One translation of Juvenal's poetry by Barten Holyday in 1661 makes note that the Roman trainees learned to fight with the wooden wasters before moving on to the use of sharpened steel.
Shiryu originally was a student of the Shinto-ryu style of swordsmanship before becoming a disciple under the famous Miyamoto Musashi.
Figure-eight twirling used in baton twirling, staff twirling in martial arts, and swordsmanship, provides a similar demonstration.
Giuseppe Radaelli, a 19th century Milanese fencer of the Italian school of swordsmanship.