Resources

Source Materials

Below are the texts that form the basis of the curriculum at Red Sun Classical Fencing. Primary texts (mainly the Science of Fencing) are those from which the core technique is taught, contain the content that a Red Sun Classical Fencing student is expected to know and demonstrate for his/her examinations, and against which the Head Instructor of the school was tested to receive his certification to teach. Auxiliary texts are not required, however they represent material from which the Head Instructor may add to the primary material, as well as reference for other weapons taught to advanced students, and other styles taught within the Classical Fencing Society schools.

Primary Texts:
The Science of Fencing, Dr. William M. Gaugler (Required)
The History of Fencing, Dr. William M. Gaugler
A Dictionary of Universally Used Fencing Terminology, Dr. William M. Gaugler

Auxiliary Texts:
The Art of the Foil, Luigi Barbasetti
The Art of the Sabre and the Epee, Luigi Barbasetti
La Scienza della Scherma, Giuseppe Rosaroll Scorza and Pietro Grisetti (Translation published as The Science of Fencing by Christopher Holzman)
Istruzione per la Scherma di Sciabola e di Spada, Settimo Del Frate (Translation published as The Art of the Dueling Sabre by Christopher Holzman)
La Scherma di Sciabola, Salvatore Pecoraro and Carlo Pessina (Translation published as Sabre Fencing by Christopher Holzman)
Fundamentals of Italian Rapier, David and Dori Coblentz
Scola, overo Teatro, Nicoletto Giganti (translation published as Venetian Rapier by Tom Leoni)
Libro Secondo, Nicoletto Giganti (translation published as The ‘Lost’ Second Book of Nicoletto Giganti by Piermarco Terminiello and Joshua Pendragon)

Equipment Suppliers

Castille Armory – Sam Yaskovic, swordcutler/bladesmith – Producer of custom weaponry at reasonable prices, though standard pieces (such as their economy rapier) are also available. They now produce a complete smarra and sabres. Recommended for: rapiers/rapier blades, smarra, smarra blades, sabres/sabre blades, custom pieces.

Darkwood Armory – Scott Wilson, swordcutler/bladesmith – Darkwood is a supplier for the SCA and HEMA croud, but their rapiers and sabres, as a weapon, are pretty nice as-is. Recommended for: sabres/sabre blades, rapiers/rapier blades, masks, gorgets.

Zen Warrior Armory/Triplette Competition Arms – Two halves of the same shop, TCA is more geared for sport fencing, while ZWA is more for classical and SCA. Their best product, however, is their Classic Fencing Jacket, which is quite possibly the best jacket available for the price. Recommended for: foils, epees, modern-style sabres, parts, masks, jackets, gloves, and gorgets.

Fencing Post – Though they mainly service the sport fencing crowd, if you need a mask, glove, or a true-ricasso Italian foil (or parts) for the lowest price, you can get it here. Recommended for: foils, gloves, and masks.

HF Armory – Primarily a HEMA supplier, if you poke around the site, one can find foils (listed as “Smallsword Lightweight”) and a smarra mounted with an epee blade (Listed as “Italian Smallsword”). All are priced in Euros, but the Euro is nearly at parity with the USD. They are based in and ship from Ukraine. Recommended for foil, epee, smarra, or parts for these.

Negrini Fencing Line – Another supplier that mainly services the sport fencing crowd, they still supply Italian weapons, including non-electric Foils and Epees. The downside is that they are based in Italy and items ship from there, so they can take a little while to get. They also have protective equipment available. Recommended for: foils and epees.

Duke City Fencing – Our host organization has fencing equipment locally available for sale, such as gloves, jackets, and knickers, for an excellent price. The main advantage here is that you can try it on first.