Hungarian Hussar Sabre and Fokos Fencing (Austro-Hungarian Military Sabre Series)

Russ Mitchell's _Hungarian Hussar Sabre and Fokos Fencing_ is easily one of the best "HEMA" (Historical European Martial Arts) books I've had the pleasure to read. As approachable as it is informative, _Hungarian Hussar Sabre_ introduces the reader to more than Russ' first-hand experience and knowledge of a "broken" Hungarian sabre tradition--it provides a template for how one might best write about or teach such a tradition. In fact, Russ provides a wonderful model for anyone trying to explain a complicated martial system, from warm-up to tactics. The author's experience with an instructor of the tradition is well laid-out; the descriptions and explanations for positions, techniques, and plays are explained clearly and accompanied by illustrations of everyday folk, the very folk you might know from your own club or school; the reasoning for those positions and techniques are situated in context, and, in a way unlike many works on military sabre. As a quick example, the squared stance, the guards/parries make complete sense given the kit a late 19th/early 20th century soldier would have been wearing, and, given the contexts in which that same soldier may have found himself having to use a sabre--this information, given to Russ by his instructor (Prof. Csaba Hidán), provides a unique layer of know-how to this system. As someone intimately acquainted with late 19th century military sabre texts this sort of second-hand information, something Hidán learned from his grandfather and grandfather's friends, who were Hussars, fills in critical gaps that the official texts left out. Added to this, Russ includes translations from key works that provide a window into his own tradition, such as Baron Samu Chappon's _Sabre Fencing_ (1891), and works that, to date, have not been translated into English. For students of Italian sabre like myself, who were trained in the mid-century blend of Hungarian and Italian fencing (i.e. the Italo-Hungarian tradition), what Russ reveals here supplies a much needed glimpse into what differentiates the Hungarian from the Italian systems. There are translations of most key Italian sabre texts, but precious few for Hungarian sources (of which there were far fewer). _Hungarian Hussar Sabre and Fokos Fencing_ goes one step further and introduces a short section on the fokos, a form of "shepherd's axe," that is, again, unique. Students of axe, especially those familiar with the mss. of Fiore dei Liberi or the anonynous "Le Jeu de la Hache," will see much that is familiar. Taken together, the sections on sabre for foot, fokos, and the sabre for cavalry present, for the first time in English, a valuable introduction to Hungarian sabre. More than that this book fills in a critical piece many fencers know exists but which few of us, lacking Hungarian, have had access to. If your interest is sabre generally, you need to read this book; if you are a student of modern sabre, you should read this book; if you, like me, were taught by maestri within the Italo-Hungarian orbit, you must read this book to understand better your own tradition; if you need a guide for how to write for HEMA, you need to read this book. Informative, fascinating, and fun, Russ Mitchell's _Hungarian Hussar Sabre and Fokos Fencing_ is a fantastic read.

Excellent book for anyone who wants to dabble in a bit of saber, experienced people who want to expand their tree of knowledge, and more. The book has super useful pictures that clearly depict what concept the author is trying to convey. The author also presents the Hungarian system in a very easy-to-understand way and provides drills and diagnostic tools to help beginners and more learned people alike. It also has a bit of regimental military saber at the end to compare and contrast the two saber systems. My only gripe is that the fokos section is very short, and only touches upon fokos vs. saber. However, it does provide a bit of insight on how the weapon was used.

I’ve been a student of martial arts for half my life, through my cross training in the Historical European Martial Arts Community (HEMA) I had been following along with Mr. Mitchell’s material for a long while after meeting him and having the privilege of a mini crash course in his unique lineage of Saber back in Arizona many years ago. I was very excited when I had caught wind of this book being in the works then finally committed to print! The amazing thing about this manual is it not only goes into the nitty gritty of Hungarian Saber/Fokos as taught by Professor Csaba Hidan, Mr. Mitchell goes into teaching the hopeful instructors out there to in turn teach. This includes common common mistakes students do, how to triage them and helpful synaptic charts to help the instructor and student alike understand “why do we do this/that?” Powerfully helpful and simply straightforward for the teacher, student even the casual curious reader alike. Getting a book just expecting it to be a simple “how to” for Saber/fokos and getting really insightful advice for instructors (that applies for ANY weapon), is immediately a plus! The illustrations are an immense plus, they are very cool, unique and inviting to the reader and show case a variety of diverse animated people, of different genders, body confirmations that highlight the light hearted humor and welcoming touch to Mr. Mitchell’s writing creating an overall “anyone can do what I’m talking about here” attitude you certainly feel from reading this. In short stop reading this review, BUY THIS BOOK and read IT instead!

