question from Lindholm's book

[David Parker]

This is a question from Lindholm's book "Knightly Art of the Longsword". So if you have the book its on page 73 in the zwerchau chapter. This is done after a zwerchau. The text reads: You can also push your blade at his face with a forward cutting motion. Simply turn the sword so that you can lower your hands and cut forward with force with a small step forward.
What we got from this was if I wind my sword to the left and down while pushing my blade forward I end with a thrust to the throat ,which seemed to work real good,but i'm not sure this is what he's describing. Another thing that has me confused is that the picture that goes with the text shows the man doing the zwerchau ends up with his sword on the other side of his opponents sword. If that is the case then I'm way off base here. Any help or suggestions will be appreciated.

David Parker
ARMA Associate

[Jeffrey Hull]

I think you understand what DL means in the alternative play on p. 73.

I think that the confusion occurs, understandably, from what must be a slight but significant error in that first picture on p. 73. The fencer's blade ought to be drawn so that it is *inside* the foe's blade, much like the preceeding picture p. 72. That way is correlates with the round-strike as portrayed (with swooshing arrow) that correctly finishes *outside* the foe's blade, as portrayed in that alternative play on page 73.

Perhaps too we may think of hinder as meaning "beyond" -- yet "behind" says it well as my comrade put it, really no big deal.

I had not noticed that seeming illustrative error until now. Sometimes such errors happen in the best of books. I think I shall change the drawing in my own copy with pencil now.

[David Parker]

Thank you. I thought that may be the case but wanted to make sure.

David Parker
ARMA Associate