Research and Discussion Forums

I must say, I am really looking forward to this book and the accompanying DVD. (Great idea for the DVD, by the way). I listened to the tubecasts. I actually laughed out loud. Very amusing, if somewhat mean in classic Heslopian fashion. (That's right, your name is an adjective now). Thank you, sir. ...

This is...horrible. No other word to describe it. Here's hoping something gets saved.

-B.

"In your ranting and raving you argue that I can either choose to bout with you or I can be a coward, and that it has to be one or the other. This is a straw man argument in that you imply an exclusivity not inherent in the argument. I can prove this because there are other options; for exampl...

Randall Pleasant wrote:Matt

Thanks for pointing out other issues in running a forum that many of us rarely, if ever, consider.

Indeed.

-B.

Hi all, I locked down that challenge because it looked hostile and bitter, rather than a gentlemanly and sensible. I have no problem at all with hostile challenges in general, but Martial Challenge is young, and at the moment we are trying to build up a foundation of example bouts on which to inter...

In my experience binding happens, but much like the slice, it's situational, not to be overly emphasized. Yes, in the sword form you have primarily studied, I'm sure that's true. I've done my best. QAs I've said before, good luck. And Brandon, if you really disagree, I invite you to come to Columbu...

I just wanted to thank everybody for the interest expressed. Thanx Michael for the mention in your blog, btw. Very much appreciated.

-B.

But the better swords I've handled like the Albion Baron sharp or Liechtenauer blunt... if you tap on those blades with something they'll sing like a tuning fork.

That's what they called a "singing sword" historically.

-B.

Fellow scholars, It is my great pleasure to announce the forthcoming book, Lessons on the English Longsword , by Benjamin "Casper" Bradak and myself from Paladin Press. No release date yet, but I'll give you the run down: The book boasts the first ever complete modern translations of all t...

I have been searching for who actually said this for the last half hour without result. So I decided to ask for help. I actually found someone with a citation on it, but no source in the citation. I believe it was Lichtenauer, or is at least attributed to him. Doesn't really matter, though. It's go...

Actually binding vs. not-binding arguments can also be seen in european fencing. An example in the later period can be found in the manuals of Fabris and Thibault. Fabris explicitely recommends not to bind, to avoid the adversary's blade, because it restricts your freedom and gives information to t...

Hmm... this discussion is taking a side-track, for what it's worth I'll pursue it for a couple posts but if we really want to discuss it we should probably open another thread. Brandon, how much binding do you see in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJT1_1C231k&feature=PlayList&p=...

Richard, that's for a slice in general [Schneiden], but in your own post (p.66 in Forgeng's translation) "For example, if an opponent overruns you with cloddish blows..." then [Hendtrucken], pressing hands. So it's definitely used against poor skill and cloddish blows at least some of the...

Nice discussion guys, thanks for the feedback. How would schnitts and other slices fare against leather gloves and gambesons, then? My opening post focused on blade vs bare skin, so here I'm "upping the difficulty." My initial guess is that the techniques would still work as intended, jus...

I re-read your post Richard and I'm trying to understand the Meyer techniques. Let's look at the first one first. After you have caught your opponent's sword with the bind, you shall remain there to feel whether he intends to withdraw from the bind or strike around. As soon as he strikes around, th...