448358

 Theory and Practice of La Verdadera Destreza by Alberto Bomprezzi

• I own this book, but have not read it.  Alberto is the head of AEEA, one of the largest and most well known fencing schools in Spain.  This book goes into his philosophy and how he teaches the basics of LVD.  It is super affordable and hard to pass up at $8.99 from Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Practice-Verdadera-Destreza-Alberto-Bomprezzi-ebook/dp/B084DQK9PF

Late Medieval and Early Modern Fight Books: Transmission and Tradition of Martial Arts in Europe, 14^th-17^th Centuries; Edited by Daniel Jaquet, Karin Verelst, and Timothy Dawson:

• Out of print anthology that you can get through interlibrary loan.  The reason I list it is for a great piece in it by Manuel Valle Ortiz titled, "The Destreza Verdadera: A Global Phenomenon". It goes into a comprehensive history of LVD, how it connects to the rest of the world, and details and references many previously unknown Destreza works that he has found in his research.  Not technique based, but a beautiful piece of scholarship for those interested in the history of the style.  https://www.amazon.com/Medieval-Early-Modern-Fight-Books/dp/9004312412

The Noble Art of the Sword, Fashion and Fencing in Renaissance Euorpe 1520-1630, Tobias Capwell

• Another anthology.  This one is from the Wallace Collection and I believe it was put out for an exhibit they had.  While it has some wonderful pictures and history of swords, it also has several articles on fencing.  The relevant one to me was a very interesting piece on Destreza by a researcher Noel Fallows. “Masters of Fear or Masters of Arm? Jeronimo de Carranza, Luis Pacheco de Narvaez and the Martial Arts Treatises of Renaissance Spain” . Not technique based, but it is focused on the history.  This provides an interesting perspective and ha small section translations of a few different works that I have not found elsewhere. Again a good Interlibrary loan if you are interested in the research side of things.   https://www.amazon.com/Noble-Art-Sword-Renaissance-1520-1630/dp/0900785438

YOU-TUBE AND VIDEO RESOURCES

Puck Curtis Channel / Material

• WMAW 2015 fights

Pacheco (Puck) vs Rada (Ton Puey)   o   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSjYI0W6N4I
Pacheco (Puck) vs. Godinho (Rivera) o   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QYB39dXglE

• WMAW 2019 fights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFzlrSmS-yM&fbclid=IwAR2H8OcZtHuhW4qrDYsw43OioOaJqZNGgFwx6Nx7HjAuqz_Hbo2hEE1ures
• Video of Spanish Drill form     o  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX3wJ6wLiMM
• This is from his blog, but includes a video and analysis of his fight with John O'Meara o  http://www.puckandmary.com/blog_puck/2019/04/fencing-john-omeara-strategy-and-tactics/?fbclid=IwAR1mNeoBdivPLxUZyxBdlcRoKEuFaqAqfmwvciOPxhFw-VzZU6rIddaYrUg
• Click around the videos and you will find a few lessons I did not link.

Destreza Lecture Series

• Starting in April 2020, during the pandemic, the Sacramento Sword School lead by Puck Curtis and Eric Myers, began hosting a series of lectures by some of the most prolific and well known people in the Destreza Community.  So far they have had Tim Rivera, Manuel Valle Ortiz, Lois Spangler, and Alberto Bomprezzi just to name a few.  Here is a link to the lectures that are located on Pucks youtube channel 
• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCadOj7vUlE6PKZiHJsf0MkA

Fight Review of Emma Rios by Puck

• This is a link to a blog entry by Puck that reviews a great Destreza fight by Emma Rios  This fits in as a blog entry as well as a video. It also belongs to both Puck and Ton Puey since I believe she is a student of Ton's.  Wherever it gets put, it is a wonderful analysis.
• http://www.puckandmary.com/blog_puck/2014/05/one-day-in-dijon/ 

 Spanish Counters to Italian Fencing from KWAR 2007

• Presentation by Puck at Known World Academy of Rapier 2007
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLEvUr9hVU4

Destreza class taught by Puck from WMAW 2009. 

