Performing drills with a sharp sword.

[JeremyDillon]

Hi, I'll soon be ordering my first sharp from Albion (The Crecy), and I was wondering if it's considered safe to perform standard cutting drills with a sharp weapon. I wanted to get some feedback before I actually tried it.

[Shane Smith]

I do use my sharps for solo work and if you are exceptionally competent in handling a sword and all family pets and bystanders are securely kept at a safe distance it can be done with a reasonable degree of safety. That said, if you are anything less than uncommonly skilled, I'd highly recommend you stick to blunts only unless you are test cutting. I myself do flourish with my sharp, but only occasionally. I do most of my excercises with a blunt. If you allow your enthusiasm to overun your capability, it's not a stretch of the imagination to maiming or dismemberment. Be careful!

Others may disagree, but those are my thoughts.

[Axel Pettersson]

In september during a seminar in Uppsala I got to try out the Albion kriegsmesser (though with only two slabs of wood as a grip), it was amazing to wield, and it was real, real sharp(my hands trembled, half from excitement and half almost by fear/outmost respect for the weapon I held in my hand). The feeling of going through movements with a sharp weapon like that is really something else than with a blunt (for me atleast, everytime I testcut or flourish with sharps), you are simply forced to be extremely aware of everything you do, which in reality is what you should be, but something one tend to miss when practising with a blunt or waster and there is no danger of cutting of your own bodyparts.

It is very rewarding, as you do what Shane says and are extremely carefull (keep a friend with some bandage close by also perhaps).

[Richard Strey]

Jeremy, how long have you been training? Everyone will likely remember some time he/she hit him/herself during solo drills. The cross raking across the scalp seems to be a favorite here. Especially when you step up the speed and power or get tired, the chance for an accident grows. I find that long sleeved clothing, long pants and light guards for elbows, knees and a fencing mask will dramatically lower the chance for injury. You'd really have to stick yourself to do damage, then. Not that it couldn't happen... Also, don't absentmindedly grab the sword by the blade. I've done full-powered morthaue against a tire without gloves and came away clean, while an experienced friend grabbed his sword to do some testcuts and successfully cut his thumb by doing so. The essence is: you never know and trouble lurks just around the corner.
Also, I'd strongly suggest weaing a mask when drilling crosswise wrath cuts (left cut from the right shoulder and vice versa), twitching or throwing zwerchhaue to the four openings. Anything that brings the blade around your head, basically. I cut off a bit of my hair one time.

[JeremyDillon]

Thanks a lot, guys, I apreciate the advice. I've personaly been training for about a year and a half and I haven't hit myself with a blunt for a while, but I certainly will be very, very careful. I will definetly use a fencing mask and I certainly wont do my standard, more exuberant cutting excercises. My friend is also purchasing a sharp, so I'll be sure to let him know as well.

[Jaron Bernstein]

I flourish with my sharps (an Albion Sempach and Poitiers) all the time without injury. Of course, this is on a clear basketball court with lots of space around. I think it has great value to get a feel for handling a live blade at speed. The folks at the gym are even getting used to it now.

[Brad Patrick]

I sometimes practice outside with my Albion Crecy and I have found that using a sharpened sword is good for keeping me more 'aware' of my surroundings, as well as the placement of my elbows and feet, thereby helping to keep my swings from continuing too far past the target and getting sloppy. Also I have found that it has helped in breaking me of a bad habit of resting my sword tip-down on the ground like a cane between exercises (something medieval students probably got smacked for doing).

In addition the grip on the Crecy is much shorter than many wooden wasters, so I found that having to bunch my hands closer together greatly changed the dynamics of the strikes and even of the crossed-hand guards.

[david welch]

Huh. It never ceases to be interesting what I learn what other people are doing.

I think here in Knoxville we all do just about everything with a sharp that we can, use wasters or feather swords for what we just can't do with sharps, and paddeds for when we just have to use them.

So that's flourishes and solo drilling with a sharp, two person drilling and lighter contact with wasters, and all out sparring with paddeds. The only time we didn't just use sharps was when we didn't have them.

Of course, we live in the country and all grew up with axes and brush hooks and the like and learned respect for sharp and pokies early on.

[Jeffrey Hull]

I own a replica (more or less) of this sword:

http://www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/v ... 2E75%2E225

I have customised my replica by girding its tang with a new grip and differentially sharpening the blade.

Notice that the artifact's cross is practically big enough to suit a longsword, something they duplicated quite wickedly in the replica.
While flourishing with my sword about a month ago, I did a nice Zornhau yet did not allow enough clearance from my body, and at the nadir of the strike one quillon smote the inside of my thigh.

So that hurt and eventually devolved into a spiteful tri-coloured bruise the diameter of the sword's pommel (yes, both agony and irony).

I tell this tale that others may learn from my dumb mistake -- I know that I have.

[Lee Craven]

This thread is a good and sobering reminder of the need for caution.

[Lance Chan]

I practice all the solo stuff with sharp sword. I also train my friends who own a sharp sword in the same way too, as early as possible. The place where we practice solo was the rooftop of the building, so we don't have to worry much about hitting bystanders. However, hitting each other was always a concern so awareness is of utmost important since day 1. The problem usually doesn't arise when the one with sword was actively practicing. It was when he was taking a break where troubles start. It was the time where his attention span had been exhausted and his sword could point anywhere his tired wrists allowed to, which may hit the instructor who was observing closely to give corrections in his movements. I was almost hit several times this way and have to ensure that each of them never let go of their attention even when the drills were finished. In addition, they were not allowed to chit chat with a sword in hand during training session because chit chat is another main cause for attention diversion. I've seen them almost hitting each other that way. Never let go your guard is important.

Personally though, I think training as much as I can with sharp sword is essential. After all, if one's afraid of his own sword, how can he fight the opponent without fear?

[Randall Pleasant]

This thread is a good and sobering reminder of the need for caution.

This is a good reminder for all of us. In my lifetime I have seen a number of men die foolish deaths with weapons, tools, work, etc. I don't think any of those deaths were due to a lack of skills, rather I think they were due to a lack of attention to details in the given moment and the assumption that skill was enough protection.

I love performing flourishes with my Albion Baron. But before performing a flourishe I remind myself of what I am actually doing and what I might do to myself. And I like having someone around to watch and call 911 if needed.