tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18833363224995815682024-03-13T05:02:24.208+00:00Dawn Duellists Society<a href="http://www.dawnduellists.co.uk/">www.dawnduellists.co.uk</a>Dawn Duellists Societyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02926321042726493533noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1883336322499581568.post-70433303668961052692016-03-28T17:45:00.002+01:002016-03-28T17:46:00.111+01:00DDS Class Times 2016Our website is currently undergoing an upgrade! Until then, here are the current classes and times as of March 2016:<br />
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<i>NB At present we can only cater for over 18s</i><br />
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<b>MONDAYS</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Study Groups 1930-2130</b><br />
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This is where we generate our HEMA! <u>These aren't formal classes</u> - don't expect to be taught, though we are often happy to fit in some drill and teaching by arrangement or for the hell of it. Usually we spend our time working out techniques from <a href="http://www.wiktenauer.com/" target="_blank">original sources</a> and devising ways to teach them.</div>
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Freeplay-passed DDS members can just turn up, and can start their own study group subject to instructor approval. Other members are welcome to ask about joining in.</div>
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<i>If you are a visitor or new member, please contact DDS before turning up on Monday.</i> </div>
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<b>I.33 Sword and Buckler (On temporary hold.)</b></div>
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Please <a href="mailto:secretary@dawnduellists.co.uk" target="_blank">contact us</a> to be notified of this class's resumption. </div>
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<b>TUESDAYS </b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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This is our main night. We train, we fight, we go to the pub!</div>
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Meet in the downstairs hall for a shared warm up.</div>
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<b>German Longsword 1930-2130</b></div>
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Authentic Medieval German longsword based on the Ringek/Von Danzig tradition. Beginners welcome!</div>
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<b>Sidesword 1930-2130</b></div>
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Renaissance Sidesword (looks a bit like a rapier but more slashy). Beginners welcome!</div>
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<b>WEDNESDAYS (no classes)</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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We no longer fence on a Wednesday.</div>
M Harold Pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949772130509527838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1883336322499581568.post-28799822854797470112014-12-24T15:02:00.000+00:002014-12-24T15:14:33.442+00:00[Movie Review] Heavenly Sword (2014)<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2006753/">Heavenly Sword</a> is a movie adaptation of a video game franchise published by the Sony Playstation Network. It is an animated feature film released in 2014 and it features Anna Torv (from the Fringe TV show) as the voice of the main character Nariko.<br />
<br />
The story is a classic sword and sorcery where an usurper king comes to claim a legendary sword that was once brought to instill peace in the land plagued by warfare. The sword is guarded by a clan chosen by the deity who first made the sword but it is cursed and it is prophesised that only the son of the clan chieftain, the chosen one, can wield it and defeat the King.<br />
<br />
The story follows Nariko and Kai who travel in search of the brother they have never known to bestow the sword upon him so he may rid the land of evil, all the while fighting their own battles along the way.<br />
<br />
[spoilers follow below]<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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First of all, the quality of the animation, while not being top of the line is good enough to not be distracting. There are a few hiccups here and there with the physics engine but if the fight sequences are anything to judge the movie by, it is definitely in the upper half of the quality scale.<br />
<br />
