Taken from "Boxing. With a Section on Single-Stick" by A.J. Newton (Light-Weight Amateur Champion 1888 and 1890). C. Arthur Pearson Ltd, London 1904

The great charm of all sword-play is that it induces quickness not only of action but of thought, for as our brain is the controlling power, the more sharp-set its functions the better our movements are conceived and carried out.

Another and a very practical advantage, which is gained by those who learn to use a stick with skill and science, is that they thus have ready to hand a simple and effective weapon for self-defence in any real emergency.

The sight is also trained, though not strained as in some sports, for it is of the greatest importance to watch for an opening, and as soon as one is seen to take advantage.

Single-stick is among the oldest British sports, and on the green of many a country village out forefathers used to meet and cut away – it may be in very unscientific form – for wagers redeemable in good nut-brown ale.

In the Badminton Book on Fencing we find a quotation from Mr. Egerton Castle’s "School and Masters of Fence," which runs thus: "We find it laid down that ‘the single-stick or cudgel was, and is, the foil of the back sword.’ The author tells us that in England in the sixteenth century the ‘waster’, a dummy sword, with a blade rendered harmless by being rounded or transversely set, was the foil of the back sword; and that in the early seventeenth century the name ‘waster’ was applied to cudgels inserted in sword guards."

Here evidently was the early form of that substitute for an offensive and defensive edged weapon, which has found its latest development in the single-stick of the present day. This may be said to correspond, in a very rough and ready fashion, to the modern sabre, just as the "waster," or in later times the form of single-stick, described in the second chapter OD "Tom Brown’s School Days," corresponded to the sword.

Cudgel fighting in the old days was no light matter, and often descended from innocent sport to sheer brutality; and to such mutual mauling as was a disgrace to humanity. They took their sports and pleasures very seriously in those olden days, and victory for one man meant crushing defeat for his opponent.

We must admit that the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries produced much better men, physically speaking, than are in existence today. Their life was more strenuous, rougher in every detail, and consequently their sports were coarser. But out of these questionable qualities has come much good to successive generations.

Today in many of our public schools single-stick practice is recommended for every boy’s physical culture. From this point of view the sport is certainly excellent. Almost every muscle of the body is brought into play and duly exercised.

Not only are the muscles of the arm thoroughly involved, but the leg and body muscles also come into play with nearly every stroke. The inexperienced will better appreciate this after the first half-hour’s practice. Not only will their arms ache, but their thighs and abdomens will tell of the calls that have been made upon them.

I remember that on the day after my first hour with the sticks I could hardly walk to school, so stiff were my lower limbs. This soon wore off, however, and after a few day’s work I could lunge continually without feeling any ill effects.

Single-stick may become in careless hands a dangerous sport, but if the proper apparatus is used no serious injuries can befall the combatants.

A word of advice which should be printed in the largest letters is, NEVER BE TEMPTED INTO PRACTISING WITHOUT THE PROPER PROTECTIVE APPARATUS OVER THE FACE. It is so easy to pick up a stick, and to start cutting and thrusting, and it is so easy to send the point of the stick into an opponent’s face, thus causing without intention an injury that may lead to lifelong regret and lifelong misery.

The single-stick itself is generally fashioned from a plain ash staff, and is as a rule forty inches in length, and three-quarters of an inch in thickness. The handle or hilt is made of basket-work. The stick runs through two holes in this, and is prevented from slipping out by a cross peg at one end.

The basket must run easily up and down the stick, so that, in the case of a thrust, when the point reaches the opponent’s body, the shock will not be too severe.

In addition to the single-stick, an iron meshed helmet is necessary. This is in reality a mask, covers the face, fits under the chin, and is held firmly in its place by an iron band which passes over the back of the head. Care should be taken that the helmet fits tightly, as the jar caused by a blow with a single-stick is often very keenly felt if this protection is at all loose, for single-stick, unlike the foil, does not give on coming into contact with a rigid body.

Most men when practising with single-stick wear a leather jacket sufficiently padded to withstand the heavier cuts. This is something like a tight fitting Eton coat, and should be made of good stout material.

