His book Opera Nova (A New Work) is a compendium of Renaissance-era swordplay that boasts detailed outlines of fighting stances, parrying techniques and even instructions for how to defeat left-handed opponents. The oldest known European fencing manuals date to the 1400s, but the most important early treatise didn’t arrive until the mid-16th century and the work of the Italian master swordsman Achille Marozzo. Illustration from “Opera nova de Achilee Marozzo Bolognese, mastro generale de larte de larmi”.
Shortly before his death in 1732, he summed up his experiences in a raucous autobiography and fencing manual titled The Expert Sword-Man’s Companion. Despite suffering some two-dozen wounds from musket balls, bayonets and grenades during his military career, McBane continued dueling well into his old age and even worked as a prizefighter in his sixties. One signature move, the “Boar’s Thrust,” called for the fighter to drop to one knee while simultaneously jabbing his sword upward in a vicious uppercut blow.
Along the way, he also opened a fencing school and developed a sword-fighting technique that combined graceful movement with swift and deadly lunges. A professional soldier by trade, this Scottish highlander was a born brawler who claimed to have participated in at least 100 duels, including a few in which he crossed steel with several different opponents in succession. His Book of Five Rings is now considered a landmark text on martial arts and strategy.ġ985 Lynette Woodard becomes first female Harlem Globetrotters playerĭonald McBane’s colorful career included side jobs as a tavern-keeper and brothel owner, but he is best remembered as one of the 18th century’s most accomplished swordsmen. Having never been bested in battle, Musashi later retired from dueling and became an acclaimed ink painter and writer. Kojiro was known as one of Japan’s greatest swordsmen, yet Musashi easily dodged his attacks and delivered a fatal blow with his wooden weapon. He is said to have perfected a two-blade fighting technique, but he was so accomplished that he often engaged in single combat armed with only a wooden sword, or “bokken.” One such duel came in 1612, when he squared off against a rival samurai named Sasaki Kojiro using a sword carved from the oar of a boat. While he occasionally served as a soldier, Musashi spent much of his career wandering the Japanese countryside and doing battle with any warrior who dared challenge him. The life of Japanese samurai Miyamoto Musashi is obscured by myth and legend, but this “sword saint” reportedly survived 60 duels-the first of which was fought when he was just 13 years old. Musashi Miyamoto with two Bokken from an ancient Japanese scroll.
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