Illustrated Guide to Viking Martial Arts

The Viking shield wall is a famed battle strategy, tens of hundreds of men interlocked, reliant on their neighbours for survival. What are less well known are the actual techniques used in solo hand-to-hand combat, used in duels and other forms of close quarter engagements. Based on a comprehensive analysis of Viking sagas and other period sources, this is the first book to present a step by step martial system. Martial Arts expert Antony Cummings reveals the hitherto hidden world of Viking combat, ranging from the techniques involved in thrust, block and cut, to the weapons used, the limitations of period armour and the range of wounds suffered by combatants. Illustrated with over 250 drawings and photographs, and based on the sagas and writings of the Vikings themselves, The Illustrated Guide to Viking Martial Arts represents one of the earliest fighting manuals in the world, and a fascinating insight into the warriors who were the scourge of Dark Age Europe.