The student who wishes to study an extinct martial system without relying entirely on others’ modern interpretations (if such are even available) is faced with the daunting task of recreating the system based upon what has been left to us in books. The difficulty of the task may be exacerbated by the distinct pedagogical shortcomings of many premodern manuals, where the reasons and rules that inform technique are often unstated or presented haphazardly. At a loss for how to begin, the beginning scholar typically tries to walk through every play in the book as best he can, hoping to develop a feel for the system. While such an approach may eventually converge upon a legitimate and effective interpretation, it is often fraught with ambiguity, inefficiency, and false starts.

In this class I will discuss and illustrate some simple approaches that will enable you to conduct a methodical analysis of the fencing text(s) of your choice. We will see how a reductionist, analytical approach using a modern intellectual and electronic toolset can be applied to a text. Such an approach can yield results that enable the scholar to derive a framework of tactical guidelines and working rules that characterize his martial system of choice. Having derived such a framework, it can be used to render the system more tractable to practical study: the scholar may gain greater insights into actions only partially described in the text; apply them with a training partner to gain a clearer understanding of the execution of techniques; and in free play evaluate which actions are consonant with the style, and which incongruous, in a given tactical situation.

The class is open to scholars of any system, and to those thinking of undertaking a study of primary sources. Note taking materials are recommended.