The voices however vary greatly. Anna Torv's performance is as good as you would expect but there is a certain lack of depth to the voices in the final mix. Kai on the other hand suffers from a rather poor voice acting from Ashleigh Ball trying to perform a child-like, yet mildly deranged young female. The result is rather stereotypically over the top, which is a shame. Other characters have the same problem, but overall it isn't cringe-worthy enough to be unlistenable.<br />
<br />
Onto the story itself, it is clear that the sword is the central character to the whole story. From the premise you start making all sorts of assumptions, that the women are merely messengers, that the sword is somehow sentient and decides who is able to wield it. It is the fact that both these assumptions are shattered in the second half of the movie which make the whole experience of journeying with Nariko and Kai so interesting.<br />
<br />
The sword itself is not unlike Cloud Strife's buster sword: full of tricks, bulky, deadly and can divide into multiple weapons. This enables a much more interesting set of visuals for what would otherwise be a rather standard series of fights. And like the buster sword, it is utterly unrealistic as a practical real-life weapon.<br />
<br />
One slight detail that bothered me in the rendering of the characters is that Nariko is a tall, slender, red-haired woman with a very western, or at least anime-like, appearance, while everyone else is very Asian (read Chinese / Japanese) in appearance, including Nariko's father. On the other hand, despite her scant clothing, she was not meant to be overly sexualised which helps reinforce the message of her being a strong warrior female type.<br />
<br />
Because in the end the message I took was that this was about one woman who has been rejected by her father her whole life for not being a boy and turn her fate around by mastering the sword and its curse and ending the hero no one, save her sister, never saw her as.<br />
<br />
I would personally give it a good 8/10Jean-Louphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14293016779226139571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1883336322499581568.post-32891121814301230842014-11-25T18:06:00.000+00:002014-11-25T18:06:16.013+00:00Techniques from Sprechfenster (Speaking Window)When the blades clash, that’s Krieg. It comes in two flavours, Sprechfenster and the Windings. This is about Sprechfenster, “Speaking Window”.<br /><br />If you are standing in <i>Lang Ort</i> ("Long Point") with a regular grip on your sword, and you are in contact with your opponent’s sword (“in the bind”), then that’s <i>Sprechfenster</i> or "Speaking Window".<br /><br />The aim is either to close to Winding advantageously, or stay annoyingly in Speaking Window while sniping away at your opponent.<br /><br />Your choice of technique depends on what the other swordsperson does.<br /><ul>
<li>“<b>Test the Bind</b>” – When in doubt, force a reaction by trying to stab them.</li>
<li>“<b>Change Through</b>” – Do this if they engage the tip. Dip the point and pull your sword back so their blade flies past, then stab them by extending your arms. Step as required.</li>
<li>“<b>Take Off</b>” – Do this if they are strong on your blade, i.e. parry without threatening your face. Using a push-pull lever action, pull your blade back and hit them inside their blade. Either (a) stay in Speaking Window by stepping around, leading with the front foot, or (b) pivot in with the cut to Krieg so that you are in Right Lower Hanger, hands low and back as far as possible, as if you were orbiting your sword.</li>
<li>“<b>Twitch</b>” – Do this if they are neutral and can’t be tempted into being strong. Same action as “<i>Take Off</i>” (b) but trace your sword around theirs and stab them while pivoting in.</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Think: <i>Weak against Strong, Strong against Weak</i>.</b></div>
M Harold Pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949772130509527838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1883336322499581568.post-60642277661833062122014-10-27T10:09:00.000+00:002014-10-27T22:18:57.923+00:00Five reasons why DDS German Longsword Tuesday uses a lower Vom Tag<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLww714pD9FroXMfCk6anSgFZMklmDngzHiPuB88idsHD7CDa5i_7gEv70bY0w4rXXxZ3sPbGqh_ubcwx6iGEbyFM67wVXBEfRN6CFP8DP5860UsVhTFgJd7syY4nKtqdDKUmM5BnV8o/s1600/vom-tag-420px-E_1939_65_341_10r+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLww714pD9FroXMfCk6anSgFZMklmDngzHiPuB88idsHD7CDa5i_7gEv70bY0w4rXXxZ3sPbGqh_ubcwx6iGEbyFM67wVXBEfRN6CFP8DP5860UsVhTFgJd7syY4nKtqdDKUmM5BnV8o/s1600/vom-tag-420px-E_1939_65_341_10r+(1).jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ringeck early 1500s</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There are, of course, <a href="http://www.worksofrichardmarsden.com/historicalfencing.htm" target="_blank">several ways people did Vom Tag</a> - Keith Farrel & Alex Bourdas have a whole section in their excellent book <a href="http://www.blackgate.com/2014/10/02/four-books-on-historical-european-martial-arts-hema/" target="_blank">German Longsword Study Guide</a>.<br />
