Guy Windsor

Consulting Swordsman. Writer.

Mismatched weapons: Ask the Sword Guy episode 8

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In today's video I discuss the problem of mismatched weapons. Swords versus spears, rapiers versus halberds, and so on.

The questions were:

Thanks for taking questions. I've been reading your books for a long time and have more than a few but I'll stick with two recent ones.

1) I've seen a lot of HEMA practitioners on YouTube confidently declare that a quarterstaff or polearm beats a sword hands-down. However, every demo I've seen is with blunt training swords where the bind of blade against shaft is really more of a bounce. I'm wondering if the swordsman's chances improve when a sharp edge binds with a wooden shaft to potentially buy an instant to close distance under cover. Have you ever tested this, and if so what is your prognosis?

Also 1) Some Spanish and Italian treatises show training forms for using two swords (seems to be strictly self-defense or bodyguard scenarios), and I'm wondering if you know how someone carries and draws two swords? I thought maybe it is a “case of rapiers” but the forms seem to favor cuts, so I assume that they are side swords. I'm confused.

Jason from Maine

And:

My question is why is there so little material out there about sword vs spear – given the historical prevalence of both spear and swords in historical battle surely there must be treatises / techniques for these two weapons to match off against each other?

I am happy to be identified – Johan from Sword-Point College of Arms in Perth Western Australia.

And:

Im very interested in mixed weapon sparring as i find it makes me think more about my opponent, since we are not using the same weapon i cant assume their limitations based on my own with the rapier and i need to make more fluid adjustments to my style.

What are the other contemporary weapons that could be tested against rapier, both singly and paired with an offhand tool?

Not anonymous, Evan, Australia

Here it is:

 

 

Shownotes:

Mixed weapons in episode 1:

Dagger v sword post: https://guywindsor.net/blog/2019/06/fiore-translation-project-20-defending-with-the-dagger-against-the-sword/

My Fabris on Gumroad: https://gumroad.com/l/xgWFH

Filed Under: AMA

On training children. Ask the Sword Guy, episode 7

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I have had a few questions regarding training children coming in, such as this one:

Here’s a question- there are a lot of potentially unscrupulous martial arts clubs out there who’ll give a 5-year-old a black belt if their parents cough up enough cash, but most historical fencing clubs I’ve come across have a lower age limit of 18, so if insurance wasn’t an issue, what is the youngest age of student you’d consider starting to teach historical fencing? As a follow-up, do you have any suggestions for sword-related activities for younger children beyond swinging sticks around with gay abandon?

Best wishes,

Alex

And this one:

I should perhaps provide some back ground to my questions as it might help clarify what I am asking. I've been practicing sword work (entirely casually) for almost 20 years but am no way near an expert. At the moment, I'm a science teacher at a small school in the UK.

My colleagues and I thought that some VERY basic sword work (using sticks with no contact etc..) might be a fun and interesting way to teach a number of science subjects to some of our 13-14 year old students. I've been able to bring in aspects of mechanical physics (balance, centre of gravity, levers, force and so on), biology (muscles, fatigue, reaction times.. ) and even some more general scientific investigations such as building and testing the affects of mock impacts using wood and clay as our human analogue. I've even managed to cover a few nods to history and sociology… Throughout, we've also tried to teach spacial and (very importantly) social awareness so the students have a respect for the class environment, their role within it and how their actions impact on others. I should clarify as well that we don't teach GCSEs at this school so our hands are fortunately not tied to prescriptive teaching methods.

SO.. my first question is this:

If you were teaching VERY BASIC swordsmanship to teenagers in a school, what sort of wider skills and disciplines do you think they could (or should be able to) reasonably write on their C.V.s as a result of the training? And how would you go about introducing these things? (take as long as you need to get the training done but assume, while they are engaged with the training as it takes place that this is not something they intend to pursue in the long run).

I have answered them to the best of my ability here:

(There are no shownotes for this video)

Filed Under: AMA

Ask the Sword Guy 6: on tournament safety, concussion, long-term brain trauma

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Today's episode has just one question:

What is your opinion on the force levels in HEMA. Especially in regards to the research into the cumulative effects of repeated sub-concussive hits to the head. It seems there are no end of people reporting broken swords or bashed in helmets and I do not believe HEMA is that different or special from other sports that feature head hits.

Here's my answer:

Here are the show notes:

Game Brain book, now Concussion: https://amzn.to/2Xewdt4

Rates of concussion in rugby players: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC155428/

In NFL players: Vox article re American Football: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/2/2/16956440/super-bowl-2019-concussion-symptoms-cte-football-nfl-brain-damage-youth

In boxing: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Concussion-rates-per-100-participants-in-combat-sports_tbl1_23665542

Blog post re head wound: https://guywindsor.net/blog/2012/05/bleeding-headwound-anyone/

 

Filed Under: AMA

Ask the Sword Guy 5: left handers, and one-handed thrusts

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Today's episode has me talking about left-handers, and the one-handed long thrust with a longsword. Enjoy!

