We are pleased to say, that we have a new class, and with it, a new opportunity to learn sword fighting, opening soon in the Shirley area on the 1st of October.
Class Location: Shirley Methodist Halls, Eldon Avenue, Shirley, CR0 85D
Class size: 10 people maximum, as usual we are restricting the class size to maintain quality of instruction, a waiting list will be in operation, if you are too late to book a place.
Class times: Every Monday 7pm-9pm.
Please view the sign up page, for details on other group or private classes.
In the Liechtenauer longsword tradition there are four main guards, they for an unexplained reason change position after the first manual, with plough becoming fool and vice versa (fool becomes ox in another manual so it becomes even more cryptic). For ease of memorizing these positions however the Boar’s Tooth stick to the earliest resource Hanko Doebringer, we believe that the verse was created not so much to be cryptic in that it gave no direct information, but rather more cryptic that it’s information was multi layered, therefore when looking at the guards try and use the most simple logic in your holding of them and simplistic in your judgment when you come to break them.
So the guards:
Plough: The point of the sword on or toward the floor between you and the opponent, or to the side. iron doors and the like fit in this category.
Ox: Think like the horns of an ox, hands up and back by the cheek or ear, point at the face of the opponent, not with the arms extended out, rather be ready to thrust.
Fool: The point toward the face of the opponent, your hands close to your hip, think of the stick and bladder of a fool and hold it on the right side, not in the center.
The Roof guard: point upwards hands back close to the body (anywhere between hip, shoulder or above the head, as long as the point is up it’s still to the roof).
When you perform any of these guards, keep it simple, keep your hands close to you (remember you have not basket hilt) and use distance as your first defence. The same rule of recognition applies when you come to break them, keep it simple.
Dave
This is the first piece we did for M.A.I.
After going into it you notice things you’d like to have tidied (the displaced thrust to Pete’s face should have an extra shot showing it online first, which we didn’t take, that sort of thing).
However, It’s the first time that the early medieval martial arts have been featured in a UK, mainly Eastern martial arts magazine, so it’s a step in the right direction..and let’s face it, the whole world needs to learn about western swordfighting:)
Read the Article!
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1. Dave performs a winding against Matt’s sword.
1. Dave strikes a ‘Parter’. Matt blocks ‘Kron’.
2. Dave is not trying to hump Matt’s leg…
3. …he is in fact, running in to throw Matt over his leg. Note the sword still covers.
…
1. Dave cuts Parter. Matt displaces to his own high right.
2. Dave drops his point and cuts under the hands.
…
Now this Gentle Folk, is a castle.
This is going through the roses (with a castle) and a hill fort.
A Fiore technique courtsey of Matt Easton, Schola Gladiatoria.You can find more of these pictures on his web site.
…
1. Dave cuts up with the false edge from Nebenhut and, feeling Matt is about to wind…
2. …steps off cutting with outstreached arms.
…
1. Again from Nebenhut,
2. Dave, feeling Matt’s pressure is high and outward…
3. thinks ’sod it’ and changes through, cutting Matt under the hand. From here he’ll stab Matt in the chest. This is similar to bandying through, but isn’t.
…
1. Dave, using the BIG sword winds against Matt’s not-so-mighty-weapon and thrusts to the face.
2. Matt performing a change-through strikey deflection thingy
3. But he’ll probably say that an Italian invented it.
4. And he says this isn’t a zwerchau…ha!
5. Well this B****Y well is.
…
When cameramen get in the way…
Please note that these techniques are only some of the possible interpretations.
Dave stands in vom tag, Chris in posta di donna.
Chris strikes zornhau, Dave counters with the same.
Dave slides up to the weak…
…and thrusts
Dave thrusts to Chris’s face
Chris displaces with hands high
Dave winds and thrusts to the lower opening
Ringecks sword capture
I stand buckler forward sword across my forearm.
He enters with a stab or cut which I redirect past my line to my right
then grip his blade with my left hand
and bring the whole thing sharply to my left
taking his sword and hitting him with my counter.
This shows long point menace…
Here I grab his blade, and enter with a thrust from the left hand.
He prevents the same move by smashing me in the hand with his buckler,
I let go of the sword, grab his buckler and twist sharply…
then, as they say, he is geography.
(I’d like to thank masters Ringeck, Tobler, and Pratchett for that last bit).
This time Nick has bound down the longpoint
and attempts a shield knock and enter…
I stay with the bind, beat back against his shield knock,
throw my right elbow over both his arms.
After a bit of a tussle he drops his weapons and gives a kick to me arse,
I spin around and give him the point.
This is the counter-ward to the second ward
This time I move to his right to blind-side him,
and if he does nothing enter with the cut.
Seeing this coming he slams his sword at my head
which is covered by the ward.
I swap my sword for my buckler…
and step through with my cut.
This hanger is another counter to 1st ward, again I only use it to get close enough to thrust.
In this sequence he tries to enter with his own hanger and thrust under the sword; all I have to do is move further to his right to hit him with my own stab.
Here I show to be aware of what’s coming next.
Showing a bind down and re-entry after that.
In this lot he tries to either cut to my exposed head or to bind on my sword.
I stay in the bind,
shield knock,
grapple and counter…JOY…