<br />
We, however do the lower one with the cross guard hovering just above or below the armpit, and the pommel -- on longer swords - round about the high medieval waistline.<br />
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We do this because our style comes from the <a href="http://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Pseudo-Peter_von_Danzig" target="_blank">Von Danzig family of texts</a> and think the evidence points to this.<br />
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<i>[Edited because I made Claire G sound too certain.] </i><br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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<h3>
Reason One: The illustrations associated with the Von Danzig family show the lower version of Vom Tag</h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg599n7RGozgqNU1U8QKYiv9DoQO2ux6QbL0ZT3H4Jf_DbZrPXo7hmlOGltf4yPuy2t6UP4ba2T4YCc2KP3vqRrTnZKPIwqFw9FVoJn7ZCadRaH1XPX8o-9ZKN2e971tGXYsolLZQ-xi7U/s1600/Cod.44.A.8_002r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg599n7RGozgqNU1U8QKYiv9DoQO2ux6QbL0ZT3H4Jf_DbZrPXo7hmlOGltf4yPuy2t6UP4ba2T4YCc2KP3vqRrTnZKPIwqFw9FVoJn7ZCadRaH1XPX8o-9ZKN2e971tGXYsolLZQ-xi7U/s1600/Cod.44.A.8_002r.jpg" height="320" width="223" /></a>I've shown <a href="http://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Codex_Ringeck_(MS_Dresd.C.487)" target="_blank">Codex Ringeck, early 1500s</a>, (above).<br />
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The <a href="http://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Codex_Danzig_(Cod.44.A.8)" target="_blank">Codex Danzig, 1452</a> also illustrates Vom Tag, (left):<br />
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Honestly, that's enough for me! However, people sometimes suggest that the artists can't be trusted, so here are two more reasons.<br />
<h3>
Reason Two: The text treats a higher Vom Tag as an exception</h3>
<div>
The texts are full of references to having your sword "on your right shoulder"*. However, in one Zwerchhau play, they refer to your opponent thus:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://if%20he%20then%20stands%20against%20you%20and%20holds%20his%20sword%20with%20outstretched%20arms%20high%20over%20his%20head%20and%20threatens%20to%20hew%20in%20from%20above%20at%20you%2C/" target="_blank"> If he then Stands against you and holds his sword <span style="background-color: yellow;">with outstretched arms high over his head</span> and threatens to hew in from above at you</a>.</blockquote>
The implication is that this high-handed stance is an exception.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">*But see Reason Three :)</span></b></div>
<h3>
Reason Three: It could be the armpit, not the shoulder</h3>
The <a href="http://if%20he%20then%20stands%20against%20you%20and%20holds%20his%20sword%20with%20outstretched%20arms%20high%20over%20his%20head%20and%20threatens%20to%20hew%20in%20from%20above%20at%20you%2C/" target="_blank">translations </a>tend to mention the "right shoulder" a lot:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...when he hews above to you from his <span style="background-color: yellow;">right shoulder</span>...<br />
...hold your sword on your<span style="background-color: yellow;"> right shoulder</span> in the guard...<br />
...or hold it on your <span style="background-color: yellow;">right shoulder</span>...</blockquote>
I don't think this is <i>inconsistent </i>with the low version of Vom Tag as shown in the illustrations.<br />
<br />
However, <a href="http://www.ppls.ed.ac.uk/people/claire-graf" target="_blank">Claire Graf</a> our in-house translator who is both an academic linguist with an interest in old languages and a native German speaker says (I paraphrase):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...<i>achsel</i> could well mean armpit, even if the texts use it to mean "shoulder" elsewhere, since the texts themselves have come down to us as copies and composites from different eras and regions. However more research would be required to confirm or refute this. </blockquote>
<div>
So in the opinion of one properly trained linguist, all those lines such as:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
