Meyer's Intro by Jake Norwood questions

[Tim Merritt]

Mentioned in a different thread: been looking Jake Norwood’s Intro to Meyer (very good) but having some trouble with some of the strikes, even with Meyer’s illustrations. I’ll admit I haven’t read Meyer’s book yet, and it may shed some light. What would really help would be some pictures, maybe similar to how Jake mentioned delineating cutting through three-stance combinations. A few that comes to mind:
· #5 Glancing—looks like ochs pulled down. You said made from tag. How do you get there?
· #6 Bend—words seem like tag or wrath brought around high and horizontal (also what I think #7 is), but picture looks like, well, #5 above, ochs down at angle across opponent arms, but crossing your own arms ackwardly
· #12 Wound—losing it at the wind
· #13 Crown—might get it, sorta' works, seems like meet him with the strong part way into his strike from above, force it up (or right?) brings you to a close-in ochs, bring down to head?
…the sort of things we are trying to decipher.

[Erich Wagner]

Jake, could you also reiterate which master strike beats which gaurd?

Thanks,

[Jake_Norwood]

Jake, could you also reiterate which master strike beats which gaurd?

Zwerchhauw - Tag
Krumphauw - Ochs
Schedelhauw - Olber
Schielhauw/Schiller - Pflug

These are the "Four Displacements" of Ringeck, too.

I’ll admit I haven’t read Meyer’s book yet, and it may shed some light.

Yeah it would! That little thing I wrote is a read-along study guide, not a substitute for the original...it's supposed to clarify. Good grief, if you're only reading mine, you'll miss oodles.

What would really help would be some pictures, maybe similar to how Jake mentioned delineating cutting through three-stance combinations.

I'm not sure that this works with the inverted strikes like it does with the primary strikes, but I'll try...

#5 Glancing—looks like ochs pulled down. You said made from tag. How do you get there?

This is the Schiller. Starting in Tag and leading left leg, strike with the back edge at a downward slightly diagonal angle with the short edge. The footwork is also very important--use a triangle step by pivoting the back leg (the left, after the inital step) to the right, turning the body. Your hands should stay high, and all you're really doing is un-crossing them (they're slightly crossed in Tag).

#6 Bend—words seem like tag or wrath brought around high and horizontal (also what I think #7 is), but picture looks like, well, #5 above, ochs down at angle across opponent arms, but crossing your own arms ackwardly

Start in right Schranckhut and transition though pflug (with the thumb on the flat, cutting with the long edge) into crossed-arm Schrankhut on the left.

#12 Wound—losing it at the wind

Left wechsel -> left (crossed) Schranckhut -> underhauw against the incoming attack from below. When the blades make contact twist your hilt like a steering wheel, moving it clockwise, the pommel down and the hilt up to strike with an oberhauw to the arm.

#13 Crown—might get it, sorta' works, seems like meet him with the strong part way into his strike from above, force it up (or right?) brings you to a close-in ochs, bring down to head?
…the sort of things we are trying to decipher.

You really, really, need to pick up Meyer's original and cross-reference my handout, it seems. Those notes are clarifications on existing material. I tried not to repeat Meyer except where I felt modern english would make it easier to understand his instructions.

From a bind in the Kron, perform a zwerchhauw or Shielhauw. Bam, instant Kronhauw.

Does that help?

Jake

[Tim Merritt]

Yes, a good introduction to Meyer, maybe now I'll study it further. Windshield, now I get it. And #12 Wound/Windthauw looks especially effective and natural. Speaking of effective, the Change Strike you mentioned seems to work real well (against me). It seems any low strike to your right is hard to get out of if you are facing left. Any mention of counters to strikes from low right, aside from just getting out of the way? Tried to insert a doodle, didn't work. I need pictures: artist, architect, former military officer = need pictures. Don't ask me to ever play those word games, make it "Pictionary". So please excuse how slow I am to get the text and foriegn languages.

[Jake_Norwood]

Low strikes to the legs, on any side, are easy to avoid by simply stepping back and counter-cutting to the arms or head. It's a right triangle, more or less, so the range is optimal for the higher strike.

The wechselhauw works because it changes to a low strike after faking a high one. And yes, I find it's a very, very effective strike.

Jake

[Tim Merritt]

Right triangle--that's good for explaining to others--I'll use. I guess what's on my mind is what to do in lieu of stepping back, or "getting out of the way", probably even more so with thrusts. So many plates from the manuals show the first thing as getting out of the way of the point first, then (insert technique). I just saw on e-mail something about speed (hands, body, feet..Silver), and moving body is slower than the incomming hand with blade. I was going to start another thread on this, but want to check a few things before revealing my ignorance. Thanks for the help, and look forward to more!

[Jake_Norwood]

Many later manuals with single-handed swords show a number of parries below the belt with point down. Ringeck mentions such a possibility in his section on Nebenhut, and the Schranckhut (especially on the right) is especially well suited to receiving an opponent's strike on your blade and then closing in on him. Some masters also advocate using the Krumphau against underhauwen, which I am also fond of.

So there are things you can do in lieu of voiding an attack to the legs.

Jake