Rapier
Rapier
The rapier is one of the defining weapons of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
Historical Systems
Our understanding of the rapier comes from a number of historical fencing masters, principally from the Italian tradition, with additional material from the Spanish and other European schools. In this school we focus on a single master, Ridolfo Capoferro, who wrote Il Gran Simulacro in 1610. Other notable Italian masters include Salvatore Fabris, Niccoletto Giganti, and Francesco Alfieri. There is also a well-documented Spanish tradition, La Verdadera Destreza ("The True Skill"), with works by Jerónimo Sánchez de Carranza, Luis Pacheco de Narváez, and others (perhaps most famously Gérard Thibault.
Training
Getting Started:
Training with the Rapier: Capoferro
Related Weapons
Rapier training includes off-hand weapons such as the dagger, the cloak, and the rotella. You will find them on the Interpreting Capoferro page (which is not yet complete). You will also find rapier and dagger training at Training with the Rapier: Capoferro.
Books and Courses
Further study