So setz den lincken fuß für vnd halt dein swert an der rechten <span style="background-color: yellow;">achseln</span></blockquote>
...might be referring to some guard where the sword is at the armpit! Either there is some undocumented "Guard of the Armpit" or, more likely, the Ancient Masters opted for the the catchier name, "Day/Roof Guard".<br />
<br />
It's commonly held that this is because of where the sword is pointing, however you can make up your own explanation. (Perhaps the sword resembles the supporting structure of a Gothic roof -- one crossbeam and an upright? Or perhaps "day" implies default or regular, as in "day book".)<br />
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<h3>
Reason Four: It works consistently with the text</h3>
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It works in the salle!<br />
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As instructed by the earliest text, we can throw secure, direct cuts from our Vom Tag, even when people are trying to snipe our hands. </div>
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We drive the cuts with a punching action, blade going first. They can land with considerable slicing force if not "pulled".</div>
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(Our cuts probably have less destructive potential than great rotating cuts thrown from guards such as Zornhut. This is not an issue since we are doing a <a href="http://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Unarmored_fencing" target="_blank">blossfechten</a> style -- literally fighting in your shirt -- that occupied a social role analogous to Wild West six-shooter combat; we only need to be able to notionally put down an unarmoured man, and nasty snappy cuts would seem to do that nicely.)</div>
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<br /></div>
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<hr />
All this, we think, is enough to justify our particular interpretation. If you're reading this and live near Edinburgh, Scotland, come and try it out for yourself, <a href="http://www.dawnduellists.co.uk/classMedievalGermanLongsword.asp" target="_blank">German Longsword runs every Tuesday</a>, and you can turn up at any time in the year.</div>
<div>
<br />
<a href="http://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Codex_D%C3%B6bringer_(MS_3227a)" target="_blank">As our oldest text says</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...one cannot really talk about fencing in a meaningful manner or explain it with written words, as some might like. You can only show it and instruct it by hand. So use all your senses and pay close attention to the art and practice it more for fun and play. so it will be ready for you faster for fencing seriously. That is because practice is better than art, your practice may very well be useful without art, but your art is useless without practice.</blockquote>
</div>
M Harold Pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949772130509527838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1883336322499581568.post-57938020157673898382014-09-22T14:47:00.002+01:002014-09-22T14:54:27.361+01:00Longsword Class Notes: The Five Meisterhaus and how we do them at DDS <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK5C6lj0f2qOtVCzopdSwRFXvdgiNON_6E8BRB9MeZuAIIaRbjPC0rHZnttkr-BfjBi1uVVvH22HyTzaoZaTtBisLnRKUbJmEKizLjEw9wxieAXV-8RKIa0cQvUbx8g6ay6x8lcBpgvfc/s1600/Profile1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK5C6lj0f2qOtVCzopdSwRFXvdgiNON_6E8BRB9MeZuAIIaRbjPC0rHZnttkr-BfjBi1uVVvH22HyTzaoZaTtBisLnRKUbJmEKizLjEw9wxieAXV-8RKIa0cQvUbx8g6ay6x8lcBpgvfc/s1600/Profile1.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
This is the first of a series of short posts setting out what we do in the <a href="http://www.dawnduellists.co.uk/classMedievalGermanLongsword.asp">DDS German Longsword Class</a>. They're intended for people who already attend the DDS Longsword class. For this reason, we haven't bothered with illustrations, though these may come.<br />
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Since these are class notes, we haven't justified our interpretations or provided citations. However, each and every technique given here fits the Goliath and associated family of texts and has been rigorously tested. (<a href="http://www.wiktenauer.com/wiki/Meisterhau">Some sources here.</a>)<br />
<br />
Please note that we know we have done Bad Things when anglicizing the German terms.<br />
<a name='more'></a><i style="background-color: #fff2cc;">NB: This is not a Viva! We're happy to clarify and expand on points in the comments, but don't have time for an academic debate. Comments ignoring this will vanish with extreme prejudice.</i><br />