• Part 1 is linked here  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIzwfyuByPU
• Click on the name of the person who published it to find parts 2-5 under videos

Spanish vs Italian Rapier from WMAW 2011

• Spanish (Puck) vs. Italian (John O’Meara)    o  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZSGaqlpJgg

Associacia Catalana d’Esgrima Antigua (Barcelona)

• Nice small tutorials on some of the basic techniques if you dig into this channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuZd3X7-zPS4QivnGuF3-CQ
• One on their interpretation of the Atajo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrVzDs_Zbb4

Sebastien Romagnan Channel

• Rada specialist also mentioned in the book section above.  Excellent material with Destreza in action, but much if not all is in French.
•  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnXYpHcxGH3iFN6qIfKUDBw

Ton Puey's School (Academia da Espada) Channel 

• There are some great videos on this page including lessons, breakdowns of some of the Atajos and general techniques, as well as some practice bouts by him and his students.  Much of the material is in Spanish, but you can still understand the techniques by watching them.
• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdj30kuba2Ol8fIbPpl2PdQ
• A fight between Ton and Aitor Blanco from 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRxt_jIjxsw&feature=emb_title
• Not Ton's school page, but this is a link to a demonstration fight he did at Swordfish 2015 with Daniel .  Fight starts at about 5:15 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO7DvBZuPL8
• Not Ton's school page, but an interview with him https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubFROV_vPUU&feature=youtu.be

AEEA (Asociacion Espanola de Esgrima Antigua) Channel

• Similar to their main website linked in other sections, it is in Spanish, but there are some good LVD fights recorded in the video section. 
• https://www.youtube.com/user/CanalAEEA/videos
• Bout of Alberto Bomprezzi and Carlos Urgel using LVD concepts  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rp3uIWMy7Xc
• Bout of Alberto Bomprezzi and Juan Guilmain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhYwC6Gj0LE&fbclid=IwAR0ojfKQz1s4yEKyZbt-qAwcpT6195OTaIADidocmgdYyaDfCCx3G5ut2RQ

Alte Herren Channel

• A vlog run by Rob Runacres that does a great deal with the historical sword fighting community.  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKkp2tBCe69Rhts_cSx96Xw
• An interview done with Ton Puey on a brief history of Destreza https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyKVnjyRlNA
• Moved here from a previous location to better organize and attribute it to this channel.  Fight analysis and commentary of Spanish (Ton Puey) vs. Italian (Francesco Loda)    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKJk1SJFfbI
• From Rob's own youtube channel a WMAW 2017 fight between Ton Puey and himself  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCl3bOnC8tg&feature=youtu.be

HROARR

• A site that contains a great deal of information and resources for the historical european martial arts sports community including lists of manuals, links to blogs, articles, etc.
• Their Destreza video page  https://hroarr.com/study/study-videos/study-iberian-fencing/

Phil Swift Destreza Video List, includes Workshop taught by Jim Lai

• Phil runs a fencing school in Newfoundland Canada, is a certified HEMA instructor who specializes in Destreza and is a student of mine that I share with Jim Lai (just to get the disclaimer out of the way).  This is a great collection of Destreza material with fights, lessons, interviews, reviews, etc.  You can find Jim's class part way down the section
• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFudhJAfWsXl9dApR2rin0g/videos 
• Here is another playlist he has collected with additional Destreza material from around the web https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoHQUC2ZIz_VwtDiKGiDrIhdVzsQrg99I

Brisbane School of Iberian Swordsmanship

• Lois Spangler, of the Storytrade Blog listed above, and Sean Reichman taught a workshop on using the cape in LVD as described by Figueiredo  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuQGIr90J9YdrIwWFBHqdMF8zFRPkOs9t
• 3 LVD Daggers Lecture by Lois Spangler https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgiOOYM9HE8&fbclid=IwAR1g7klHAC9jiKxwTyyNAQuT9q2HgTqhgmF_lFvCm6miG-3R9-WeWSQuYn0

