Uploaded February 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
George Silver, a 16th-century English swordsman, emphasised the importance of grips and closes—techniques involving seizing or grappling an opponent—in fencing. In his work "Paradoxes of Defence," Silver lamented that contemporary fencing schools neglected these methods, stating that "there are now in these days no grips, closes, wrestlings, striking with the hilts, daggers, or bucklers, used in fencing schools."
In his "Brief Instructions," Silver detailed various grips to control or disarm an opponent during close combat. For instance, he described a technique where, upon an opponent's high strike to the left side of the head, the defender wards off the blow, enters with the left side, and uses the left hand to seize the opponent's sword arm near the hilt. This maneuver can immobilise the opponent's weapon, allowing the defender to counterattack or disarm them.
Silver believed that mastering such grips and close-fighting techniques was essential for a complete and effective martial skill set.
George Silver, a 16th-century English swordsman, emphasised the importance of grips and closes—techniques involving seizing or grappling an opponent—in fencing. In his work "Paradoxes of Defence," Silver lamented that contemporary fencing schools neglected these methods, stating that "there are now in these days no grips, closes, wrestlings, striking with the hilts, daggers, or bucklers, used in fencing schools."
In his "Brief Instructions," Silver detailed various grips to control or disarm an opponent during close combat. For instance, he described a technique where, upon an opponent's high strike to the left side of the head, the defender wards off the blow, enters with the left side, and uses the left hand to seize the opponent's sword arm near the hilt. This maneuver can immobilise the opponent's weapon, allowing the defender to counterattack or disarm them.
Silver believed that mastering such grips and close-fighting techniques was essential for a complete and effective martial skill set.
