Right vs. Left

[Jesse Mott]

I am beginning to study Eurpean martial arts and have recently bought Talhoffer's "Fight Book." I was studying plate 224, a messer plate. I noticed that this would not work if I was using my right hand like normal and fighting someone using their left hand. Most definetly all the other plates are like this as well. How could this be overcome?

[Casper Bradak]

It would work vs a left hander. Give it a try. If the cut comes in too much from his left, use a technique that deals with cuts to your right side, or a similar technique on the opposite side. It's often said "This should be practiced on both sides."

[Matthew_Anderson]

Hi Jesse,

Actually left handed people are not allowed to participate in European martial arts <img src="/forum/images/icons/laugh.gif" alt="" /> Seriously, it is a little different being or facing a left handed fighter. I believe however, that with some slight adjustments, most of the principles and techniques, including those in Talhoffers manuscripts, still work although you may have to modify how you do them. Lefties tend to fight right foot forward, for instance, making their right side openings closer and easier to hit. This of course, requires striking from your left, which is weaker and more difficult for us right-handers.

[Jeffrey Hull]

JM

Nice question. I believe but cannot prove that there must have been a fair number of guys who trained to be ambidextrous. If such an idea occurs to us, then it must have occurred to the men of the past. So it is possible that an olde timey fencer faced with a lefty would simply have shrugged and shifted his grip to left-dominant himself, if that made him feel more capable.

JH

[TimSheetz]

I tend to think that to much is made of this. When we are working at slow speed it seems to be a problem, but when in full speed a lot of thing equal out.

Basically, I haven't noticed a difference in fighting a left ro right hander. I am not fighting his swor dgrip, I am fighting the guy gripping the sword.

I think when well exercised the differences we have between the weak and strong sides get greatly reduced.

Good luck,

Tim Sheetz

[Matthew_Anderson]

That's a good point Tim. In full speed sparring, I hardly notice if my opponent is right or left handed. As for training the weak side, I've got a long way to go! And I still say southpaws shouldn't be allowed to fence <img src="/forum/images/icons/smile.gif" alt="" />

[Jake_Norwood]

Joachim Meyer's manuals (1560 and 1570) show a great deal of left-handed fencers with no mention of the same except to say that they should fight from the left side.

Jake