English Quarterstaff
The quarterstaff was noted as an English speciality, and remained in active use throughout the middle ages and Renaissance, well into the modern era. In England a quarterstaff was a large weapon, usually of oak or ash, between 1¼ - 1½ inches thick and, according to various Masters, between 7 and 9 feet long. It was thus a solid and relatively heavy piece of wood, designed to disable an opponent with a single effective strike.
All the great English fencing masters recognised the quarterstaff as superior to any other weapon in single combat, even other two-handed polearms. Zachary Wylde wrote “for a Man that rightly understands it, may bid defiance, and laugh at any other Weapon” and MacBane agreed, noting “whoever is Master of the Staff may Defend himself against any one man with Back or small Sword, as has been often Experienced.”
This course will present the English quarterstaff according to George Silver, also drawing upon other English masters, particularly Swetnam and Wylde.