The Hand is Faster than the Foot

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Published on September 10, 2025 12:00:09 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J0HtNgYywg

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"The true fights be these: whatsoever is done with the hand before the foot or feet is true fight. The false fights are these: whatsoever is done with the foot or feet before the hand, is false, because the hand is swifter than the foot, the foot or feet being the slower mover than the hand, the hand in that manner of fight is tied to the time of the foot or feet, and being tied thereto, has lost his freedom, and is made thereby as slow in his motions as the foot or feet, and therefor that fight is false."
George Silver, 1599
Modernization by Steve Hick

"When you are within wide distance and your adversary makes some movement of his foot, provided he does not break ground, you can hit him in the nearest exposed part, even if he has not moved his weapons. This could not be done if he moved his weapons and stood firm on his feet, the reason being that a movement of the foot is slower than that of the weapons, and therefore he could parry before your sword arrived, while he remained steady"
"... you cannot move your foot in less than two times, the one in lifting it and the other in putting it to the ground."
Salvator Fabris, 17th C. Fencing Master
Translated by A.F. Johnson

"When you are only threatening to cut but not completely cutting, you should also not fully step but instead use body language to act as if you had stepped. Practice will teach you this better."
Joachim Meyer, 16th C. Fencing Master
Translated by Rebecca Garber

#sword #hema #fencing #martialarts #shorts