Well explained

That grip only works with certain swords and not at all with others.

Hey Jeff, just getting back into watching rapier videos after a 4 year break from anything SCA/HEMA related. Right before I took my break I came to the same conclusion about these type of jabbing thrusts that a lot of people do. I'd love to talk to you about this at some point in person, although I'm not sure about the next time I'll be in the California area or in Vegas for another SCA event. Maybe if they do another Practicum of War or Talon Crescent.

Great info, thanks 😊

Interesting. I tried this out and like the support in fourth immensely. However, in practicing I find that on actual impact, the space introduced between the hand and cross guard leads to some instability, particularly between the false edge quillion and the joint between the index finger and thumb. On impact my hand "slides" forward while I pinch. Do you encounter this as well? Of course from a martial perspective, complaining that the hand is awkward while hitting your opponent is the definition of a first world problem. But I do like a stable hand on impact to keep my point and wrist where I want then rather than risking, injury , going into a glancing blow, or having to re-shift my grip after every actual impact.

I came here as part of the Rapier and Dagger class from Tattershall. Thank you for sharing this, I'm going to start working on this.

I love ur math videos! Can you upload more?

i love your anywhere math videos!!

Nice tutorial friend. I'm prepping for c&t 2021 here in Wyewood and am delighted to find these video lessons. I'm sharing the links to my fb group to see if others can get interested. Cool!

I like that dagger grip too. It's the same grip I learned for the french grip foil. Some of the parries are the same as well. Sixte, seconde, quarte & prime. Definitely going to try this grip with my rapier.

vom tag from the shoulder needs to be put aside by Hema, it has lead to too many misunderstandings of what the primary cuts are and how to do them. go back to from the roof and wrath guards and start cuttling with the shoulder as the centre of the circle, large powerfull cuts that are used for entering into distance, always with second intentions, to make him move or else get hit, as you close and decieve him with craft and/or bind the motions get smaller, the centre of motion becomes the elbow or wrist, the arms still high with the descending cut, the elbow not going lower than the shoulder before reaching longpoint, along with continual stepping diagonally left or right, forwards , laterally and backwards, (it is not a linear system). but first its necessary to know how to properly stand. from standing how to move, how to spill the body weight in the direction you want to go. how to use the priciples of stretch, rotate, rebound to direct and redirect the weight of the sword using the whole body with muscular tension and relaxation. when, for example, you do your first rose techniques with a messer effortlessly, seamlessly and exactly as meyer describes, you'll be a happy man. p.s. like your understanding of meyers rapier, good stuff

Interesting--lines up with how Meyer seems to grip his rapier, since he's got the thumb in play in a similar way.

Great demonstration. I love using long edge up during lunges.

Very well made demonstration. Thank you! I will be attempting to employ this in my drills and practice moving forward!

Looks like the same stuff as I teach 😀

I get on a tangent at the end of this one where I'm stepping 'in front' of my cut, you can also still use the rotational action to realign your body towards the target, just like in all the previous actions.

Excited to follow along tonight!

Also check out my videos on Calibrating Cuts and Thrusts in the SCA: kzbin.info/aero/PLCnPUXYzMI1begwkFKrnkX35SpqFOzZUl

Really great introduction, just wondering where did you get that meyer rapier?

The bad German is cringe-tastic. Now if only we could find german fencers who actually speak German, then I'd be happy.

