A historical fencing school based on 15th & 16th century Italian and German fencing treatises.
Di Santi e Fanti Malta is a branch of Di Santi e Fanti whose main school is in Rome under the leadership of Magistro Re Giovanni Sacrati. Di Santi e Fanti Malta (DSFM) is a branch of Di Santi e Fanti based in Rome under the leadership of Magistro Re Giovanni Sacrati. This is a historical fencing school based on 15th & 16th century Italian and German schools. DSFM offers the following services
- In
Things sometimes get up close and personal during class as we delve into close play techniques.
22/05/2026
Today I write about something that bugs me a lot; the statue of Grandmaster de Valette. Founder of the city of Valletta and main protagonist in successfully defeating the Ottoman siege of 1565. He has a fantastic statue in a prominent square in the city complete with an accurate depiction of the sideword we still have from that siege. And here is the thing that bugs me so much. The side sword is worn in the scabbard with the guard rotated the other way round. A small detail missed by so many, but as a historical fencer it really grinds my gears. The way it is depicted, it would not be possible to draw the sword with the hand guard facing the correct way. Also, with such a specific handguard it would be really uncomfortable to grasp the sword and extract it from its scabbard.
There, I finally said it.
#1565
Didactic practice of close play techniques with long sword resulting in a spectacular disarm. The first technique seen is considerably more difficult to execute unless the opponent has a lapse in reacting to the parry.
Very different from what we practice at Di Santi e Fanti, but this is the tail end of the martial tradition as seen in some manuscripts from the periods we study. The armoured knight on horseback delivering a powerful strike at full gallop, at the tip of a lance.
(more in comments section)
https://www.facebook.com/reel/890350307352841
10/04/2026
Snapshots from last Tuesday's class. We ran through a general revision of a number of wide plays and then engage in sparring.
06/04/2026
Two months and one week ago Meta's systems decided that my page cannot be recommended because it does not follow the recommendation guidelines. After a lengthy exchange with META my page was reinstated in recommendations. Today the systems once again decided that historical fencing goes against recommendation guidelines.
Perhaps we can use flowers instead of the historical tools that make historical fencing.
META / Facebook, get your act together and teach context to your algorithms.
No filter, no editing. Two extracts from last Tuesday's light sparring session at the end of the class. 2 rounds per student of 3 minutes per round.
Paulus Hector Mair's fencing book, Opus Amplissimum de Arte Athletica, is a one of a kind manual that unlike the typical fencing manuals of its time deals extensively with combat using farming implements such as the sickle and the flail. Sharing this reel by MAC Armour CZ featuring Jirka Rolland Hýbl for illustrative purposes.
Morale of the story: Historical fencing is not just about swords and knightly implements of war. In its most literal definition it is the art of defence.
19/03/2026
Dissecting sword combat from Game of Thrones on one of the filming sites. Exposing what was good, what could have been done better, and what was fantasy.
Somewhat related to the topic of our last class, this reel illustrates an armoured combat with longsword half sword techniques.
Nicely executed, Fratres in Armis.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/877735258438462
| 18:00 - 20:00 |