Zornhau

"Your martial art is all very well, but it's useless against somebody not fighting within the system...(Oof!)"

I've heard it many a time on the reenactment circuit - albiet without the resounding exhalation of breath as 4 ft of steel buries itself in the speaker's chest. It is, of course, bollocks for German Longsword and its cousins.

Granted, some duelling-orientated sword fighting systems may also reflect complex social customs and niceties, but the Medieval martial arts traditions existed and evolved in a brawling free market of ideas. If North Bratislavian Slugfechten got you killed, people would stop learning it.

In fact the truth is quite the opposite of the opening quote: it's a lot easier to fight people who don't know your system.

Generally, when we DDS "Marxbruder" face off, we each know what the other will try to do. I'm thinking: "I'll Zornhau and Take Off," and he's thinking ""He'll Zornhau and Take Off." What you end up with is a lot of smart ass moves, aborted attacks, and techniques jammed at half-cock before they go off.

Until tonight, that is.

The_Hat and I started with edgy tricks and counter-tricks, and collided doing some of the obvious moves. Then something clicked. We clambered to the top of nearly 3-years of study and plunged into an atavistic bath of technique, which is to say that towards the end, we flowed. Nothing was predicable because, at last, there were simply too many choices.

The_Hat fought like a dream, and together we wallowed in ersatz murderous play for what felt like hours, but was mere minutes.

And, the blades didn't dance like in some crap fantasy where each of charactyr namys sports a Y" and the races have a'postrophes. Nor did we probe for openings, see one and go for it - whatever the hell that is supposed to mean.

Rather, the steel flowed and whirled, like nightmare leaves spiralling through a haunted ruin by the light of forgotten moons.

Oh, I scored a hit with a Kurtzhau. :)

The thing about swords by Mark Vickers (St George Armoury) is that they feel real – and I should know, since I’ve handled originals. Better yet, they sing for at least a minute after combat.

A self-indulgent afternoon fencing. There's this move - the Kurtzhau - which breaks Ochs...

He stands in Ochs - "The Guard of the Ox", sword high and forward - both fists at forehead height, blade sticking out like an ox horn, ready to thrust to my face.

I throw what looks like a Krumphau - a vicious windscreen-wiper action, to hammer his blade down... but I aim just short of his point, come up under it, force his blade to the side, and stab him in  the shoulder... KURTZHAU!!!

PYes, today, I actually threw this "live", and it landed. The thing about martial arts, is that they work.

On the down side, when I was fighting

the_hat I rather punched him in the face harder than I intended. He was closing, and so was I. The space between us just vanished, and my fist landed much sooner than expected. Next time I punch a friend, I shall do it with an looser elbow.

 

 

 The thing about a good scrap or too, is that it realigns your mojo. I am a happy man.

Way back in the 80s, a friend of a friend mine was walking across Edinburgh's Meadows one night, and was jumped by "casuals" - think updated versions of the old 60s Mods. 

Being a martial artist, he thought "I'll throw in a few punches while I work out WTF to do."

So, Kurtzhau - aged nearly 3 - and myself are exchanging manly strokes of the longsword. 

My little son unleashes a fierce assault, battering at my knees like a miniature flail tank. 

The blades a little bendy, so I shift my left hand to the blade.

Kurtzhau stops. "Not like that Daddy! It's a sword!"

Me: "It's a legitimate technique."

Kurtzhau: "No Daddy. You not hold it like that."

Me: "OK. Why don't we look in a bishbash book to see if it's OK."

Kurtzhau nodds. "Yes. That's a good idea, Daddy."

So, I take down my copy of Talhoffer. Looking solemn, Kurthau joins me, and we're both lieing on our tummies on the hearth rug, examining the book like seasoned swordspeople. 

Pretty soon, I find an illustration*.

*Actually, not quite this one, for obvious reasons. It's funny how swords are OK - you can buy them at the PC early learning centre - but guns are horrid. If you leave off considering the technique in the above picture, it shows a pretty gruesome pair of combat outcomes.

"Here you are", I say. "These men are holding the sword by the blade. It's works as long as you're very careful. It's called halfsword. So, am I allowed to do it?"

Kurtzhau considers. "Yes Daddy. You hold blade." He bounces to his feet, hands me my sword. "We bish bash now."

And, we do just that.

The noble salmon_lord  - senior DDS member - has an interesting post on why do WMA. 

I'm fairly sure I do it because I think the Middle Ages are Cool. However, I have this suspician that I first decided this because the Middle Ages has cool swords... which came first, the chicken or the egg.