Silver's Sword

The basic weapon of the Stoccata School of Defence Hobart Branch is the single handed basket hilted sword used according to the system of the late 16th-early 17th century gentleman, George Silver. In 1599, Silver published Paradoxes of Defence, a plea for Englishmen to give up the Italian rapier and return to their native fighting styles. Silver’s later book, Bref Instructions Upon my Paradoxes of Defence was written around 1605 and not published until the late 19th century.

Silver’s system is medieval in character, with the sword held back, rather than forward in the main attacking guards. Silver’s emphasis on principles, the relative simplicity of his system and the ability to safely bout with real swords makes it a perfect core system for the school. Stephen’s book on Silver’s system, English Swordsmanship: The True Fight of George Silver will be published by Chivalry Bookshelf in September 2005.

Classes in Silver begin with footwork and balance, and progress to guards, attacks, distance, timing, defences, grappling and advanced tactics. Silver's system is a wonderful discipline in and of itself and is also a perfect springboard to the other weapons and systems taught in the school.