The Illustrated Guide to Viking Martial

This is a book with many strengths and weaknesses.The concept of consulting viking texts as a means of a analyzing various strikes and combat methods and utilizing this, along with other martial arts knowledge and practice, to develop a system of viking combat, is a very innovative idea.Providing a variety of combat approaches in accordance with a variety of weapons is useful, if only as a starting point. However, I admit to benefiting from the presented information in due proportion to my own martial arts training. Anyone who has practiced martial arts will have more to gain here than those who have not.Although the author provides a list of basic and foundational principles that are universally applied in martial arts early in the book, it cannot be understated that applying said basic principles over time is of pivotal importance. The body must become attuned to them.I could appreciate that the author and accompanying images do not refrain from openly describing the type of violence that techniques such as those described in this book are capable of. This is nonetheless something unorthodox among most contemporary combat manuals and martial arts schools, at least until higher degrees of progress are earned in the latter, and may be a bit surprising to some. With that said, I believe it is useful to understand where your strikes are being aimed and what the purpose of the strike is, and this book explains both.The images leave something to be desired. Photographs would have been a more effective medium in my opinion. I suppose the "noir" style of images was chosen in part to keep printing costs down, and was probably a superior alternative to low resolution photos. For the most part, one can clearly ascertain the range of motions, but all the more so with direct experience.I found that the stances assumed in some of the photos implied imbalance in posture, which is concerning were untrained individuals to attempt to put the instructions of this book into practice.Overall though, there aren't many books like this. If you are interested in gaining a practical idea of what viking combat, and particularly armed combat, may have been like, this isn't a bad resource at all. I do think that other training should accompany it. Any martial arts practice will provide necessary basics such as learning how to strike, keep a solid stance, move properly, maintain good footwork, and so forth, all of which are prerequisites to applying anything in this book. The book gives you plenty to work on in a practical way, and the examples provided could be expanded upon by individual practitioners.

I give this book 2 stars out of 5, one for the controversy it will stir between those who want to pretend and those that know better, and two, for the attempt (no matter how cartoony) to describe the attacks in the sagas graphically.There are too many deficiencies to list (I had 7 pages of notes in the first 30 pages); but suffice it to say that much of this is "made up" - shield cleave or sunder attack, indeed. The rest is an pathetic overlay of Viking combat with EMA. Samurai head hunting ritual has limited relation to saga instances of decapitation: a viking would more likely remove a head to prevent the formation of a draugr (mound dwelling spirit), than to clean and prep it for ritual display to a leader.There are some truths here, but I often found myself losing them with the glaring errors or farcical antics of the next sentence or paragraph. The work simply does not "get" the essence of the Viking methods. We are treated to a poorly done comic script of sword, shield, axe, spear and grappling with some other fantastical misinterpretations that only serves to show gratuitous bloodshed instead of the execution of a technique. All of which serves to confirm the absence of value and possibly an "internet only" depth of knowledge. We are constantly treated to anachronism for support: such as when 15th century fechtbook representations of grappling are used while wholly ignoring Glima, the true wrestling art actually descendant from Vikings. This work critically omits the full interplay of Viking weapons and ignores the sax altogether, arguably the most important secondary weapon of the time; after the spear.It becomes extremely evident that outside of playing with sword and shield in a gym, this work reflects experience that has limited or no exposure to an SCA shield wall, Regia Angelorum demonstration, or any of the stage combat companies such as the Jomsvikings. The book could be re-titled "how to die quickly to the Viking martial arts" when 90 percent of the illustrations with shield show the combatants blind siding themselves and otherwise engaging in bizarre if not down right foolhardy methods - as a quick read of how Onund Treefoot got his nickname would instruct.If you really want to learn Viking martial arts, invest your time and money in places like Regia Angelorum, Hurstwic, Association for Renaissance Martial Arts, and other reputable sources. I can heartily recommend anything by Dr. Short and Hurstwic. Their books and videos are the most realistic, cultural embedded and well researched approaches a modern student can engage. Between "Viking Weapons and Combat Tecnhiques, Hurstwic Viking Combat Training Volume 1, and the website for Hurstwic you will be well on your way to authentic and practical Viking Combat.Purchase this book only out of curiosity and the wonderment you find when those who don't get it, are brave enough to put it in writing.

Handy book for reanactors,no real hand to hand,be great info next time i find myself in a sword snd sheild or spear duel. Serious,great book ,enjoyed it. Like vikings,you will love it

since this is the only Viking , method of fighting book out, i was intrigued. scanned through the book and find it quite interesting with the different weapons and the skills that it takes to wield these weapons. this looks like a good book for the Viking warrior to improve his/her skills on the Viking fighting methods

For fans of Vikings, martial arts, history, or those interested in this fascinating time and the warriors who lived and fought back then. Great resource book for writers.

This is not as detailed a look at the subject as, say something based on one of the German Fectbuchs, but of course given the sources it is based on it cant be. I found having the information that can be gleaned from the sagas collected in one place and given accompanying illustrations helpful. The noir style of the illustrations is ok, but I would have preffered line drawings. I do some fencing with longsword and found this book to be an interesting "pre-quel" to the more detailed books based on medieval works such as Lichtenauer, Ringeck, Fiori, etc. This is not a book for someone to start into european martial arts with. The sagas it is based on are essentially Dark Ages accounts that were written down during the Medieval period. As such it is not going to walk you through step by step and swing by swing fighting forms. It does give a nice link to the earlier period that medieval fighting developed from and I found it most interesting to see how much remained the same from Dark Ages to Medieval.

Good

Everything you need to know about Viking hand to hand combat

Poor images. Details are not very well written or explained. Disappointed, wasn’t what I was hoping for at all.

Some decent info and references.. Pictures are rubbish.

Basic info that may not help you in the heat of battle, and the moves shown cannot be used during a battle reenactment, some good snippets of info but book a little pricey for what you get

Has a good premise but doesn't really say much

A great book.