The Illustrated Guide to Viking Martial Arts

The Viking shield wall is a famed battle strategy, tens or hundreds of men interlocked, reliant on their neighbours for survival. What are less well known are the actual techniques used in solo hand-to-hand combat, used in duels and other forms of close quarter engagements. Based on a comprehensive analysis of Viking sagas and other period sources, this is the first book to present a step by step Viking martial system. Martial Arts expert Antony Cummins reveals the hitherto hidden world of Viking combat, ranging from the techniques involved in thrust, block and cut, to the weapons used, the limitations of period armour and the range of wounds suffered by combatants. Illustrated with over 250 drawings and photographs, and based on the sagas and writings of the Vikings themselves, The Illustrated Guide to Viking Martial Arts represents one of the earliest fighting manuals in the world, and a fascinating insight into the warriors who were the scourge of Dark Age Europe.

Auteur

Antony Cummins has a Masters degree in Archaeology and is the author of To Stand on a Stone, Conversations with an Assassin and In Search of the Ninja. He is a martial arts teacher and a specialist on the ninjutsu manuals of Japan, and has released several DVDs, as well as working as a host in the documentary 'The Ninja: Shadow Warriors'.

Résumé
Martial Arts expert Antony Cummins reveals the hitherto hidden world of Viking hand-to-hand combat, employing the sword, the spear, the axe and the shield. Based upon a careful analysis of the Norse Sagas, the techniques described are recreated precisely, from knocking down a spear in mid-flight to the shield cleave. Illustrated with over 250 images, The Illustrated Guide to Viking Martial Arts in effect represents the earliest combat manual in the world. This insight into the warriors who were the scourge of Dark Age Europe is a feat of textual interpretation and imagination.