Free Downloads Highland Knife Fighting: With The Dirk And Sgian
In this entertaining and informative look at the Highland dirk, author Christopher Thompson examines a number of Scottish historical and oral sources to document the role of the knife in Gaelic society. Although worn by all classes of society, the dirk was the primary weapon of the common clansmen, and since it was worn indoors as well as outdoors, it was the favored weapon for acts of revenge and self-defense. Highland Knife Fighting traces the historical roots of the dirk, which is believed to be descended from the medieval ballock dagger, and provides step-by-step instructions and photos in how the Highlanders used the knife. Lessons include holding, carrying and using the dirk with a sword and targe; choosing the proper guards; responding to sudden attacks from in and out of distance; using the dirk for the seven principal "bone-breakings"; and executing the throw from Highland wrestling. Also included are exercises and drills, including the advanced quickdraw drill, and combative techniques of the Scottish dirk dance positions.
Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Paladin Press (January 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1581605668
ISBN-13: 978-1581605662
Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.4 x 8.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #578,543 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #50 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Antiques & Collectibles > Firearms & Weapons > Swords & Knives #1423 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Individual Sports > Martial Arts #7769 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Exercise & Fitness
"Highland Knife Fighting with the Dirk and Sgian" is both a fun-to-read and instructional book about a unique style of knife-fighting. Numerous photos (with the instructors in Highland kilt) show how to use the dirk in the Highland fighting style.The book consists of the following chapters:1. The Dirk in Gaelic Society2. Mastering the Dirk3. Guards4. Responding to an Attack5. Throws from Highland Wrestling6. Bone-Breaking7. Knife Against Knife8. Going on the Offensive9. The Dirk Dance Positions10. Exercises and DrillsAppendix 1-3GlossaryAbout the AuthorsThe techniques of Highland Knife Fighting work best with a large knife (the Dirk), but the book also considers the Sgain Dubh as a hidden back-up to the Dirk.As a student of knife fighting you can learn some basic techniques from this book. A student of Gaelic Society can learn a fun bit of history from this book as well.More information about this style of fighting can be found from the Cateran Society.Overall a great book !!!
This book in combination with the info available on the authors websites are exactly what you need to learn this style. I've practiced martial arts for 30 years and have learned many forms from books. It can be difficult. Not so with this book, and especially if you join the organization and/or use the videos. Most, if not all of the information is given freely other than the cost of the books, which I find quite admirable and rare. I tried at first to learn from the videos alone, but the book gives more information and detailed instruction. Makes learning much easier because of the extra detail, and more fulfilling due to the history shared. All of the books in the series are very good and there is plenty of history, diagrams and reference. Again, quite rare these days. If you are interested in authentic information for the Highland and Gaelic martial culture, you probably wont find better than this. I will repeat this message on all the books because I feel the same for all of them. Each provides great instruction and history for the various weapons.
Most books on knife fighting are written poorly and give a fantasy view of the subject and offer formulaic methods for dealing with knives and knife fighters, this book goes back to bare bone basics. It's written under the premise of men intent and killing each other in warfare. It helps shatters myths associated with knife combat because it goes back to brutal reality. While it won't impress those in search of what I deem "Jack in the Box" defenses ( I.e preempted attacks where both the attacker and defender know the move and harmonize in a prearranged set of scenarios)It does however offer cold realities of blade combat and tactical food for thought , even though its written as historical reference its very useful information. It's one of the few books I've ever read that doesn't paint a favorable picture for the unarmed defender ( Realism) although the days of the Scottish highlander are long gone we can learn from the period and make well informed training methods in our present day skill sets, It offers a concise picture of warriors in combat to the death and the ruthless methods employed. A very good book if you study combatives or knife fighting or Scottish Warrior Culture. Highly recommended
This is a good book and I think it's almost a five star book; I just wanted more material. What there is is well written and interesting. Good historical background and the illustrations are well done. A nice addition to the knifists library.
I find myself not wanting to write a bad review as the book isn't bad. However, the information (which is well researched) is fragmentary. This is not the fault of the author. Much was lost when Highland culture was suppressed by the English, but also Europeans abandoned their traditional martial arts readily, or so it seems, when guns became dominant. It is only recently that European martial arts have been reconstructed, or are being reconstructed. European dagger fighting in general is based on wrestling, and the author points out this is the case with Highland knife fighting as well, but the explanations and techniques described in the books are not very helpful unless you already have a familiarity with Highland wrestling. Since I don't have much experience or exposure to Highland wrestling (actually I don't have any), the book offered little in the way of practical insight. Someone with a wrestling or grappling background may find the book to be more revealing than I did. This book worked out to be a decent scholarly/historical analysis of Highland dirk fighting, but it is not a practical manual of any great depth. Again, for the right person with the right background, it could be very useful, but I am not seeing it.
I brought this book, thinking it would be another of those boring history books, talking a lot about what this group did, and what that group did. I was pleasantly surprised to find that while there is a history section, it is by no means boring. And the lessons on the Highland style of Knife fighting are both informative and useful. They are easy to follow, and once you have the basics, the rest just seems to flow from there.If you are interested in Historical combat, re-enactment, or just like the idea of Highlanders, then this is the book for you.I highly recommend this book.
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