<br />
<h3>
Introduction</h3>
The Five Meisterhaus are at the core of the system. Use them confidently in Zufechten (“the onset”) when you come into distance.<br />
<br />
<div>
The German Masters imply the following criteria for each Meisterhau:<br />
<ul>
<li>“Seizes the Vor,” meaning that they give you the initiative whether used in attack or counterattack.</li>
<li>“Secure” meaning that the sword is your shield when you attack.</li>
<li>“At the target” meaning that even while operating as a shield, the sword is aimed at your opponent rather than their sword.</li>
<li>“Guard breaking” meaning that each strike breaks a particular guard, forcing the other fencer to respond.</li>
<li>“No need to second guess opponent” (paraphrased from Dobringer) meaning done directly and with gumption, each strikes should mostly work as described.</li>
</ul>
We think they share the following characteristics:<br />
<ul>
<li>“Snipe-proof”, that is geometrically sound if used in the right circumstances.</li>
<li>“Feint-proof”, since you are aiming at the target.</li>
<li>“Forgiving of timing and distance”, since you end up with your point in the right place even if you cut short.</li>
</ul>
Thus, we think a Meisterhau enables you to attack into the other fencer’s defence or attack, and there is no way of simply cutting you down. Any reconstruction involving too much finesse or changing intention mid-strike is probably wrong. (However, finesse and changing intention are good.)<br />
<br />
<h3>
Summary of the Meisterhaus</h3>
<br />
The following assumes that you start in the lower version of the Guard of Vom Tag, blade at your rear shoulder, cross just below your armpit.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">NB: Other reconstructions exist. We believe ours are correct for our texts, but are pretty sure these aren’t the only ways people did them back in the day.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><br /></span>
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<hr />
<h4>
Zornhau (“Wrathstrike”)</h4>
This is a true edged cut.<br />
<br />
<b>Offensive: </b>Use this confidently against Vom Tag. <br />
<br /></div>
<div>
Keeping your hands low, punch your lead hand at the target’s sternum so as to throw the sword forward in a diagonal cut. <br />
<br /></div>
<div>
The action should be slicing, and without much rotation. As you reach full extension, step forward and out behind your cut. Your lead foot should land aligned with your knee. This looks like a pivoting lunge diagonally forward.<br />
<br />
<b>Defensive: </b>Use against any incoming Oberhau (strike from above).<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
As Offensive, except step more to the side. Let your sword follow its original course, aimed at your opponent’s head. Keeping your hands at least as theirs. <br />
<br />
The blades should clash just as you (almost) strike them on the head. From here you can complete the Zornhau Ort or the Duplieran (“Double”).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<hr />
<h4>
Krumphau (“Crooked Strike”)</h4>
This is a true-edged cut.<br />
<br />
<b>Offensive: </b>Use this confidently against open-handed Ochs.<br />
<br />
Start the cut like a Zornhau, but cross your hands so that the blade swoops at their lead shoulder. <br />
<br />
Your blade should scoop along their blade.<br />
<br />
Your blade should bind and perhaps push away the other blade. <br />
<br />
If your initial strike doesn’t land, uncross your hands and remaining bound on the blade as much as possible, deliver one of the following: Low false edge unterhau (cut from below); thrust from lower hanger; or high Sturtzhau (Plunging Strike) done while swinging your back leg behind yourself. <br />
<br />
<b>Defensive: </b>Use against any incoming Oberhau (strike from above), or Unterhau to high target.<br />
<br />
As Offensive, but spring out of the way without getting closer. Complete the spring by bringing the back leg around.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<hr />
<h4>
Zwerchhau (“Thwart Strike”)</h4>
This is a false-edged cut in a thumb grip.<br />
<br />
<b>Offensive: </b>Use this confidently against Vom Tag.<br />
<br />
Begin this as Zornhau keeping hands low, but (a) use a push of the left hand to rotate the grip in your right hand such that your right thumb can/could press on the flat of the blade and (b) step in close.<br />
<br />
You are now throwing the flat of your blade at the angle between your opponent’s head and left shoulder. On a good day, your cross should catch any incoming blows. (This is a bit like going into Kron with attitude.)<br />
