Research and Discussion Forums

I suppose you are refering to the 4 pictures found at page 4 in this article ? If so, I can see some differences between what Casper does in the video and what you show... Casper makes two movements with his sword, first backward to arm the cut and then forward to deliver it. He is stepping forward...

I wanted to offer a thought on how we handle hits in our free play. When I watch most historical fencing online, I see a lot of sword tag where a touch of the blade is a valid hit and it the bout restarts. Its a dangerous habit to train ourselves to stop and rest every time we score what feels like...

It is somehow related to the fundamental difference between martial arts and choreographed combat for stage and movie play. The best practical moves were often unpredictable and perhaps even invisible to the target, so that it could be delivered successfully. However, such moves would be very hard ...

Thanks a lot. I agree the distortion was pretty serious. In the after-action debriefing everyone was talking about the hits that didn't happened but the judges registered, and the hits that happened but with no judges raising the flags. :| I think the honor system that we have been using all along ...

Please view the actual video . Our fellow Casper, starting in ward of Ochs with his longsword, I've seen this video before, but I checked it again now. He does start with different position than the one from which he delivers his final strike, but it actually supports my point. He has time enough t...

It is seen very clearly on your own video page. http://www.thearma.org/Videos/NTCvids/testingbladesandmaterials.htm The very first video has a still image of a guy about to cut a deer in half. His sword is held in the (I think) Vom Tag position, and he obviously is already stepping forward. Please ...

Cool, LC :D You made an interesting point :arrow: It was the first time I sparred in a competition environment. I had been doing free sparring for very long time, in friendly practice mostly, and on a few occasions doing a duel. However, relying on judges to say what's a valid hit and what's not was...

Hey SB:

Two of our fellows just got their polearms book published

POLEARMS OF PAULUS HECTOR MAIR
by David James Knight & Brian Hunt
Paladin Press
http://www.paladin-press.com/detail.aspx?ID=1616

It ought to be of interest to anybody pursuing polearms prowess.

Congratulations guys

I was allowed privilege by one of the authors to peruse some related Mair materials, and those were impressive, and so I expect this extensive tome must be really cool.

This German fencing- & show-group posts some sequence-photos & videos of techniques they interpret

http://www.pax-et-codex.de/technik.html

Their action could be more forceful, but their willingness to put some videos out there for scrutiny is admirable.

Consider this observation, made in 1896 by Oxford historian AH Johnson in his book The Normans in Europe (p.31) :arrow: To Constantinople Harald [Hardrada of Norway] came [in 1032], and, in the service of the [Byzantine] Emperor, led the Varangian Guard against the Saracens in Egypt and Syria, thus ...

AR : Think again -- neither I nor any of my fellows used any false argument to defend either Silver or compatibility therewith by German Fechten or by any other workable self-defence method in the World. For the most part, our assertions were as true as the time that Silver advocated :wink: My own a...

Is the half hip and the hook variations of the same throw or are they different throws? Is the half hip a hip throw with both feet on the ground and the hook a hip throw with one leg hooking up the opponents leg? I thought it was the latter. But maybe somebody who focuses on Von Auerswald would dif...

My counter is simply that if you insist on stepping with every strike when fighting then you will be at times be slow and predictable, and likely to be having fun chewing on the ground yourself ! All the best, Roy Roy: that error of yours is precisely what I and others have repeatedly tried to coun...

...I thought it was "from the roof." Is it really Day? If so, I'd like to understand more about it. Thanks! -B. I would say that quirky translation of "vom Tach" is one of Forgeng's rare errors. I suppose either translation of the name hardly makes any tactical difference in int...