the opening

[Steven Ott]

I noticed that in many videos at the opening of a battle, most WMA videos start in roof gaurd while in kendo and kenjitsu videos they tend to start in plough. So I was wondering does longsword wma have a kind of starting position, an on-gaurd stance and do you beat at the other guy"s weapon like in kendo or modern fencing. If not, how do you create openings to strike without over-exposing yourself or having to rely on a counter strike. I don't suppose WMA longsword techniques have a "jab"?

I know that there are various gaurds, but I guess my question is, How do you offensivly engage an opponent safely and create openings to strike before your opponent does. In other words, how do you start?

[Sal Bertucci]

Well, I guess part of an answer is that there are different "correct" responses to different guards.

What guard you start in is a matter of preference and will depend on what you're trying to do.

[Martin Lysen]

There are strikes from the various guards that can be used to break into opposing guards. For example, the plough can be attacked with the schielhau, using a short edge cut to strike at the wrists or shoulders. (At least, it works for me, interpretations on this strike varies a lot.).

This strike, of course does not exist in kendo, since the katana has no sharp short edge. But you could also strike at the opponent's blade, trying to batter it aside, or more subtly, enter into a bind and do various winden techniques from there.

No guard is safe if held to in a static position. There are always ways to circumvent a specific guard. You will notice that WMA folks often shift between guards to counter their opponent's guard.

The reason the roof guard is so popular might be because it is very easy to strike a large number of different blows from it directly, whereas in the plough you must usually move the sword before starting a cut. It is a very versatile guard in my opinion.

Then of course, a shinai used in kendo is a very different beast from the longsword. It is far lighter and quite a bit shorter, making quick slashes from the middle guard (similar to the plough) easier to perform. And of course, these kind of slashes score points in kendo, which further explains why this stance is so often used.

[James Wallhausen]

There is a position equivalent to the Chudan kamae - the position used in Kendo and Kenjutsu as a preliminary fighting position. Chudan kamae, however should not be confused with Pflug.

The position used, at least amongst the Liechtenauer tradition is known as Sprechfenster. The logic of the position is that no man should enter into fighting without the sword between the opponent and our own body.

Although Liechtenauer names vier leger (4 positions) he certainly does not mention in his verse that they are the "static" positions to be used to fight from. Rather, he tells us that they are common positions from which actions can be made and must transition through. An upper hanging position (vom dach) therefore evidences a descending cut, an upper convergent position (ochs) evidences a high stab. Recognising these moments by the vier leger offers us a better chance to predict his action and therefore understand how to act ourselves.

If we do not begin in Sprechfenster, a master might easily strike us directly which shames often. Masters, we are told, often use this position to bind with the opponent's sword, sticking (bleiben) and waiting for the opportunity to strike safely.

At least one source (Starhemberg/Von Danzig) states that Sprechfenster is a position in which we can stand safely because (like the Wing Chun man's Man Sao) it forms a real barrier through which the opponent must contact in order to reach our body. The verses also demonstrate how we can "stand joyfully" in this position.

[Greg Coffman]

Steven,
You can pretty much start in any guard. The guards pretty much sum up all the possible ways you can hold the sword and be ready for combat. So you start out holding the sword in some way, and that particular way probably has a name.

But that really isn't starting. You start by making an attack. It could be a cut, a thrust, or feint, multiple cuts, or any combination. The secret is that you have to make a valid attack on your opponent. If your cut is out of range, then your opponent doesn't have to do anything but cut back at your opening which you have just created by your cut. It is also important to make cuts that close off openings. So when you cut from your right, you make the cut in such a manner that your left opening is covered with you sword. You attack in such a way that you are not completely open. But you also attack in such a way that your opponent is forced to defend him or herself or else get hit.

[Steven Ott]

Thank you for the advice.
I come a boxing and wrestling background, both arts have a starting position that is defensive first with offensive techniques that can come out of it. Seldom do practioners use a different stance. So I'm kind of looking for a kind of comfort zone in that.

By the way sorry for the horrible spelling of pflug (plow).