HEMA longsword training tips - keep the hands and elbows in

More advice for people starting out with longsword training and some reminders for old-hands.

[@enoughofyourkoicarp]

3:15 "This can hit very quickly." Case in point, just before you said that, I glanced at the full screen icon, saw something move and by the time I looked back you were already withdrawing the blade, good thing I'm not your opponent because if I were I'd be fairly badly injured at this point. O.o Edit: Then I watched it back, blinked and the same thing happened. Also, shortly after that you mentioned 'measure', do you think that's where 'getting the measure of someone' comes from, or the other way around?

[@Jetman123]

enoughofyourkoicarp In fairness, that little "bap" movement wouldn't be a serious injury to you, although it might flinch you, opening you up for further strikes. It's worth noting that swords aren't lightsabers - you get injuries proportionate to the level of commitment, and those little snippy cuts aren't fight enders. Even so, it's wise to remember how quickly an opponent can take advantage of distraction, indeed...

[@ramisabreur7961]

Very interesting :) We have learnt a lot from you ! Sir Matt is it possible to do a video where u talk about a light cavalryman defeating a more heavily armored opponent in a single combat and also an infantryman defeating a cavalryman with some historical accounts as examples .Take care and have a good day :)

[@mesarosmm]

This is actually really interesting. I would also like to hear something about that.

[@ramisabreur7961]

mesarosmm There are plenty of examples about that , I know one historical account where light cavalryman defeats heavy cavalryman in one on one combat . This happened in the Siege of Granada 1492 : Granadan light cavalrymen challegend Spanish Knights ( heavily armoured) to a cavalry duel , the Knights accepted but so many of them were killed that King Ferdinad of Spain banned further participation : PLEASE check this artwork www.knight-test.aspery.com.au/battles/granada.php This illustration is from a book entitled "Granada the twilight of moorish Spain" . Here a Granadan cavalryman (right ) defeats a Spanish Knight (left) u can see that he's attacking his vulnerable left side as Matt said in one of his videos :)

[@mesarosmm]

Thank you Sir, much appreciated. At the same time, I would be nice if Matt talked about this topic :)

[@ramisabreur7961]

mesarosmm U're so welcome :) Yeah indeed these are interesting topics :)

[@CoffeeSnep]

What about some of the Bolognese sources of spada due mani (essentially a long longsword but not yet a "great sword")? For example, Guardia Di Testa has both arms somewhat forward, and the blade more or less vertical or pointing back. Also, Guardia Di Intrare is a high, point forward guard, but still lends itself to a variety of cuts quite powerfully and quickly, both false edge or true edge. I know from personal experience that both of these guards are very effective, so what makes these exceptions to the rule?

[@mattmanbrownbro]

Have you ever accidentally whacked your head with one of the quillons? I did, twice. Lol, better a quillon than a blade, though, but best nothing at all. Too used to the katana... or that's what I'm blaming it on.

[@scholagladiatoria]

Yes I have. Most longsworders have done that, whether they admit it or not!

[@mattmanbrownbro]

It kinda makes me feel better, to be honest, knowing its a common occurrence. In any case, thanks for these recent "How to Longsword" videos. They came at literally the perfect time.

[@Jetman123]

Matthew Brown I'm quite proud of the fact that I only do that every 100 blows or so. XD

[@mattmanbrownbro]

Haha, I still do it with my waster, especially indoors

[@mattmanbrownbro]

Stopped hitting myself with the quillons, but now they occasionally get stuck in my fencing mask when I'm performing a Meyer style Zornhau.

[@rond5254]

High level concepts. Love that sword.

[@willnonya9438]

When you are talking about times to hit the opponent does it relate to Silver's concept of the perfect times? Hand, body, foot, feet? Are those fully applicable to medieval sword as well?

[@KnightedDawn]

Yes. Roland Warzecha made an excellent video about this.

[@dphitch]

Great lesson. I have zero sword experience or knowledge, and this might seem very funny but my son's have Nerf swords and we've used some of the techniques you teach in our little sparing matches. It is a lot of fun and I can see how anyone with even a little bit of competitive spirit could be sucked into this sport.

