La Verdadera Destreza: Spanish Swordsmanship - Vols. 1 & 2
This 2-volume introductory video set is designed to present the Spanish School of Swordsmanship, La Verdadera Destreza, in a simple basic form so that it is comprehensible to the modern swordsman training without a master. It will provide you the most fundamental elements of the Spanish School of Swordsmanship so that as potential Diestros, you may practice basic skills, techniques, and drills so that at the end of your basic practice you may begin to engage in light assaults.
Based upon the texts of Spanish masters Don Jeronimo Sanchez de Carranza and Don Luis Pacheco de Narvaez, La Verdadera Destreza is a two-volume instructional guide to the correct combative fighting style of the Spanish School of Swordsmanship gleaned from over twenty years of research and study of the historical Spanish treatises by Maestro Ramon Martinez and his partner, Maestro Jeannette Acosta-Martinez.
"By the end of Volume Two, your patience and attention is rewarded by a deeper appreciation of what could be the most civilized and intellectually demanding systems the inventiveness of European swordsmen has dreamed up...For those who consider fencing a challenge for the mind s well as an athletic contest, this is a welcome addition to the research library!" --- Chris Amberger, Special History Editor, Fencers Quarterly Magazine
La Verdadera Destreza Contents of Volume 1 include instruction and drills covering:
- Weapon and Blade Selection
- Proper Grip
- Positions of the Hand
- The Stance - Afirmarse
- Footwork - Compases
- Blade Actions - Atajo, Cambio de Atajo, and Oppositions
- Developing Sensitivity - Tacto
- Building Your Own Circle
- Movemientos
- Cuts - Arrebatar, Media Tajo, Mandoble
- Thrusts - Estocadas
- Defensive Blade Actions - Desvios
- Dagger Selection and Grip
- Attack and Defense with Rapier & Dagger
With the assistance of Jeannette Acosta-Martinez and Anthony De Longis, Maestro Rarmon Martinez teaches these skills in short, sequential lessons which include simple drills that illustrate the techniques of La Verdadera Destreza. Because these volumes contain instruction in true combative historical fencing, it is highly advised that you invest in the appropriate protective gear before beginning your training - including fencing mask, chest protector, jacket and gloves.
Ramon Martinez has devoted over 28 years to the study and teaching of classical fencing. He studied classical fencing for ten years with the late Maitre d'Armes Frederick Rohdes in New York, who conferred the rank of Fencing Master on Mr. Martinez in 1982. He has also done extensive research in historical fencing, carefully and thoroughly studying treatises of the most prominent masters of the past centuries in an effort to accurately reconstruct the varied styles. These ancient and historical forms are then taught as authentically as possible. Maestro Martinez' goal is to teach, promote, and preserve this rare martial art.
Maestro Martinez is a member of the Council of Advisors of Swordplay Symposium International and is the current president of the Association for Historical Fencing. He is one of the founders of the International Masters at Arms Federation and is associated with the Federazione Italiana Scherma Antica e Storica and British Federation for Historical Swordplay. He is also a research consultant for the American Society for Chivalric Research.
Jeannette Acosta-Martinez is a professional restorer of antique furniture who specializes in works of the 17th and 18th centuries. Maestro Acosta-Martinez has spent a total of 18 years studying traditional fencing, both classical and historical, under the tutelage of Maitre d'Armes Frederick Rohdes and Maestro Ramon Martinez. In 1995, she became an instructor at Martinez Academy of Arms.
In preparation for her Provost's and Master's certification, Maestro Acosta-Martinez devoted time to learning the art of teaching, as well as extensively researching the fencing treatises of the classical and historical periods. In May of 2000, she received her Master's certification from the International Masters at Arms Federation and a second certification from the Martinez Academy of Arms the following November, becoming the only other Master certified to teach the Rohdes system of classical fencing and the Martinez system of Spanish rapier fence. Maestro Acosta-Martinez is also the Vice President of the Association for Historical Fencing and a founding member of the International Masters at Arms Federation.