<br />
As your front foot lands, barrel roll the blade and let your rear foot swing around beside yourself, thus making a slicing strike to the side of the head, or in “Lower Target”, meaning belly or hips. (NB Pull your blows.)<br />
<br />
If your initial strike doesn’t land, Wind or Take Off with another Zwerchhau from the same side, or – only if they press hard and down on your blade – do a Zwerchhau to the other side.<br />
<br />
<b>Defensive: </b>Use this confidently against any incoming Oberhau (strike from above).<br />
<br />
As Offensive but springing off to the side to avoid coming too close. Catch the incoming blade on your cross before the barrel role.<br />
<br />
</div>
<div>
<hr />
<h4>
Schielhau (Glancing Strike)</h4>
This is a false-edged cut in a thumb grip.<br />
<br />
<b>Offensive: </b>Use this confidently against any Pflug.</div>
<div>
<br />
Do this as per the Zwerchhau, but aiming at the opponent’s dominant shoulder (usually right shoulder) with a half roll. Ideally, your cross catches their blade, and your blade glances along theirs, striking the shoulder or thrusting to the chest. If required do a half lunge.If your initial strike doesn’t land, Wind.<br />
<br />
<b>Defensive: </b>Use this confidently against any incoming Oberhau (strike from above), especially from a over-the-head guard.<br />
<br />
As Offensive but springing off to the side to avoid coming too close. Catch the incoming blade on your cross before the half-barrel role.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<hr />
<h4>
Scheitelhau (Parting Strike)</h4>
This is a true-edged cut.<br />
<br />
<b>Offensive: </b>Use this against any Alber.<br />
<br />
Keeping the hands low, throw the sword straight down the Parting Line, i.e. the plane connecting your sternum to theirs. Spring in aggressively behind it. The aim is to put your sword in their face while still at an angle of about 45 degrees.<br />
<br />
If they raise their hands into Kron, turn your hands knuckles up and stab them anyway.<br />
<br />
<b>Defensive: </b>Use this against any incoming Oberhau (strike from above) if you are aggressive enough, and especially if you think the other fencer is being tricky.<br />
<br />
As Offensive, but with a sense of changing feet rather than stepping closer.</div>
<hr />
<div>
<a href="http://www.dawnduellists.co.uk/classMedievalGermanLongsword.asp" target="_blank">German Longsword runs every Tuesday from 1930 to 2200 hours followed by the pub.</a> Beginners of all ages (over 18) and physical condition welcome. Swords and protective kit provided. Wear loose clothing and shoes you can leap around in.</div>
M Harold Pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949772130509527838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1883336322499581568.post-61640626451379035032014-04-27T22:10:00.000+01:002014-04-27T22:10:16.940+01:00The Duel - An Essay<h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 21px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Duel</span></h1>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">by Jean-Loup Rebours-Smith</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-27574f12-a504-d90a-cb33-e70f64ee566e" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">André and Zack had been training together for a few years now and though there were others they normally trained with in the salle, they more frequently ended up paired up doing drills and other exercises. You start to know someone after training with them for a while. You see their play change, evolve into something smoother, sharper and less predictable. Yet at the same time your own play follows a similar path. An awkward dance becomes a continuous flowing motion. The body starts to move almost by itself, reacting rather than responding.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That night André felt particularly clear headed. When the time came to stop exercising and to start duelling he was more ready than he had even been. There was a twinkle in Zack’s eyes too that suggested a similar readiness and somewhere, as if coming out of thin air, a pulsating rhythm started to play, like the drumming of a distant tribe in the jungle.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Their swords firmly gripped, thumb gently resting behind the ricasso, they entered the duelling arena holding their masks under their left arm. At the call of the judges, their swords clashed and swooshed in a determined and respectful salute as is traditional. Having paid their respects to the judges and everyone watching, they assumed an en-garde position, left hand on one hip and sword pointing forward both shielding and threatening at the same time.