[@CoffeeSnep]

As someone who does both (HEMA and Nerf swords, respectively) that a lot of the concepts of HEMA are unnecessary for Nerf or don't work too well, because rather than weighing a few pounds, the swords weigh a few ounces. So chambering strikes, footwork, and all other sorts of things down for the sake of speed or power become redundant.

[@Dhomazhir]

Re; The Elbow being out. Fighting in an SCA tourney I had my greatswod & was in Posta de Falcone(sp?) when I noticed my opponent had his elbow out. I slowly dropped my weapon and tapped him in the elbow smooth as silk. Total ego kill. And once, long ago, a KSCA did the same thing while standing in Posta Breve to me.

[@RVM451]

Did anyone ever attempt to make a Two-Handed Longsword with either a Knuckle Bow or even a sort of Saber Guard? .....RVM45

[@NoahWeisbrod]

I believe the Swiss did during the Renaissance.

[@scholagladiatoria]

Yes, there are complex-hilted longswords from the mid to late-16th century.

[@VTPSTTU]

I'm thinking primarily about how thankful I am to have firearms.

[@joejoelesh1197]

A question I have been wondering about for a while. What is that detail at the junction of your walls and ceiling (upper right of your video)? Is that detail at the other 3 corners of the room?

[@bryanw8044]

Thank you for the tips. I would like to see some practice drills please.

[@MaMastoast]

question; doesnt the stance where you were holding the sword above your head severely limit your freedom to defend yourself? Looks like the sword has to travel a great distance to get anywhere

[@SirLoadingscreen]

Not as far as you'd think. Vom Dach is great if you want to move quickly and deceptively and if you need to, you can easily move into either ochs or pflug to defend. Really the point of having all the different stances is to have a guideline of how to close off different lines of attack from your opponent while opening them for you fluidly. You can generally transition from one stance to another fluidly enough so that if you're doing it right, attacks won't get past you.

[@scholagladiatoria]

No it's actually pretty good in defence, but to show why I'll really have to demonstrate it - these things are not easy to put into words effectively.

[@quakeSanchez]

It's quite tricky to attack a fencer fast enough who has his hands above his head. He has a good opportunity to displace your cuts aimed at the upper quadrants and strike you at the same time. You can try and attack his legs, but that lives your head vulnerable. I tried attacking the hands of my opponent, as some German masters wrote, but wasn't fast enough either.

[@kennethpryde966]

Great lesson. Thanks.

[@theknightofbadassness301]

What are the low guards for?

[@scholagladiatoria]

The same as the high guards :-) All guards can give cuts and thrusts, as well as making beats, parries and other defensive motions. It's just that some guards are better at certain specific things than others are.

[@theknightofbadassness301]

That's what I mean, is it more for defence or thrusting....

[@Dhomazhir]

The knight of badassness The low guards can be to give a pulse against the opponents blade as it's beaten aside, to thrust into them, to cut into them. and to help keep you safe. AS I said in my vid: The sword is your weapon & your shield.

[@TheCrimsonIdol987]

The low guards are the same as any other guard position, you can cut and thrust from them. As Matt has said in another video, Medieval guard positions aren't so much actual defensive GUARDS as such. That is, they're not there to necessarily close off a line, like in saber fencing. I think of them as starting positions and ending positions. For example, in MS I.33, they call 7th Ward as the heart of the art, as all strikes and thrusts will end up in long point, or moving through it. The same principle applies to longsword. If I go from Right Guard of the Lady/Queen in Fiore, and I give a nice, healthy, strong cut, I can carry it right the way down to the Guard of the Middle Boar's Tusk or Iron Gate, which are two low guards. So that's one purpose. The other purpose of low guards is say I want to cut from below, called an under cut or unterhau, I can't just start from a middle or high guard, move my sword down, then deliver the cut, as it takes too long and telegraphs my intent ahead of time. Far easier, safer, and quicker to start from a low guard, and either deliver a rising cut with the false edge, or a rising cut with the true edge. So that's another purpose to them. Finally, the low guards are especially useful for defensive purposes. In Fiore dei Liberi's Flower of Battle, one of many plays from Iron Gate or Boar's Tusk low guards is a rebat. That is, if a cut or thrust comes at us while we're in a low guard, we can swing up hard, which clears the weapon long enough for a counter-attack. So there's A LOT of purposes to low guard positions, either in the Fiore and Vardi tradition, or the Liechtenauer and Meyer tradition.