 

Shownotes:

Fiore Facsimile (the closest you can get to owning the manuscript): https://amzn.to/2MOowWH

The Flower of Battle (Leoni translation) http://www.freelanceacademypress.com/flowersofbattlethecompletemartialworksoffioredeiliberi.aspx

The Rapier, part Four: Sword and Dagger and Sword and Cape Workbook: https://guywindsor.net/blog/rbc400

Filed Under: AMA

Ask the Sword Guy AMA part 4: training motivation, and knights with katanas

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The shownotes for this episode:

Fighting Depression

Personal Update: Mental Health

Learning Rapier: your free workbook video

The Unconquered Knight: A Chronicle of the Deeds of Don Pero Niño, Count of Buelna

Alan Williams, The Knight and the Blast Furnace

Fiore Facsimile (the closest you can get to owning the manuscript)

The Flower of Battle (Leoni translation)

Filed Under: AMA

Exchanging the thrust: Fiore Translation Project #22

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Having kicked our opponent in the groin, we turn the page to see this spread:

[Note, this image is not a photograph of the manuscript opened up; I have just put the scan of each page next to each other.]  The story is the same though; having dealt with a whole lot of cuts, including (if you’ll indulge me a moment) too hard, too low, and the regular kind, we now deal with thrusts. The first, and probably ideal, response is to exchange the thrust. We have seen this play before in my discussion of the eighth play of the sword in one hand. 

Questo zogho si chiama scambiar de punta e se fa per tal modo zoe. Quando uno te tra una punta subito acresse lo tuo pe ch’e denanci fora de strada e cum l’altro pe passa ala traversa anchora fora di strada traversando la sua spada cum cum gli toi brazzi bassi e cum la punta de la tua spada erta in lo volto o in lo petto com’e depento.

This play is called the exchange of thrust, and it is done like this, thus. When one strikes a thrust at you immediately advance your foot that is in front out of the way and with the other foot pass also out of the way, crossing his sword with with your arms low and with the point of your sword up in the face or in the chest as is pictured.

Note the repeated ‘cum’, ‘with’. A common scribal error. Not secret messages from beyond the grave, ok? The instructions couldn’t be clearer, could they?

Rapier fencers will of course be delighted to see the classic thrust in opposition done with longswords, though one should take care to make the crossing thoroughly, and not race to get the point in. At the end of the zogho largo section, on folio 27v, Fiore wrote:

Qui finisse zogho largo dela spada a doy mani, che sono zoghi uniti gli quali ano zoghi, zoe rimedii e contrarie da parte dritta e de parte riversa. E contrapunte e contratagli de zaschuna rasone cum roture coverte ferire e ligadure, che tutte queste chose lizerissimamente se porio intendere.

Here ends the wide play of the sword in two hands, that are plays together, which plays are: remedies, and counters from the forehand and the backhand side, and counterthrusts and countercuts of ever type, with breaks, covers, strikes and binds, that all these things can be very easily understood.

I’ll discuss this translation in more depth in the post after next (there is a lot to discuss), but for now, just notice the ‘contrapunte’, counterthrust. As I see it, this refers to the exchange of thrusts. That Fiore also mentions (but as far as I can see does not show) countercuts, suggests that the lesson of this play can legitimately be applied to countering a cut with a cut.

At this stage we should remember that Fiore loves us and wants us to be happy. He understands that sometimes one might miss a stroke, and that’s okay. Because this action continues in the tenth play:

De questo scambiar de punta ch’e me denanzi, essi questo zogho, che subito che lo scholar ch’e me denanzi non mettesse la punta in lo volto del zugadore, e lassasela si che non la metesse ne in lo volto ne in lo petto, e per che fosse lo zugadore armado, subito debia lo scolaro cum lo pe stancho inanci passare, e per questo modo lo debia piglare. E la sua spada metter a bon ferire poy che lo zugador apresa sua spada e non po fuzire.

From this exchange of thrust that is before me, comes this play, that immediately that the scholar that is before me does not place the thrust in the player’s face, and leaves it such that he doesn’t place it neither in the face nor the chest, and because perhaps the player was in armour, the scholar must immediately pass forwards with the left foot, and in this way must grab. And put his sword to work with good strikes, because the player’s sword has been grabbed and he cannot get away.

So having missed our thrust, perhaps because the opponent is in armour, we pass again, grabbing the sword and striking. In practice I always teach these plays together, and you should continue with the grab whether you hit the face with the exchange or not. That way if you do miss, you’ll continue without pause.

Here are the plays in action:

Next week: breaking the thrust!

This project is being published in stages. You can get part one, The Sword in One Hand, as a free PDF by subscribing to my mailing list below, or buy it in ebook format from Amazon or Gumroad. You can get Part two, Longsword Mechanics, from Amazon or Gumroad too!