剑术是指以剑进行格斗的技术。虽然很早就有使用剑的历史，但是剑术作为一门战斗技巧被整理和流传下来很晚。

这个时期养士风气很浓，许多宾客都是剑术高手剑客，诸如越女、专诸、荆轲但似乎没有流传下来的流派和著作。

由于环柄刀的流行，剑的实战地位开始下降，但剑术开始在社会上流行，练习剑术称为一种风气。西汉开始有一些剑术著作，汉书曾有名为剑道的剑术专着共三十八篇。

剑舞开始流行，但刀被广泛使用，剑术发展停滞。

蒙古军为了刺穿中东军队的锁子甲，再度装备了剑并在征服了宋朝后造成了中国剑术的复兴。

当时的刀法以吸取日本刀法为特色，名将戚继光抗击倭寇，得《影流刀法》，以《辛酉刀法》之名传世，亦有记载日本刀的专着《单刀法选》存世。

Swordsmanship refers to the skills of a swordsman, a person versed in the art of the sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to any martial art involving the use of a sword. The formation of the English word "swordsman" is parallel to the Latin word gladiator, a term for the professional fighters who fought against each other and a variety of other foes for the entertainment of spectators in the Roman Empire. The word gladiator itself comes from the Latin word gladius, meaning "sword".