is this SCA cut and thrust

Hi Jeff, I know it has been a year since I commented on this about cuts but I wanted to come back to this point as lately I have been doing more Meyer Rappier and came across your video again. While I will agree that Meyer will break his own rules he seems to follow a sort of Specific advice beats general advice but that you should still hold to the general. In Chapter 2 starting in the 5th paragraph (Forgeng translation) he says "For when you send in your cuts against his upper part, whether they take place from above, diagonally downward, across, or from below, you must remain upright and high with your body, so that, as far as your height allows, your shoulder stands levels with the upper part at which you are cutting or thrusting." "This shall not take place with the other cuts you send against his lower body, but the lower you cut, the more you shall lower your upper body, which must be achieved with stepping, as you will find it described later in more detail in the section on the cuts. For if you bring your body down for the cuts that you intend to deliver against his upper body, then your stroke is shortened; likewise when you intend to cut below, and your body remains upright and high, then your cut is not only shortened, but you also make your upper body entirely open." I think the confusion is that when he says "This shall not take place with the other cuts that you send against his lower body" he is referring to standing as tall as you can not the shoulder rule. He goes on to mention this rule again when talking about the Diagonal High Cut (pg 180-181 second column last paragraph to first on 181). "Now for the lowest cross you must stand with you feet even further apart, and you shall also have you forward knee flexed further forward than before, so that you stand sunk downward with you upper body that much more than has taken place before; and as with the other, you come with your right shoulder to the height of the target. If your body will not allow you to do this, then you should not execute the lower cross, for it is not for everyone, etc. For when you cut at his lower legs, and yet remain upright with your body, then he can rush immediately at your face with a straight thrust, although on can unexpectedly execute a Foot Cut at him on the side before he realizes it." Again I want to say that I like your video a lot but I think this is a pretty important feature in Meyer's rappier techniques that often gets overlooked.

Oh yeah... suppress cut is DEFINITELY the rappier's "krump". You even included the step out of the way :P

Is it just me, or do the Suppressing Cuts remind me a little but of the Krumphauw in a way?

Yep, had it custom made, though so you won't find it on the site

awesome vids. Is that a darkwood sword? :)

You can see more of this in the section on gripping the sword in Part 2

There's no specific instruction, most of the swords shown only have single rings to protect the front of the hand, or even simple cross guards. The sword I have is designed to be used either with a finger over or without. I tend to switch between. The key element is that I don't grip tight with the front finger, just let it sit next to the blade, on the front corner, not with the finger under the front of the blade. keep the hand loose and flexible.

I had it custom made from Darkwood Armory, I sent Scott a picture and had him design it off of that.

Also looking at your hand in the video, it looks like you have a finger over the quillon. I thought Meyer didn't do that? Just curious.

Hi Jeff, where did you get that awesome looking sword? I've been wanting one with a similar guard for a while.

More Old Videos from an old Gyldenholt/Calafia Friendship Tourney. If anyone recognizes the fighter in the red pants in the second video, let me know. I can't remember who it was! kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHndnmyrZ92Vhbs kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKW5eJR9lN5om5o

P.S. Great questions by the way, and thanks for taking an interest in the video!

Following that, in the description of Longpoint, he is very explicit on the nature of thrusts and lowering the body to have the shoulder level with the height of the target, but then in examples like the "groin thrust", he thrusts upwards from under your opponent's blade (depicted in part 3 of this video), where I believe lowering the body to be a detriment to the action. So, as explicit as Meyer can be sometimes, sometimes (as with most Masters) he seems to violate them for specific purposes.

What my translation says indicates that your cuts and thrusts at the upper targets (high cuts/diagonal cuts) the body remains with the shoulder level with the targets, but then follows "This shall not take place with the other cuts you send against his lower body", but that you should lower yourself as much as you can, but as I read it, do not have to regard the rule of the shoulder level with the target.

Great series of videos you have here. I only have one comment/question. You mention specifically when dealing with the thrusts that "whatever height you thrust at that is the height your should should be" and you then demonstrate that. However Meyer applies that rule to his strikes as well. In chapter 2 of his rapier section he says that your shoulder should always be at the height of your target and for low cuts you will get to this height with stepping. Wouldn't doing this change your version?

Go Jeff!

Meyer's images show primarily simple cross hilts, or guards with a single side ring, neither of which it would be appropriate to place a finger over the ricasso. We does not address the issue (although he doesn't address the idea of gripping the sword too much either). My sword is designed to be used primarily with a finger over, though I find I tend to slip around a bit changing the position of the hand based on the use of upcoming technique.

Great interpretation. Only question I have for you is if you think Meyer would have Advocated using a finger on the Ricasso or the Rapier? I know the rapier of Meyers time was different than what we know today, just wanted your thoughts on it.