The “Sword and Dagger” style of fencing was popular during the Rennaissance, (1350ish-1600ish), and was most commonly used as a method of dueling. It is a complex fighting method that fell by the wayside along with the rest of historical European swordplay when it lost its utility to the efficiency and deadliness of firearms. It is especially famous as the weaponry of choice from Zefirelli’s Romeo and Juliet movie.
The dagger is not meant to be another weapon so much as a simple instrument for avoiding getting stabbed. When your opponent swipes or thrusts at you with their long blade, you parry it with your dagger and counter with your own attack.
Or not. Your mileage may vary.
I find sword-and-dagger to be a fascinating method of fencing, one that I wish had been better preserved. It appears at the same time practical and elegant, a beauty of form which competitive fencing has lost since it went Olympic. Here’s a good video of a few students from a HEMA school demonstrating sword and dagger:
There is also sword-and-buckler fencing, a lost art which
Roland Warzecha works to recreate with his school, Dimicator. A Buckler is a small, hand-held shield that is used in coordination with a sword (usually a thick-bladed arming sword rather than the thinner, pointier rapier). Its style is less like the hack-and-slash sword and shield fighting you see in movies, and much more like wrestling. Here is a demonstration from Dimicator:
And here they are sparring:
One of the reasons I like Dimicator in particular when I’m researching sword-and-buckler is because Roland Warzecha is particularly dedicated to not only restoring the historical techniuqes, but very practical. He makes a good case for drilling with sharp swords to give the tactics real-world pragmatism which historical fencers would no doubt have possessed. Here he is using a sharp sword to learn more about how to properly execute a particular stroke:
When I wrote “A Test of Honor,” I researched relevant fighting techniques and even did a little self-guided home longsword practice using an old shinai (Japanese bamboo sword used in Kendo fencing). While set in the future, its characters live in a world that has developed a neo-Feudal society that combines the tech of scifi with the sensibility and superstition of the Middle Ages. It’s available now, pick up a copy! And if you’ve already read it, do me a favor and leave a review.
Book 2, “The People’s Champion” will hit digital shelves in the fall, so sign up for the mailing list (click the blue signup button at the top of this page!) for exclusive behind-the-scenes access and a free copy of the digital art book I’m creating featuring portraits of the characters.