The right leg of the single-stick player is perhaps most open to punishment, and in consequence of this many men wear a leathern apron over their leg, whilst others strap on to their thigh a sort of half gauntlet.

It is well for the amateur to wear a stiff leathern gauntlet, as at first his right wrist and forearm will come in for some very heavy punishment.

It must always be remembered, in taking these precautions, that there is very little real sport where there is no danger. If the fighter is so guarded that he has nothing to fear from the heavy cuts of his opponent, then he will not take sufficient care to guard against these blows. Where every blow that reaches home means physical pain, the wits of the combatants are sharpened, and the corresponding quickness of movement will result.

Another important point is this. If the player is bound up in stiff padded clothing, every movement will either be jerky or extremely slow. After all a cut from a single-stick is not such a serious matter, and after the first two or three days will hardly be noticed.

Another piece of advice I should like to give to every wielder of the ash is this, be good tempered. Never let your temper run away with you, for invariably the result is increased punishment to yourself. Often when a smart heavy blow comes down on the inside of the leg, or across the ribs, the first thing thought of is how best to pay it back.

After each hit should come immediate recognition or acknowledgement. If the man suffering from the smart of a nasty cut, instead of coming u to the position for acknowledging the stroke – as described later on in this chapter – cuts savagely at is opponent, he will probably find him off his guard and by administering a sever blow will but make matters worse.

In competitions these counter cuts after a hit do not count, and in some cases the man first hit is severely dealt with by the judges. I have seen in a first class competition a man absolutely disqualified fir this after having once been warned.

It has been impossible in this chapter to go very clearly into the subject, but the instruction given, based on actual experience, will be found sufficient for all practical purposes.

The best way to hold the stick is to close all the fingers round the hilt, and to place the thumb on, or rather along, the stick. Grasping your weapon in this position, you will find that each stroke can be administered with quick and telling force. The knuckles, meantime, are in the basket, and the base of the thumb is slightly exposed.

When prepared for action the body should be perfectly upright, the legs, together with the right foot, pointing straight to your opponent, and the left foot set square to the other. Hold the basket hilt close into your side, with the point of the stick in the air.

The left hand is kept behind the back, and does not play such an important part as in foil fencing.

To "engage" you step forward with the right foot a distance of about two feet, and bend the right knee slightly. The left foot does not move, but the left knee is slightly bent to give ease of action. Do not get too far down, for this would cramp the muscles you really want to bring into working position.

When "getting down to it" see that the body keeps a fairly upright position, though of course it should not be held too stiffly, for it must work with the right arm to a considerable extent, and on the occasion of a lunge or long cut must get well forward.

The weapon should be held either in the upward guard or else in the downward guard. The former is perhaps the best guard to commence with, as the position is not strained, and many amateurs can deliver a quicker attack from this position.

From the upward guard the elbow is dropped close in to the body, and the hand is brought level with the chest. The stick is kept in line with the forearm, and the point should be a little way above the head. The wrist will be slightly turned, so that the basket inclines to the right. Keep the point of your stick well over to your adversary, making with it an angle of about 40° .

Do not get your arm into any fixed position, or tighten up your muscles too rigidly, or you will make the next movement quite a wrench.

The elbow must be kept well inside the basket, and guard from attack.

The downward guard is the reverse of this. The arm is raised until the hand is almost in front of the face, and the stick points downwards, and towards the enemy. The arm must be kept bent and well out of the way of attack.

In support of the statement that the upward guard is better than the other, I may quote from Mr. C. Phillips-Wolley’s "Broadsword and Single-stick." He says: "Although I have been taught to use the hanging guard myself ever since I began to play, I unhesitatingly say that the upright guard is the better one, as enabling a player to save time in the attack. In the hanging guard the knuckles (i.e. the edge) are up and away from the enemy; the wrist must be turned before the edge can be brought into contact with the body, and this takes time, however little."

"In the upright guard the knuckles (i.e. the edge) are towards your opponent, the arm is flexed, every thing is in readiness for the blow. If then, as I believe, the advantages of the two guards, as guards, are equal, the advantage of the upright guard as a position to attack from seems to me undeniable."

