Don't Attack Blind! | Longsword

[@clopmeister1680]

Great video! Hopefully it'll improve my not-dying...

[@jasonjames9836]

Video is really well done! Commentary and screen graphics with full and slowed speed really get your points across well.

[@superiorhema]

Thanks lol, ya I committed, hadn't done one in a while

[@TheLinred]

In RDL/Ms3227a, the wrath hew is not an attack but a parry/riposte or a counter-attack

[@Druid_Ignacy]

And then in Hs3227a it's vorschlag - an attack

[@superiorhema]

You could also argue that essentially the wrath hew doesn't appear at all. Only the wrath hew's point. So no hew with a descending diagonal cut. But it's that often stuff gets written as a counter move. "They do this" so "I do that". "They punch me with the haymaker" so "I block then grab etc" It doesn't change the concept that the Zornhaw teaches which is about center line. Also in all those sources the other guy is just making a wrath hew at you. "and he tries to hew at the left side of your head." We're just being the guy winning with the first hew. Using the principles found in the Zornhaw text. All the sources talk a lot about taking the before, and then give us all these examples in the after or simultaneous lol. Later sources have offensive Zornhaws talked about from more contexts. But there still in the early sources.

[@agogecoach8790]

Well done! Thanks for sharing

[@andrewp.4852]

excellence !

[@StuartMcDermid]

This is excellent! You folks spend a lot of time strong foot forward though. Honestly, I've seen it creeping into my own fencing too.

[@superiorhema]

Generally it’s when the point is forward I have right foot ahead. Sword retracted I have left foot leading. As fencing gets more competitive and fencers are faster, then you often need that sword in front of you to reduce reaction time. In the zettel long point is called “the noblest and best guard” For my personal fencing it’s probably 60% - 40%

[@Druid_Ignacy]

Fun fact - if you look closely, early KDF sources somewhat cover preparational movements. Notice that every time they write that fencer A comes zufechten, this is the very moment when fencer B decides to attack or vice versa. It is of course only a theory that they had this thing in mind, but if you look at zufechten as prep step - and then attack on prep / attack when opponent does not regulate distance - then description of these techniques suddenly becomes much more detailed.

[@superiorhema]

Ya I know what you mean. It is really just an in distance - out of distance thing, it doesn't really explain any beginner to advanced way to start using it. You have to already know it to see it. 3227a gives a bit of advice, but it's not until the renaissance where stuff starts getting documented for how to play with your footwork. You can see a bunch of old videos of Nachreissen interpretations. The person just stands there and the opponent cuts out of range then he hits after. There's lots of ways to make that happen, standing there isn't one of them. At least not if you want to MAKE IT happen. So it took a long time for footwork skills to embed in HEMA.

[@AlexTheSwordGuy]

What feder are you using in the video?

[@superiorhema]

@@AlexTheSwordGuy that’s the kvetun liechtenauer

[@petritzky]

Really good video. I'm still amazed about the Zwerch Fleches. Tried to make it work, but I'm still stuck in the valley of tears rn

[@superiorhema]

Oh really, are they not landing before the parry, or just not controlling leading to double or afterblow?

[@petritzky]

@@superiorhema the later. I double most of the time. I find it very hard to see the right time and place for it. My partners sword should be high. I figured that one out.

[@superiorhema]

@@petritzky Right there was one or two in this video as well. Ah ok, ya if you're not catching them mid sword motion to get the delayed reaction. 0:48 Then sometimes compound motion, you know you pull the thwart behind the head then make the actual cut (0:57 sort of) Or crossed arm thwart over the head. Leading Zwers in general have a low success rate depending on the partner. Cause you find people who are shorter and just cut low to the ribs. In which case fleche with a low thwart to cover, then now you've closed you can cut around or grapple.