Military Saber
Saber is a very broad category of sword that were in use around the 1700’s in Europe and are still carried in ceremony by modern militaries. They are considered any one handed single edged sword that can run from straight bladed to heavily curved and usually has some form of knuckle bow or larger basket/cup hilt for hand protection. Sabers are considered a cut and thrust weapon, but early version tended to be heavier and more curved to better use in mounted combat. The weight combined with the curve made heavy slashing cuts as a soldier passed by on horseback devastatingly effective.
Here at Snohomish Dueling we practice primarily British Military Saber, starting with Charles Roworths Art of Defence on Foot. This is a manual used by the British Military to train recruits in the use of Saber, Broadsword, or Spadroon and the techniques in the manual can be used with any of these weapons. This is a starting point to give basic instruction for those new to saber or sword fighting in general.
These sources are good starting point but by no means the only place. After getting the basics down students are encouraged to branch out or maybe find a specialty that they would like to focus on. There are many paths, Napoleonic Saber, Polish saber, Russian Shaska (A saber like weapon), Cutlass, and many, many, more.
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