Why is his foot in the air?

Raising the foot prior to the thrust serves many purposes, even if you wouldn’t do it in an actual fight. First, it eliminates the question about how much weight should be on each foot. All of your weight much be over the back foot or you will fall over. When you step, assuming you land… Continue reading Why is his foot in the air?

Sept. Training Guides Update

The scholars have been hard at work refining the training guides. And since it’s been a month since we last shared, I wanted to update you on our progress. But first, here’s the link to the resources page with all the files. Meyer Rapier We’re getting really close to finishing the first draft. The write-ups… Continue reading Sept. Training Guides Update

This illustration is wrong.

In the color version of Meyer’s longsword, you see this depiction of Olber (Fool’s Guard). Look closely at the hands and you see that the thumb is to the right of the top quillon and the index finger over the bottom quillon. Slashes performed with this grip will feel weak and uncontrolled. There are many… Continue reading This illustration is wrong.

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Understanding Rapier Diagrams

Our traditional cutting diagrams don’t really work with thrust-centric rapier plays. So we have created a new style of diagram more suited for the style. To start, we divide a circle into zones. These aren’t specific places on the opponent, but rather relative to where their sword would be in 3rd (e.g. Terza/Tertia, Langort). Onto… Continue reading Understanding Rapier Diagrams

Longsword Notes for May 7

First we went over all 12 patterns in chapter 10. Here is what will probably be the final version of our Chapter 10 poster. Next we worked on an indes drill. This is where the agent starts an action, then waits to see how the patient responds before choosing which of the various patterns they… Continue reading Longsword Notes for May 7

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Marozzo Cutting Diagram

Note that these names refer to angles, not target. A Tondo is still a Tondo if you aim for the head instead of the waist. Though originally printed vertically, the Falso Dritto probably doesn’t refer to a vertical cut, but rather a diagonal somewhere between the red and lower green lines. The numbers are the… Continue reading Marozzo Cutting Diagram

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