Realistic combat, stances, guards, and grappling

[Ambaryerno]

I have a hard time seeing how you are supposed to parry the flat of the opponents blade. If you mean by pushing the opponent blade during a cut, is not really a parry but a deviation of the blow (and can be very dangerous). If I am taking it the wrong way, please give me more details about it.

For example, if your opponent throws an oberhau (let’s say a 1 cut; diagonal from right shoulder to left hip), one of the plays from Ringeck’s manuscript is to counter with a zornhau (an 8 or, vertical falling cut). Because of the angle at which you intersect, generally this cut is going to strike the opponent’s flat. And because zornhau creates the “wall of steel” between you and your opponent, you’re sure as heck not passing his sword. Zwerchau can also be used to counter this attack, and much like zornhau, you generally end up striking more to the flat of the opponent’s sword. Schielhau also tends to strike towards the opponent’s flat, as does krumphau. Of these cuts, Krumphau is the only one that’s normally used to pass the opponent’s sword across the body. The others either create the wall of steel, or deflect the opponent’s sword away. And when you redirect the sword, the idea is that you’re redirecting the sword to where your body isn’t.

About blade control, is far more exclusive by the distance between the contact of blades to the respective grips than the type of contacts (it can be seen with a large stick, you just need some to pick the stick from different distances to your grip while you try to move his/her hand. Near the end of the stick you’ll require a lot of effort, if you’re able, to move his/her hand).

There are multiple factors that go into blade control in the bind: Whether your opponent’s blade is in contact with your strong or weak, whether your blade is at your opponent’s strong vs weak, where whose point is, and how much pressure each of you is exerting, and flat vs. edge. Just because I have my strong to your weak, doesn’t mean I’m strong in the bind. A lot depends on where your point is when we make blade contact. If I’m strong against your weak, ordinarily, yes, I would take advantage of that strength to push through your guard. But if your point is in the right spot (IE, in my face), it actually makes YOU strong in the bind and I’m better off passing your blade rather than trying to push through instead.

flat vs edge give better pressure to gravity-assited movements (going down xd).

I can tell you from practical experience, this is VERY wrong. I’m FAR weaker if I’m trying to use my flat to push my opponent’s blade around, and it has to do with the mechanics of the hand and arm.

The hand is much stiffer and more stable rotating forward and backwards (IE, along the edge) than it is from side to side (along the flats). Make a fist with your own hand and test this for yourself. For your opponent to push your blade along the plane defined by its edge, he’s working against your entire forearm. Not only does the hand not flex much in this direction, it gives you far more leverage to keep your blade in position, and is why the zornhau makes for a very strong parry. However if he attacks the plane defined by the flat it takes very little to force your wrists to rotate to the side, because the wrist has a far greater range of motion, and you don’t have it being stabilized by the rest of the arm the same way.

[Vesparco]

For example, if your opponent throws an oberhau (let’s say a 1 cut; diagonal from right shoulder to left hip), one of the plays from Ringeck’s manuscript is to counter with a zornhau (an 8 or, vertical falling cut). Because of the angle at which you intersect, generally this cut is going to strike the opponent’s flat. And because zornhau creates the “wall of steel” between you and your opponent, you’re sure as heck not passing his sword. Zwerchau can also be used to counter this attack, and much like zornhau, you generally end up striking more to the flat of the opponent’s sword. Schielhau also tends to strike towards the opponent’s flat, as does krumphau. Of these cuts, Krumphau is the only one that’s normally used to pass the opponent’s sword across the body. The others either create the wall of steel, or deflect the opponent’s sword away. And when you redirect the sword, the idea is that you’re redirecting the sword to where your body isn’t.

You’re totally right. Although my style of approach was more meant to be using the wards Ochs or Pflug rather than using the cuts. Nevertheless, that is moslty dependant on the fighting style of each one.

There are multiple factors that go into blade control in the bind: Whether your opponent’s blade is in contact with your strong or weak, whether your blade is at your opponent’s strong vs weak, where whose point is, and how much pressure each of you is exerting, and flat vs. edge. Just because I have my strong to your weak, doesn’t mean I’m strong in the bind. A lot depends on where your point is when we make blade contact. If I’m strong against your weak, ordinarily, yes, I would take advantage of that strength to push through your guard. But if your point is in the right spot (IE, in my face), it actually makes YOU strong in the bind and I’m better off passing your blade rather than trying to push through instead.

For this reason I state the bind is usually under movement or force (which basically derives in pressure). The lack of boths means the lack of binding. I can still have my strong over your weak but you will mostly move your sword to the other side due to the lack of pressure. About the last one also is a matter of distance and stances and the huge possibilities of actions.[quote=“Ambaryerno, post:63, topic:3237”]
Vesparco said:
flat vs edge give better pressure to gravity-assited movements (going down xd).

I can tell you from practical experience, this is VERY wrong.
[/quote]

Yes, I fact is a typo xd. I mean edge (mine) vs flat (opponent) xd. I meant down actions as actions from above is usually better to offer the flat in order to slide the opponent weapon rather to sustain its force. As you say, using the flat for “agressive” movements is counter-productive for many reasons.