The instructions given I the Army manual of instruction for the engage and assault are as follows :-

"Engage. – Advance the right foot about sixteen or eighteen inches straight to the front, and plant it firmly on the ground, both knees well bent and turned out, the body erect, left shoulder thrown back, head kept well up, eyes directed to the front, and…fixed on the opponent’s eyes. At the same time carry the sword straight to the front, its point about in line with the left eye, the ‘forte’ or strong part of the blade covering the right breast, edge to the front and in line with the knuckles, the back of the hand up, and about in line with the centre of the top muscle of the arm; the elbow about six inches from the body, the blade of the sword a continuation of the forearm, so as to form a direct line from elbow to point. The part of the stick which is in line with the knuckles represents the edge. The stick at all times to be grasped in the same manner as a sword."

Make a sharp back-handed cut, and place the back of the sword on the right shoulder, which should be thrown a little back, hand in line with the forehead, elbow under the hand.

This assault is but the preliminary to cut number one. The instructions given run as follows :- "Make a sharp diagonal cut that would enter the left side of the opponent’s neck, and if continued pass out through the right breast."

"At the time of delivering the cut advance the right foot sixteen or eighteen inches further to the front, and place it firmly on the ground. The moment the right foot quits the ground to advance, stiffen the left leg up, and brace the knee firmly back, the left foot firm and flat on the ground, body and head erect."

Great care must be exercised when practising this cut, that the step forward is not overdone, for the result of going too far forward with the right foot will be to overbalance the body. In the movement of right foot care must be taken to see that it does not move out of a straight line.

The use of the left leg will at first cause the amateur some trouble. Every movement of the right foot must be well followed up by the left leg. If the movement of the feet are not perfectly regulated, nothing but evil will ensue.

To recover from the position resulting from "cut one", the left knee is bent and forced well out; at the same time you must press strongly off the right foot and place it back in the original "engage" position.

There are really only four cuts, which may be called –

1. The right face cut.
2. The left face cut.
3. The left rib cut.
4. The right rib cut.

The famous cuts at the right leg are variations of the rib cut.

The right face cut is executed as follows. From your position on guard lunge out at your opponent’s face, and give the cut across the right side of the neck towards the left breast. In all these cuts plenty of weight must be put behind each stroke, so that even if the correct guard is put up, it may be broken down. We read in ancient history of tremendous blows that have shivered lances, helmets, and armour, and men were no stronger then than now.

Cut number three is a lunge from the "engage," and an almost horizontal stroke from right to left; the cut, says the regulations, "being directed between the armpit and the hips on the opponent’s left side,"

At the end of this stroke the arm should be practically straight. The movement should be a quick one, and should proceed almost entirely from the wrist.

Although it is as well to get back quickly for the next stroke on guard, see that a due amount of work is put into the cut. There is often a tendency just to tap the opponent, which is of little use in serious work.

Cut number four is made on the lunge, and delivered horizontally from left to right at the ribs.

The cuts at the leg are made in an exactly similar manner to the cuts at the ribs, only of course lower down.

The Army regulations contain the following advice: "The instructor must be most careful to impress upon men the necessity of delivery every cut with a straight arm, and any tendency to wrist cutting (which is impossible with a heavy sword) must be checked at once."

It must of course be remembered that the practice of single-stick among Army men is only a means to an end – the ultimate use of a sword. But if single-stick is to be merely a sport, a good wrist cut may now and again prove very effective.

There is one more mode of dealing punishment, and that is "the thrust." This is delivered straight from the shoulder, and ill often be found very effective.

It is well when thrusting, and sure of your point, to loosen hold of the handle of the stick so it may run back immediately it touches your opponent’s body. With the handle held stiffly it is quite an easy matter to deal a sever wound to your friend the enemy, and this s what is hardly desired when "playing."

Having considered the four cuts, let us now study the various guards for protection from an onset.

The guard for cut number one (at the right face) is a rather high guard upwards. The elbow should be dropped, and the stick, with the edge to the right, should be carried over in that direction. The neck and face must be well guarded. The elbow is a few inches further in than the hand, and the stick points outwards, and slightly towards the opponent.