I really like the plain and straightforward relaxed tone and style of the author. This lineage is quite a bit different from those I have read prior so it was illuminating. The author includes several other short works and draws connections from them to his lineage both to show similarities and to provide contrast. Fighting on horseback and in armor is a big change as well in military formations when it comes to whether a lunge is a good idea for example. Also footwork you want to keep relatively simple because the ground isn't going to be as flat as in a civilian salle for example. The fokos stuff was really quite different from what I was expecting. In a strange way it kind of reminded me of Meyer or a Fiore trained fighter using retracted stances to hide and mess with distance to get a hit in. Cool beans and worth reading. Oh I forgot. Loved the exercises in the beginning. With exercise bands you can add an extra bit of difficulty to them as well as modding them for sitting at a desk. Lateral and rotational foot movement are really useful to do regularly.

A fencing manual should be entertaining as well as instructive, or else the instruction usually doesn't stick. This manual raises the bar for both. It does not over-assume what the reader knows, yet the explanations are not heavy. The prose is serious in approach and light in tone, laced with a mordant humor recognizable in most fencing masters. The text moves from the basic building blocks of this particular fencing tradition to more complex grids and teaching aids, and is liberally illustrated with simple but effective line diagrams, with captions that are often very amusing. (I was particularly charmed by the fact that the drawings represented people of a variety of body types and ages, which is an accurate reflection of the fact that fencing as a discipline can accommodate nearly any body type and level of athleticism.) I noticed a few typos and formatting issues in this first edition, but I expect the author will take care of them in subsequent editions, which there certainly ought to be in the future as more people make use of this book. Recommended for fencer and non-fencer alike -- after all, turning the latter into the former means more sparring partners in the club!

A perfectly adequate resource for taking up saber practice in isolation. Describes the basics very well, and includes additional materials that provide history and scope to the discipline. I wish i had a sparring partner, theres little progress left for me to make without one. But this book was invaluable in getting me to that point. Clear instructions, decent illistrations. This particular book assumes that you, the beginning practitioner, are a backcountry rube drafted into the army to conduct civil wars with cossacks and tartars. That is exactly what i wanted to learn, a no-frills business style designed for the layman. I recommend this. If you get it and read it and like it, lets meet up sometime and fight.

I am a student of history, my first degree is in Medieval and Renaissance art history. I also study the art of fencing. British Saber, Roworth, Italian Rapier, side sword, Bolognese. Many texts for these art forms are being translated but some forms are harder to track down because of locations, modern history, the physical nature of the study. What Russ Mitchell has done is phenomenal, breaking down the motions and training into bite size chunks, using modern illustrations to convey motion easily. The book is written in easy to read and comprehend language that sounds informal, making it a pleasure to get through. I have really enjoyed going through this book and use some of the methods described here, daily. It changed my workout routines. It's well worth the money.

Condensing a physical activity into words and some motionless illustrations is no easy task by any means, and yet Russ has been able to just that with fantastic insight and eloquence. Not only does this book contain everyone one would need to begin practising his lineage of Hungarian sabre and fokos fencing, Russ also provides very useful tools for those wishing to then spread the knowledge to other people. The inclusion of the latter material is what makes this work truly stand out, and it demonstrates Russ' profound knowledge of the fencing system and of sound body mechanics. Highly recommended.

