How to Fight with a Longsword 06 - Winden

[@JonathanWestwood]

Thank You

[@Stampianirrationalism]

Forgive me if you have mentioned it in other videos but I have not yet managed to view them all. What are your views on thumbing the blade in the hengen?

[@LIERHEMA]

@MortenStampe Tldr; It has its pros and cons but it definitely has uses. Now the longer answer. In this context I will take "thumbing the blade" to mean the following. Your forearms are on the side of a flat of the grip instead of on the side of an edge. You might have your thumb on the flat of the blade or not. A common example would be being in an upper hengen with the flats pointing up and down and having your arms under the sword with your thumb on the blade. A second common example would be standing in a non-dominant side Pflugh so that the long edge is pointing up and your forearms are on the inside side of the blade. To get the non-dominant side Pflugh with the long edge up case out of the way this is simply how I interpret the Danzig description of non-dominant side Pflugh. As such I would say that thumbing the blade in a hengen is manuscript correct. I would say that it is also correct to deem the end position of a Zwerchhaw to be a hengen while thumbing the blade. Then to the general pros and cons. In my experience I tend to get hit to the hands more if I thumb the blade. I also find it more difficult to make a strong parry in a hengen when holding the sword like this. In the non-dominant side Pflugh case I find it much more easy to wind from lower to upper hengen on that side if I am thumbing the blade. I also personally think that this is why the Pflugh is described this way in Danzig. Same goes for side to side winding in the upper hengen if I am thumbing the blade. As a feder specific thing a thrust which is done with the flats pointing up and down is more likely to make the blade bend. This is as there is usually force directed upwards (and less often downwards) just because how arms tend to move in a thrust. This tends to make the thrust feel less nasty on the receiving end as some of the energy is absorbed by the bending blade. Then as a difference which is not really a pro or a con is that thumbing the blade makes some techniques easier and some more difficult. For example if I'm in the dominant side upper hengen and I'm thumbing the blade making a Schielhaw is easier but cutting a dominant side Unterhaw is more difficult. The same goes for thrusts in opposition, some of them are easier one way some the other. So as a conclusion I find it very useful in some situations and I think you should know how to do it. You should also know what are the trade offs and based on that when to use it and when not. Based on the fact that fencers prefer different ways of doing this and can argue both ways I would say that this is to rather large extend personal preference. Try out both ways and see what works and when.

[@Stampianirrationalism]

@@LIERHEMA Thank you for your excellent answer. I have been thumbing mostly but will try the variations you show. I think you are correct and have noticed I automatically do not thumb when a strong parry is needed. I will go and think about it 👍.

[@pyeitme508]

Wow

[@lovedavis7376]

thanks bro you never know when u'll need a long sword

[@Akkuzi]

always gotta keep a long sword in your back pocket