Spanish Swordsmanship Society of St. Louis Channel

• Page for this group.  Not many videos yet, but the 2 they have are great and have Tim Rivera (see modern masters above) going over the general techniques from Viedma https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ0cZzwfNT3TsY9TCqo5FWA

Umea Historiska Faktskola UmeHFS Youtube Channel

• A historical fencing group located in Umea Sweden that is very active in the LVD community.  They are doing work mostly with Rada and have a great collection of instructional material in English
• Their youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/UmeHFS
• Their Destreza vs. Italian playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLs5l3KAOrYl1n-borRl0Jlon9PpYAjkqm&fbclid=IwAR0kkRjFIw0RW7d1Du855ez-g-yNicZ3suZU2lCHKM6iWSWHzCFosx3fd7I

Diestro Youtube Channel

• A group of fencers in Belarus and Russia that are doing some wonderful stuff.  When I think of all the problems that I have in finding material in English, I am in awe of them and their efforts.  This is their main youtube page and while much of it is in Russian, you can learn a lot about what they are doing  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFwHb9NgnAMt4_eZhxrTXjg?fbclid=IwAR381W9lVpTz9whw23clqW7oYABHyKPF3fj9M7C4AjpZbPmKRMmjQbupwSU
• Sample of their Line in Cross https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UOiK9Sb9gM&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR1116ffhJLzOgzE2eUAQj6T35JSgKFXCS5uH41PzCC9v8D-y9CiXk2VnPI

London Longsword Academy Channel

• This is a school run by David Rawlings who is VERY well known in historical swordsmanship circles.  This youtube page does not have a great deal of material on Destreza, but there is some material on the Montante and Thibault.  Overall there is a lot of material here to dig through and use in your studies https://www.youtube.com/user/LondonLongsword/videos

Surf and you will find more on Youtube and the interwebs in general for La Verdadera Destreza.  I found these links the most useful when trying to determine what the style should look like in a real fight.

I hope everyone finds these resources useful.  If you are familiar with other works, sites, etc. that you have used please post them in the comments section.   I will try and update this post with those sites as they come in and make sure I place the date of my most recent edit at the top.

Thanks for reading.

PREVIOUS UPDATES

As of July 2020 this section contains only the most recent previous update.  For tracking purposes other previous updates to the list have been moved to a google doc that can be accessed HERE

Most recent previous update:

BIG UPDATE May 17-30, 2020 (by big I mean I added an additional 30+ new links);  
Updates by section:  I verified that all links on the page are currently active, removed a couple that have been inactive since last July and marked several links that are not currently active, but left them and will check again . 
Link Updates:  Removed due to broken or missing:  HAMA link in the Alfanje section, HEMA Puck interview link, HEMA destreza resource list, HROARR search results for LVD ----- Marked inactive: Charles Blair search tool link as inactive ----- Updated: HROARR video search result link so it now works
Period Manuals: ADDED Treatise on Destreza Sabre from 1862, Site with translation in process of Rada's Noblez, Lois Spangler's translations of Figueiredo and Texedo, more translations listed under the St. Louis Sword School, Added FB page for St. Louis Sword School
Articles, Websites...: ADDED Destreza-Fencing.com website, More material on Lois Spangler and where to support her Patreon, An interview with Ton Puey, Added a new section with links to multiple FB groups 
Books and E-books: ADDED Page to Practice PDF, New book by Alberto Bomprezzi, Anthology with a piece by Manuel Valle Ortiz, Anthology from the Wallace Collection with an article on Destreza
Youtube and Video Resources: ADDED Puck analysis of one of his fights, Destreza Lecture Series, Ton Puey vs. Aitor Blanco, Added an extra link to Esgrima Antigua, UmeFHS channel, 3 LVD Daggers lecture by Lois in the Brisbane section, Bout between Alberto B. and Juan G., WMAW 2019 Bouts, Russian Diestro Channel, updated Phil Swift youtube section, London Longsword Academy Channel
 Previous Updates: I moved previous July '19 updates to the bottom.