This system is designed for use with armor and so it omits fast range attacks like the lunge--attacks that are useful for civilian dueling. I wish it would have stated that clearly. For that reason I can only give it a 3 star rating. For my purposes it is useless beyond curiosity.

This book lays out a traditional style of Hungarian sabre fencing that is typified by the use of a heavier cavalry sabre. The tradition is "semi-living," a point that the author makes very clear in his introduction. I found the book to be very informative, but tailored more to intermediate and advanced fencers then beginners. It is essentially a course book for how to teach the author's system and I learned a thing or two from it.

Russ Mitchell's _Hungarian Hussar Sabre and Fokos Fencing_ is easily one of the best "HEMA" (Historical European Martial Arts) books I've had the pleasure to read. As approachable as it is informative, _Hungarian Hussar Sabre_ introduces the reader to more than Russ' first-hand experience and knowledge of a "broken" Hungarian sabre tradition--it provides a template for how one might best write about or teach such a tradition. In fact, Russ provides a wonderful model for anyone trying to explain a complicated martial system, from warm-up to tactics. The author's experience with an instructor of the tradition is well laid-out; the descriptions and explanations for positions, techniques, and plays are explained clearly and accompanied by illustrations of everyday folk, the very folk you might know from your own club or school; the reasoning for those positions and techniques are situated in context, and, in a way unlike many works on military sabre. As a quick example, the squared stance, the guards/parries make complete sense given the kit a late 19th/early 20th century soldier would have been wearing, and, given the contexts in which that same soldier may have found himself having to use a sabre--this information, given to Russ by his instructor (Prof. Csaba Hidán), provides a unique layer of know-how to this system. As someone intimately acquainted with late 19th century military sabre texts this sort of second-hand information, something Hidán learned from his grandfather and grandfather's friends, who were Hussars, fills in critical gaps that the official texts left out. Added to this, Russ includes translations from key works that provide a window into his own tradition, such as Baron Samu Chappon's _Sabre Fencing_ (1891), and works that, to date, have not been translated into English. For students of Italian sabre like myself, who were trained in the mid-century blend of Hungarian and Italian fencing (i.e. the Italo-Hungarian tradition), what Russ reveals here supplies a much needed glimpse into what differentiates the Hungarian from the Italian systems. There are translations of most key Italian sabre texts, but precious few for Hungarian sources (of which there were far fewer). _Hungarian Hussar Sabre and Fokos Fencing_ goes one step further and introduces a short section on the fokos, a form of "shepherd's axe," that is, again, unique. Students of axe, especially those familiar with the mss. of Fiore dei Liberi or the anonynous "Le Jeu de la Hache," will see much that is familiar. Taken together, the sections on sabre for foot, fokos, and the sabre for cavalry present, for the first time in English, a valuable introduction to Hungarian sabre. More than that this book fills in a critical piece many fencers know exists but which few of us, lacking Hungarian, have had access to. If your interest is sabre generally, you need to read this book; if you are a student of modern sabre, you should read this book; if you, like me, were taught by maestri within the Italo-Hungarian orbit, you must read this book to understand better your own tradition; if you need a guide for how to write for HEMA, you need to read this book. Informative, fascinating, and fun, Russ Mitchell's _Hungarian Hussar Sabre and Fokos Fencing_ is a fantastic read.

Excellent book for anyone who wants to dabble in a bit of saber, experienced people who want to expand their tree of knowledge, and more. The book has super useful pictures that clearly depict what concept the author is trying to convey. The author also presents the Hungarian system in a very easy-to-understand way and provides drills and diagnostic tools to help beginners and more learned people alike. It also has a bit of regimental military saber at the end to compare and contrast the two saber systems. My only gripe is that the fokos section is very short, and only touches upon fokos vs. saber. However, it does provide a bit of insight on how the weapon was used.

