a rose by any other name would…be pflug, but it’s still fool to us:)
On the afternoon of the first day I got to teach, and I tried to give a crash course intro into Master L’s swordsmanship, everyone (all bar one) were very accomodating of my rational in naming the guards the way we do in the Fight Medieval schools(progressing low to high, plow, fool, ox, and day) which is based on hs3227a(Doebringer) the earliest found longsword manual, and not as you find them later(fool, plow, ox, day).
The reasoning we give to these always is they work as a mnemonic, as way to visualize and remember more easily, I feel this is what was intended in choosing the names originally.
My origional plan for the workshop had been to work through the breaking of each guard then show applications for each, however as we went through and observing the way people were stepping and moving in relation to the sword , it seemed sensible to change the structure to movement and angles, comparing the footwork similarities of thrusting from fool to fool(hs3227a fool) with a similar line for zorn to zorn.
This change of tack obviously affected the leval of the lesson, so I appologise to and thank those higher standard attendees who worked through patiently with those newer to this form of swordsmanship. 
God awful posture but look at the lines, the lines…
Most of this was to do with moving around the sword and using intersecting lines, something we will cover a lot in the up coming longsword dvd.
My focus throughout being, the mechanial science of the sword arts, not the hit and hope.
From there we shifted applying this offline movement to the Scheitelhau, and it’s use in breaking plow (hs3227a plow), throwing in simple applications and explanations (mainly working around the pressing of the hands), when there was individual differences in pressure.
look the invisible sword… he can’t see it then…
This is one of the main difficulties in teaching a large group a set technique as you can either attempt to force the group to give the exact pressure/shape desired(something we touched on) or adapt the response of the individual to the pressure they are receiving (this I tried to do in my hands on with each couple). I hoped this showed that both approaches are necessary, structure as the giver of the set piece (you have to attempt to give the correct pressure to help your partner) and adaptability one the part of the receiver(maintaining an open alert mind on the lookout for change). 
Wham you dress up like tweedle dee and the sword apears from nowhere…
Colin was helpful as always, in allowing me to illustrate point on were you would, and when you wouldn’t attack someone in plow, the students were great, patience and input from the more advanced, real effort from those new to the art. I hope they got as much enjoyment from taking the class as I did leading it.
more to come…next: THE COMPETITION
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