Extreme Fencing is an instructional video for “The base and core of all fighting.” This video is a must for all martial arts instructors, students of all styles, anyone who wants to see how an instructional video should be made, and for makers of Hollywood action films who want to finally start making realistic and engaging fight scenes.

Extreme Fencing will also be of interest to historians and history buffs, for whom there is very little honest representation of ancient martial arts.

Medieval martial arts were far more sophisticated, profound, and comprehensive than modern martial artists might believe. They were also much different than those portrayed by any Hollywood film. Knights and nobility trained extensively in well organised schools to master arts as effective as anything that Asia had to offer at the time. Before firearms changed the face of war, single combat with weapons of all kinds, including the empty hand, had reached a pinnacle of development. At the core of the German system was the two-handed war sword, since techniques used with this weapon were applicable to all other weapons, as well as to empty-handed techniques.

In my thirty years of training and teaching various martial arts, I have seen hundreds of instructional videos on dozens of martial arts. I have never seen anything as good as Extreme Fencing. On all counts that matter, this video sets the bar for all others, and establishes a brilliant template for every other person wishing to make a quality instructional video. If there were an Academy Award for instructional videos, Extreme Fencing would be a cinch for an Oscar. Even the original soundtrack, which includes such titles as “Eine Kliene Fechtmuzik” and “Scheitel Punked” is noteworthy. In fact, I think “Pachelbel’s Howitzer in D-Major” deserves a Grammy, if there is a category for it.

Extreme Fencing teaches an art which is either unknown or not respected as a legitimate martial art. Martial artist of all styles should see this video, however, for they will gain both knowledge and respect for this very real and sophisticated martial art.

Whatever your style is, you will likely learn things from Extreme Fencing that will be quite valuable to the improvement of their own practices.

Production value

The first thing you notice about Extreme Fencing (right from the opening credits, menu, and soundtrack) is the extremely high production value. It was produced by a professional production company with proper equipment, lighting, sound mixing, graphics, directing, and even a script!

Content

Most people who buy martial arts videos have come to expect little in the way of production value or content. Many videos consist of a brief talking head narration of the history, philosophy, and theory of the art, followed by a straightforward demonstrations of the techniques sometimes presented from various angles. Some will focus on basics movements, some fundamental principles, and demonstrations of techniques or movement pattern repeated, and shown from different angles. They seem designed less as true instructional videos, and more as references for students who have already learned from the teacher on the video. Extreme Fencing, by contrast, is so packed full of information, that you may find yourself quickly overwhelmed

No video I have ever seen has even come close to the quality and quantity of valuable information that this one provides. Extreme Fencing is two solid hours packed full of concise, practical, and enlightening instruction that you can actually learn from. It should be possible for a person to follow the video chapter-by-chapter, practice each section, (making judicious use of the rewind feature) and actually learn practical martial skills. However, absolute beginners will have to take their time. There is so much material here, and it is well packed. A minute of video will require some time to practice and absorb.

Beginners will do well on their own with some of the material. For other sections they will need a patient training partner. Some sections will likely remain only theory until they can find an experienced training partner or a qualified instructor.

For experienced martial artists of other styles, however, Extreme Fencing is a gold mine of insight and inspiration. What has been missing from many oriental martial arts for years can be found in this ancient and practical art.

The material in Extreme Fencing includes a curriculum which seems like the medieval equivalent of a white belt to fith-dan black belt program. It covers everything from the very basic postures, movements, and training methods to subtle principles, essential techniques, strategy, and philosophy.

The structure of Extreme Fencing is brilliantly conceived, with a clear linear progression through basics, and some very cool methods and concepts. Mixed in with the linear progression are basic and advanced concepts that are important reminders for martial artists of all ranks and styles.

The first chapter of Extreme Fencing introduces the fine art of medieval fencing, its history, safety equipment, and the “weapon of choice,” the German longsword.

In chapter two, Extreme Fencing sets out basic stances and guards, and weapon orientations, before going right into a study of the nature of combat. This is where you realize that you are learning a real martial art, and not just some quaint medieval re-enactment.

Every martial artist will appreciate the clear explanation of practical philosophy and principles that are essential to all practical combat. These principles are, all too often, neglected or rejected by traditional schools of martial arts.

Extreme Fencing presents mechanics, ranging, distance, timing, positioning, potential variables, the relationship between offence and defence, and understanding the threat. Then follows and explanation of “timing”, “footwork”, “openings and lines”, and basic strikes.”

By the time I got to this point in the video, I was surprised that I had only watched two chapters of a nine-chapter video. The remaining chapters are:

3. THE PRINCIPLES OF STRIKING

4. COUNTERING PRINCIPLES

5. PARRYING VS. DISPLACING

6. ADVANCED CONCEPTS

6.1 Disengaging

6.2 Entries

6.3 Throws

6.4 Voiding, Ceding and Feinting

6.5 Changing Through

6.6 Lunges

6.7 Chasing

6.8 Working the Bind

6.8a Riding/Wrenching/Flowing

6.9 Forbidden Moves

7. PRINCIPLES IN SEQUENCE / DRILLS

8. SPARRING

9. Credits

As I said before, the content of Extreme Fencing is extremely densely packed. This is a very good thing in an instructional video. But those with no martial experience should be warned that they will need to watch some of these sections several times to fully understand what is happening. I have thirty years experience and I was burning out the pause button. I see this as a testament to the high quality of the video. Nothing is repeated, since the viewer is expected to have a remote control with a rewind and pause button. In many places, 5 - 15 seconds of video holds material that could be taught in a full one-hour martial art class.

This is in great contrast to many other instructional videos that are designed like a class and spend one hour video teaching what could have been explained in a few seconds. With Extreme Fencing you are definitely getting your money’s worth.

Part of the brilliance of Extreme Fencing is that every concept is demonstrated in context. Movements are constantly being placed in the context of actual combat making it very easy to understand what is meant.

Extreme Fencing is presented with simplicity and clarity. Stop motion, slow motion, and some very clever use of graphics make it easy to see what is going on at all times. The script is well written, and the narration is clear and professional.

Universal principles

Extreme Fencing is an instructional video that will be of value to all other martial artists. Instructors of all styles will see obvious applications of the principles and techniques of this system. They will also gain insight into new approaches to teaching and explaining aspects of their art that they may already know, but have never known quite how to explain it to their students.

A note to film makers:

Directors, fight choreographers, actors, and stunt-persons should see this video before making another movie. Almost every “sword and sandal” movie and action film since Erroll Flynn has failed to present at least two import elements of fight scenes. Both of these elements are explained in Chapter Two of Extreme Fencing.

First is the engagement. Few if any directors seem to understand the nature of a threat, and none seem to be able to represent it on screen. The combatants never properly engage each other because the director does not understand the nature of a threat, or is unable to present it to the camera.

Second is what 16th century English fencing master George Silver described as “true timing.” Without an understanding of this concept, all screen fights will look so silly that the beginning and end of every move will need to be edited out. This results in chaotic action sequences that confuse the audience. They eliminate any hope of establishing a visual frame of reference and prevent the audience from identifying with either combatant.

A realistic fight scene should be able to pass the Ian Sinclair Popcorn Test. If the audience are still reaching for popcorn or pop during a fight scene, then someone has wasted a lot of money on expensive action that failed to engage. If however, the action engages the audience members so much that their own nervous system responds in such a way as to prevent chewing or reloading, the scene is a success.

If you want a hope in creating a fight scene that stops the chewing, you really ought to watch Extreme Fencing.