I’ve been a student of martial arts for half my life, through my cross training in the Historical European Martial Arts Community (HEMA) I had been following along with Mr. Mitchell’s material for a long while after meeting him and having the privilege of a mini crash course in his unique lineage of Saber back in Arizona many years ago. I was very excited when I had caught wind of this book being in the works then finally committed to print! The amazing thing about this manual is it not only goes into the nitty gritty of Hungarian Saber/Fokos as taught by Professor Csaba Hidan, Mr. Mitchell goes into teaching the hopeful instructors out there to in turn teach. This includes common common mistakes students do, how to triage them and helpful synaptic charts to help the instructor and student alike understand “why do we do this/that?” Powerfully helpful and simply straightforward for the teacher, student even the casual curious reader alike. Getting a book just expecting it to be a simple “how to” for Saber/fokos and getting really insightful advice for instructors (that applies for ANY weapon), is immediately a plus! The illustrations are an immense plus, they are very cool, unique and inviting to the reader and show case a variety of diverse animated people, of different genders, body confirmations that highlight the light hearted humor and welcoming touch to Mr. Mitchell’s writing creating an overall “anyone can do what I’m talking about here” attitude you certainly feel from reading this. In short stop reading this review, BUY THIS BOOK and read IT instead!

I really like the plain and straightforward relaxed tone and style of the author. This lineage is quite a bit different from those I have read prior so it was illuminating. The author includes several other short works and draws connections from them to his lineage both to show similarities and to provide contrast. Fighting on horseback and in armor is a big change as well in military formations when it comes to whether a lunge is a good idea for example. Also footwork you want to keep relatively simple because the ground isn't going to be as flat as in a civilian salle for example. The fokos stuff was really quite different from what I was expecting. In a strange way it kind of reminded me of Meyer or a Fiore trained fighter using retracted stances to hide and mess with distance to get a hit in. Cool beans and worth reading. Oh I forgot. Loved the exercises in the beginning. With exercise bands you can add an extra bit of difficulty to them as well as modding them for sitting at a desk. Lateral and rotational foot movement are really useful to do regularly.

A fencing manual should be entertaining as well as instructive, or else the instruction usually doesn't stick. This manual raises the bar for both. It does not over-assume what the reader knows, yet the explanations are not heavy. The prose is serious in approach and light in tone, laced with a mordant humor recognizable in most fencing masters. The text moves from the basic building blocks of this particular fencing tradition to more complex grids and teaching aids, and is liberally illustrated with simple but effective line diagrams, with captions that are often very amusing. (I was particularly charmed by the fact that the drawings represented people of a variety of body types and ages, which is an accurate reflection of the fact that fencing as a discipline can accommodate nearly any body type and level of athleticism.) I noticed a few typos and formatting issues in this first edition, but I expect the author will take care of them in subsequent editions, which there certainly ought to be in the future as more people make use of this book. Recommended for fencer and non-fencer alike -- after all, turning the latter into the former means more sparring partners in the club!

A perfectly adequate resource for taking up saber practice in isolation. Describes the basics very well, and includes additional materials that provide history and scope to the discipline. I wish i had a sparring partner, theres little progress left for me to make without one. But this book was invaluable in getting me to that point. Clear instructions, decent illistrations. This particular book assumes that you, the beginning practitioner, are a backcountry rube drafted into the army to conduct civil wars with cossacks and tartars. That is exactly what i wanted to learn, a no-frills business style designed for the layman. I recommend this. If you get it and read it and like it, lets meet up sometime and fight.

I am a student of history, my first degree is in Medieval and Renaissance art history. I also study the art of fencing. British Saber, Roworth, Italian Rapier, side sword, Bolognese. Many texts for these art forms are being translated but some forms are harder to track down because of locations, modern history, the physical nature of the study. What Russ Mitchell has done is phenomenal, breaking down the motions and training into bite size chunks, using modern illustrations to convey motion easily. The book is written in easy to read and comprehend language that sounds informal, making it a pleasure to get through. I have really enjoyed going through this book and use some of the methods described here, daily. It changed my workout routines. It's well worth the money.

