Research and Discussion Forums

Here is an image from Fabris, taken from the Online manual here at ARMA.

http://www.thearma.org/Manuals/Fabris/book2/04021173.jpg
While the ricasso would seem to match the width of that shown in the picture above, I'd argue quite strongly that the blade depicted in the manual tapers steadily ...

Any thoughts on my comments Tom?

This is boiling down to the old problem of different definitions of what a "Rapier" is, and the extent of the damage its cut could achieve. Obviously the latter hinges entirely on the former. While the strict definition of what each Master meant as a Rapier would be nice, as has been shown already ...

I agree the window is going to be small that is why you have to be able to concentrate and see and feel what is going on while not realy "thinking".

Nothing to disagree with there.


I realy think that a majority of what we do involve's being able to remain calm and focused, and do what you ...

true... but you should try one of my padded weapons

I've heard good comments about them on here. Will perhaps have to try out your design one of these days when I get ambitious <img src="/forum/images/icons/smile.gif" alt="" />.


The thing is I'm interested in comparing notes as to how ...

I think your first impression was correct. It is a little more difficult to counter cuts rather than to preempt them. By this I mean its always slightly harder to be the one having to react in the after. Ringeck obviously prefers that you give the strike, using the meisterhau to teach you how to ...

For longsword I would personally recommend either Ringeck or Codex Wallerstein manuals before Fiore. The main difference between Fiore and Ringeck is that they both explain how to get into the bind, Fiore concentrates on mainly on grappling and trapping with the blade from the bind, Ringeck has a ...

I got to say, in looking at the sword and buckler clips on here, it looks like you are overreaching in your strikes and leaving yourselves vulnerable. Is in this intentional?

Well there are only 3 clips involving sword and buckler, those being in the padded sparring section. Admittedly all 3 ...

I'm basically referring to a displacement using hengen. Such as in Ringeck when he explains one of the ways to do a displacement from Krumphau, dropping the tip into schrankhut.


you need to be sure to go straight up when you do kron that and angle the tip away from you, if you turn your blade ...

Hengen is a good defense against a commited Zornhau to your left upper target. But it is a defense. Its 1-2 timing rather than more indes or "during" timing. Hengen takes the tip offline, depending on which side it also crosses your wrists which can be exploited by using pressure, and it also takes ...

I know the action you are talking about. And I agree it certainly is a very instinctive reaction to a cut to the upper left target. However it works better on cuts that are on a deeper angle away from vertical. The diagonal cut really isn't all that diagonal. Look at the lines of the cut as shown in ...

As Casper mentions its a difference between a static guard and a transitionary position. Ochs would be considered a "static" guard. Something you would stand in. Hengen is a position that you would move through. You can transition through a hengen position from the Ochs guard for example.

As a ...

Scott Adair
When trying to beat the blade it seems like we get too much edge on edge contact. We were wondering about using the flat in such a case? Should we be trying to beat the blade or just step out and hit the guy bypassing the blade altogether?

Ringeck describes four scenario's in ...

John Waller
One has to be careful with Keegan. The horse were severly mauled by the archery and thouse that did get through then could not easliyl get through the stakes and men there. The basic end result was that the remaining horsemen fled back and crashed into their own men who were following ...

My point is that it's a matter of reconstructing dead arts, and despite the wealth of evidence in period treatises and accounts, what we do will still always be a reconstruction, as opposed to a living tradition.

To be completely fair is a living tradition really automatically more valid than ...