The guard for the second cut is described as follows in the regulations: "Drop the point until about in line with the left breast and throw the hand smartly over to the left a few inches above and in advance of the head. Should the assailant’s cut be delivered perpendicularly, keep the hand over to the right so as to bring the ‘forte’ of the sword above the head and the point inclined to the left front."

The third guard is managed by dropping the point of the stick and raising the elbow and the hand up to a level with the shoulder. The arm should be straightened out, and the sword dipped to a point level with the face.

The fourth guard is executed by raising the hand over to a position in front of the left breast nipple, the stick pointing downwards. The top part of the sword or "forte" will guard the ribs; the elbow is kept well down, and inside the guard.

These four guards should be practised as often as is possible against a quick opponent. The cuts at the leg are parried or guarded by low down variations of guards three and four.

I have got to mention the matter of recovery. We have already seen care must be taken not to let the body overbalance when lunging forward. The value of this advice will be appreciated by the novice when he endeavours to recover from an injudicious lunge.

When dealing a cut the whole weight of the body practically goes on the right foot. In the recovery this is shifted back to the left foot, and then, by pressing with the right foot on the floor, the spring back to the original position can be effected.

There is more skill required in successful feinting than one would at first imagine. Every feint improperly executed means loss of time, and a splendid opportunity for your opponent to come in with a smashing cut.

When making a feint one should be careful to see that it is going to led to something advantageous. The object of this ruse is simply to throw your opponent off his guard, so as to secure an opening in another quarter.

It is impossible to describe feint further than to say that it is an ordinary cut never intended to be delivered. A man may apparently start to lunge at your head, and while you are raising your guard a horrible crash comes down on the inside of your right leg. The best feints are those in which you draw a man on to believe he will get a cut home, whilst when the actual cut comes, it is parried, and you effect the blow you have really been scheming for.

Every blow received must be acknowledged before play is proceeded with. The mode of acknowledgement is as follows: Immediately you receive the cut draw the feet close together, and stand with body erect, sword upright, and basket just underneath the chin. The edge of your sword will be towards your opponent. Do not waste any time over this business; just spring up, raise the sword, and then get down to business again.

Any hit given in return for a hit received is considered a foul. In competitions each foul takes so many marks off the score. All such fouls should be very heavily dealt with, as they are, generally, the result of bad temper. Now and again, however, a foul cannot be avoided, as on occasion of two almost simultaneous hits.

The following Rules are given in the Army Book :-

1. The adversaries should fall in at "the slope," just beyond striking distance, and on the command "Attack" should come to the "Engage," and each make a short step to the front.
2. Cuts only count that are given with the edge of the sword.
3. When both adversaries attack at the same time and in the same position and both hits are "on," neither of the hits counts.
4. If both attack, and are "on" together, but only one lunges, the point or "cut" of the one who lunges counts.
5. A second attack on the one lunge may be made, but if at the time of the second attack a "return" be made, and both are "on," the "return" only counts.
6. "Cuts" and "points" are fair all over the body, head, arms, or legs.
7. Military matter only.
8. In competition, if men frequently counter each other, the judges may, after due warning, (1) disqualify both competitors, or (2) order one to guard and the other to defend, and after a few hits change the order; and then the man who shows the better knowledge of the two should be declared the winner.

A "return" is an attack made after a successful guard or parry, and it should be impressed upon the men that a return cannot be made too quickly.

Masks and jackets should always be worn at loose play.

It is not advisable for the amateur to get into the habit of always playing with the same man. The opponents should be varied. This advice will appeal to all who are going in for competition, for no two men do the same thing alike, and certainly no two men fence or exercise with single-sticks in a similar manner.

Above all things and at all times let no one lose his head when severely punished. Recklessness is bound to result, and further punishment will follow. It is best to speak as little as possible. Mr. Wolley’s words on this point are very valuable. He says: "Don’t make any remarks either in competition (this, of course is worst of all) or in an ordinary bout. Don’t argue, except with sticks. Remember that the beau-ideal swordsman is one who fights hard with ‘silent lips and striking hand’."