Northwest Academy of Arms I.33 Video

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John Jordan
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Re: Northwest Academy of Arms I.33 Video

Postby John Jordan » Fri Nov 12, 2004 12:02 pm

Okay, here's what I think at the moment.

The Priest and the Scholar stand out of distance in undefined positions.

The Priest takes the initiative and advances his right foot to the far edge of wide distance, assuming the 1st Ward.

The Scholar responds by advancing his foot to the middle of wide distance and assuming Half-Shield.

The Scholar trades power for speed. He completes the defensive portion of his action (getting the sword up to defend the outside line and control the center line) before the Priest can finish his offensive action.

The Scholar moves to attack the Priest. He continues his motion, cutting down at the Priest's head.

The Priest acts to contest the center line. He falls beneath the Scholar's sword and shield, binding his sword. (I note in passing that this is one of the two binds that the manuscript doesn't directly address: when the combatants are sword to sword in the center line [either high or low] and neither is clearly above or below or left or right of the other.) His intention is to Stichschlac.

The Scholar has two options at this point. He can attempt to Stichschlac, but this is unlikely to be successful. Both combatants would be contesting the center in longpoint and it is unlikely that either will actually succeed in their attack. The second option is to clear the centerline. The Scholar does this by counter-binding, pressing the Priest's sword down and to the Scholar's right. This creates two of the bind situations the manuscript explicitly discusses.

The Scholar will seek to follow up with either a Schiltschlac or a left-arm grapple.(Note the conceptual, if not technical, similarities between this action and actions depicted in the messer und kleiner schild of Talhoffer 1467 and the spada solo of the Novati version of Fiore. I don't know why the Scholar does not go to 6th Ward, the closest analog to a right side Ochs or Posta di Finestra in the I.33 system, and thrust the Priest once the Schiltschlac has been successful.)

The Priest, however, is first to act. He has three options: the Treadthrough, the Change of Swords, and the grapple.

The Grapple can be done with either the left arm or the right arm. The right arm grapple sequence is depicted on pages 35, 36, and 37 of the manuscript. The Priest lunges forward, deeply advancing his right foot, while lifting his sword and pushing it to his left. He folds his right elbow over the forearms of the Scholar and pivots a little less than 180 degrees to his left on the balls of his feet. Note that the right arm grapple starts from the position depicted at the top of page 35. Compare this to the start position for the left hand grapple illustrated at the top of page 8 (and again at the bottom of page 23). The left hand grapple is much the same, but the grappler is likely to miss grappling the opponent's buckler arm. Since the entire goal of the action is to grapple the opponent's sword arm this does not much matter, but it is less clean. To execute the left arm grapple from the bind, the Priest lifts his sword to close off the left side and pushes a little forward and left with the sword. This allows the buckler to pass beneath the Priest's sword arm and to his right. (Note that this position is, essentially, a Vidilpoge variant. I believe the Priest might choose to execute a sword grab from this position, as is depicted in the Vidilpoge sequence on page 43.) The Priest passes forward with his left foot and wraps his left arm over the forearms of the Scholar. Once this has been done the Priest can disarm the Scholar by sweeping his right foot around behind him (clockwise). A pommel smash is also effective. The manuscript depicts, I believe, a false edge cut.

I believe the treadthrough is depicted on page 42. The manuscript states at the bottom of page 41 that everything in the following sequence has already been discussed. So, although the manuscript does not explicitly name this technique, I believe it is the Durchtrit. As the Scholar presses down and right to counterbind, the Priest shifts his right foot to the right. This disengages his sword from the bind and pops it up into the forearms of the Scholar. The Scholar might be hurt (even badly) by this action, but he won't be dead. He will flinch from the Priest's blade, pulling back. The Priest follows in with a thrust and definitively ends the fight. See below for an alternate explanation for the Durchtrit.

The Change of Swords is problematic for me. It can be done in a number of ways and which way is correct largely depends on a number of other highly debatable variables. I'm going to look at this sequence in reverse. However he gets there, the Priest ends up overbound on the left (which means the Scholar is underbound on his right). This is a bad position for both, but it is worse for the Priest. The Scholar is in position to control the Priest's outside line. Passing forward with his left foot will allow the Scholar to execute a Stichschlac or (conceptually since the option is not explicitly listed from this scenario) a Schiltschlac. I believe that the Priest must clear the center line and protect his outside line by sweeping the Scholar's sword to the Priest's right. The images at the bottom of page 51 and the top of page 52 (where the bind is initiated by the Priest from 3rd Ward) seem to support this viewpoint. I also believe this is in keeping with the verse on page 6 "The Priest Nods; Ordinary fighters cover." So an ordinary fighter would be content to protect himself by covering to his right and then attacking. But the priest wants to attack at the same time he is defending. So as he sweeps the Scholar's sword to the right, once it passes the centerline he lifts his true edge into the gap between the Scholar's sword and buckler while advancing his left foot to establish a Schiltschlac and control the outside line. If the Priest fails to nod he will instead finish the cover and initiate a conventional Schiltschlac.

So how does the Priest get from underbound on the left to overbound on the left? Simple answer, I don't know. I think whatever the action is, it must protect the left side since the Scholar is about to bring a cut in from that direction. Right now the explanation I favor is: From the underbind on the left the Priest lifts his sword, just as he would for the grapple and slips back his right foot. From that hanging guard position, the Krucke (bottom right of page 7) the Priest drops the elbow of his sword arm into the ribs on his sword-arm side. This rotates the sword in a descending true edge cut on the left side of the body. This action creates distance between the combatants, avoids the Scholar's Schiltschlac, and protects the left side of the body.

Note, this action can also constitute an alternate explanation for the Durchtrit. If the Priest gets inside the Scholar's attack, then he executes the Durchtrit exactly as it is illustrated in the sequence on page 18.

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Brian Hunt
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Re: Northwest Academy of Arms I.33 Video

Postby Brian Hunt » Fri Nov 12, 2004 10:35 pm

Hi John,

thanks for your thoughts on the I.33. I am going to need a couple of days to properly digest your writings. I will then be able to give a hopefully well written and thoughtful reply.

respectfully

Brian Hunt
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