Joachim Meyer: The Art of Fencing with the Dagger and Polearms From the celebrated printed treatise — Strasbourg 1570

Meyer's work does not end at the fencing hall. His final book leads the reader to where fencing meets the realities of everyday life: to the dagger, the weapon of sudden assault and last defence at the closest range, and to the polearms—the staff, the halberd, and the long pike—with which the burgher stood on the city walls and at the military muster. From the shortest blade to the longest shaft, these two extremes frame Meyer's complete martial system and demonstrate that the same principles apply regardless of a weapon's length.

This volume presents the concluding part of Meyer's teaching in its entirety. In the dagger section, you will learn thrusting techniques, parries, disarms, and grappling at the blade, exactly as Meyer described them for sudden, unarmoured encounters at close quarters. In the polearm section, the foundation is the staff (Stangen), from which Meyer develops the use of the halberd (Hellenbarten) and the long pike (Langspiess): leading and engaging, parrying and changing, and the thrusts and cuts used to control the distance that a long shaft provides. Once again, Meyer's central idea becomes clear: one set of principles, many weapons.

The text is accompanied by Meyer's detailed illustrations: pairs of combatants captured in motion and clear diagrams that make the handling of both dagger and polearms easy to understand at a glance. A work already regarded in its own day as the pinnacle of the art now speaks again in a clear English translation, with carefully crafted typography that preserves the spirit of the Renaissance original, including decorative initials, period-inspired layout, and facsimile pages.

Because this is a digital edition, Meyer is always with you: available for immediate download after purchase, ready to open on your computer, tablet, or phone, fully searchable, and easy to take with you to seminars, training sessions, or while travelling.

What the edition contains

• Complete English translation of Meyer's teaching on the dagger and polearms (1570 treatise).
• Original illustrations and facsimile pages from the printed source.
• Dagger section covering thrusting techniques, parries, disarms, and grappling at the blade.
• Polearm section covering the staff (Stangen), halberd (Hellenbarten), and long pike (Langspiess) with consistent terminology.
• Carefully designed typography inspired by the original edition, optimized for comfortable on-screen reading.

Discover the two extremes of Meyer's art—from the shortest blade to the longest shaft—and with them the enduring lesson that good fencing follows the same principles, whatever weapon you hold.