In this course you'll learn how to approach an opponent who holds their sword back, attack their position, and find safe ways to continue the offense.

In this course you'll learn how to approach an opponent who presents their point, gain control, recover control, respond to pressure, and manage the fight strategically starting first with the mechanics of the thrust and then the cut.

A “collection” is an outcome from a crossing of swords where the attacker’s sword is channeled down the length of weapon into the defender’s cross, thus giving the defender a strong gaining position that can be used to launch a counter-attack or enter to wrestle.

In this course we are focusing on the counter-cut. This is a defensive action that is in itself an attack—think of a simultaneous parry-and-cut.

This series of lessons builds from the fundamentals lessons to expand your offensive and defensive repertoire from the four quadrant guards and those that present the point. 

We’re picking up the longsword to explore giocco stretto or the “narrow play”, a combative context where the opponent’s weapon is an immediate threat—usually when…

Gioco Stretto (the narrow play) describes a scenario where our opponent’s point is an immediate threat and we must move to cover it before and…

This certificate requires that you have completed all of the following courses: Longsword Fundamentals I Longsword Fundamentals II Longsword Fundamentals III

Fight like a knight, sharpen your skills as a longsword practitioner, and build the foundation as a great swordfighter. This course is part one of DTV's step-by-step guide through the fundamentals of Italian Longsword practice.

Fight like knight, sharpen your skills as a longsword practitioner, and build the foundation as a great swordfighter. This course is part two of DTV's step-by-step guide through the fundamentals of Italian Longsword practice.

Fight like knight, sharpen your skills as a longsword practitioner, and build the foundation as a great swordfighter. This course is part three of DTV's step-by-step guide through the fundamentals of Italian Longsword practice.

When a sword fight gets too close for blade play, we turn to grappling as a combative solution in order to continue the offensive.

Learning how to wield the longsword is a powerful and inspiring experience. It's a great workout for your mind and body and the beginning of a journey into physical confidence and ability.

Learn 10 strategies with the longsword and sword & buckler that can be used to maximize your effectiveness and minimize your weaknesses when these two weapon disciplines meet one another.

Posta Finestra is a position we often come to when we have parried a blow to the head but can also be reached at the end of a cut, and as a transitiong between posta di dona and a more extended position.

Learn to master the wide play (gioco largo) by building powerful and smooth body mechanics. This is an ideal course for anyone interested in swinging longswords or greatswords (spadone) with grace and precision.

Use clever footwork and flowing bladework to dance just out of your opponent's reach, take control of the center, and enter with powerful blows.

Provoke and deceive your opponent using footwork and bladework both to create safe space to enter and to open your opponent up to attack. Learn about deceptive footwork, attacks to miss, feints, and other provocations.

A bonus course on how to move between gioco largo (wide play) and gioco stretto (narrow play) when you intend to and when forced into it by the opponent. Explore sequences of attacks and defenses and learn to create your own.

Exploring how to wield the longsword with correct biomechanics to ensure that the weapon moves fluidly and with power.

We will be working through all of the primary poste of the longsword looking at both how to employ their most direct actions and how…

Crossings: The sword in two hands is a powerful tool for cutting and defending against cuts. In these classes we look at the fundamentals of making…

Rising & Lateral: We are continuing to explore defenses from various quadrants against lines of attack this week. The attacks we’re focusing on now are the…

In this course you'll build your defensive ability with a particular focus on counter-attacking preemptively and after parries, deflections, and collections.

In this course you'll learn how to deal with an opponent who is coming toward you with their point online. We will work extensively on exchanging (counter-attacking) the thrust and recovering from failed attempts to do so.

The Scholar's Assault draws upon historical plays from the 1410 manuscript of Fiore dei Liberi.

Posta finestra (window guard) makes use of the sword’s point to quickly move forward and close off the centreline. In the realm of longsword guards…

A provocation is an attacking, inviting, or constraining action used to prompt the opponent into a predictable motion that can be exploited.