Condensing a physical activity into words and some motionless illustrations is no easy task by any means, and yet Russ has been able to just that with fantastic insight and eloquence. Not only does this book contain everyone one would need to begin practising his lineage of Hungarian sabre and fokos fencing, Russ also provides very useful tools for those wishing to then spread the knowledge to other people. The inclusion of the latter material is what makes this work truly stand out, and it demonstrates Russ' profound knowledge of the fencing system and of sound body mechanics. Highly recommended.

This system is designed for use with armor and so it omits fast range attacks like the lunge--attacks that are useful for civilian dueling. I wish it would have stated that clearly. For that reason I can only give it a 3 star rating. For my purposes it is useless beyond curiosity.

This book lays out a traditional style of Hungarian sabre fencing that is typified by the use of a heavier cavalry sabre. The tradition is "semi-living," a point that the author makes very clear in his introduction. I found the book to be very informative, but tailored more to intermediate and advanced fencers then beginners. It is essentially a course book for how to teach the author's system and I learned a thing or two from it.

Started HEMA just a few years ago, not a fan of the longsword, preferring the various sabre styles from Central and Eastern Europe. Studying HEMA is not easy (lack of clubs nearby), and it is even more difficult to teach. The most interesting thing about this book is its approach to how to teach Hungarian saber, with the added benefit of the chapters dedicated to a very little known weapon such as the fokos.

I picked this up on a friend's recommendation, and am so glad I did. Not only does it have a fokos fencing section, which is something I've been pining for for ages now, but the saber sections are well-diagrammed and clearly written. There's plenty of humor to be found throughout, and I especially want to mention a wonderful feature about the illustrations - the fencers are all different shapes, sizes, and genders, which is something that has been sadly lacking in martial arts manuals. Overall, I think this is a really wonderful introduction to a specific regional style of saber fencing, and is, to my knowledge, the only book which details fencing with the fokos, which is a really cool weapons system in its own right).

Looking to study a military sabre system that is unique? Look no further. This manual is top notch; it is easy to understand and very descriptive. The superb illustrations take over where the written descriptions end, allowing the reader to understand how the various techniques are performed. I often have gripes with visual aids in fencing manuals; I am happy to say that I was very impressed with the illustrations in this manual. I am a very visual learner. The illustrations contain all of the important details that the reader needs to understand and replicate the techniques.

As a bonus you get practice motions that help you treat and prevent injuries. My only criticism is that maybe there needs to be more pictures or something, because I’m having trouble visualizing some of the techniques.

An excellent HEMA book addressing a neglected era and place. This is a modern book and is very easy to get a handle on The writtening and ilistrationg in this book are excellent. Covers saber and an interesting kind of ax. Very approachable.

After taking a one hour Fokos class from the author I was hooked on his tone, teaching style, and techniques/knowledge. This book delivers and while I bought it for the Fokos section, he's now hooked me on Hungarian Sabre as well. Great work and I love your tongue in cheek style. So glad you've gotten this lost art down on paper!

This handbook is a hands on, in depth look at fencing in practical application and I love it! Excellent for those who are seeking to "self teach" or for those who merely want to brush up on their literary knowledge of the sport.

I am not a military saber fencer (I prefer more Eastern saber) but the saber section is well written and clearly put together. The Fokos/Bartka stuff is really interesting and while it is the only source for it written in English I'm aware of, it's still a damn good one.

This is an amazing resource for historical martial artists. Both in terms of historical sabre work but, in my opinion, more importantly for the fokos, the folk axe. This is a rare look into how the axe would have been used. Highly recommended.

Very good book on Hungarian sabre and fokos (highlander's axe) fighting techniques. Very nice artwork. Easy to understand. Also contains translations of old 18ct Hungarian fencing manuals. Best book on historical fencing i have ever had.

Buen libro para iniciarse en el conocimiento de la técnica del sable. Agradecería más extensión y más imágenes.

I’m putting this book to practice I’m reading at night and practicing 2 hours in the morning and I already feel more comfortable with my sword. Great content that works while being entertaining!

My favorite saber manual. Shows Hungarian view, and the military way at the end.

The clarity of the instructions and diagrams is really great. Even as an amateur I found it really easy to pick up.

Excellent information and easy to read format.