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When the call was given, André quickly opened his play with a cut to the head. A swift parry and riposte from Zack forced him to drop his guard low to protect his right flank. Just as quickly he riposted again but Zack blocked him and took a step backward. Openings are often used as a test to feel your opponent’s swiftness to respond and as such there is little point to keep the flow going for too long. When the stream train gets on its way it must first start at a slow pace before accelerating to full speed.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">André attacked again, this time with a beat, but Zack knew better than to let his sword taken offline and he evaded the beat responding with an attempt to thrust directly at André’s chest. This was a clever and swift move but not one André was unfamiliar with. He dropped his blade to close the door to Zack’s thrust sending it offline. A good fencer never over-commits however and André’s returned cut was once again parried.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And then time started to slow down. As each cut and thrust was parried the riposte was sent to a precise opening only to land again on the other’s parrying blade. Again and again the blades clashed like a clock ticking inexorably setting into an unbreakable rhythm. Even as each of them looked for alternatives to their play, so swift was their response and so clear was their minds that there seemed to be no way to escape save through sheer exhaustion.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But exhaustion wasn’t an option, not when euphoria was driving their swords back and forth. Breaks were taken only to preserve energy and look for alternative strategies but with each return to guard another lock on rhythmic exchanges was the only possible result and it was hypnotic.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nobody knows how long they spent fighting each other. It seemed like time was now determined by the clockwork of their clashing blades forming a bubble that isolated them from the outside world. The judges and the public were trapped inside the sphere, wondering who would come out victorious eventually.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whilst dances are rehearsed, duels are drilled into the swordsman and the sword becomes both arms and armour. Victory isn’t about who hits most often but how easily you can slip into the duelling dance. That night, André and Zack knew they were now ready to take on anyone who would dare challenge them.</span></div>
Jean-Louphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14293016779226139571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1883336322499581568.post-6738651988500690512013-09-03T13:27:00.002+01:002014-10-27T09:18:02.217+00:00German Longsword MeisterhausHere's a summary of our current thinking on the Meisterhaus - <i>the correct plural is Meisterhäue, but we tend to Anglicise our technical terms, if only to make Claire Graf shudder </i>- based on several years of consulting the texts and experimenting. Please note that this is intended as a study aid and won't make much sense without attending the classes!<br />
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<a href="http://www.dawnduellists.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/longsword-class-notes-five-meisterhaus.html" target="_blank">This article now superseded by another one</a>.<br />
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M Harold Pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949772130509527838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1883336322499581568.post-86118735149466365572013-04-13T18:20:00.000+01:002013-04-13T18:20:34.836+01:00DDS at ConpulsionWe try to do <a href="http://www.geas.org.uk/conpulsion/">Conpulsion</a>, Edinburgh's mega gaming convention, every year. It has an amazing atmosphere, like the <a href="http://www.theauldhoose.co.uk/" target="_blank">Auld Hoose</a> but with the lights up and polyhedral dice rather than beer.<br />
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So every year, we haul our swords and kit down into the depths of the Teviot Student Union, battling - in my case at least - through the phantoms of that blurry portion of our youth spent in the same place.<br />
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We fight, we demonstrate, we try to show the <i>why</i> and the <i>shape </i>of fights: if you are a gamer, you are probably more interested in why the rapier supersedes the longsword (clue: "Ouch you just stabbed my hand"!) and the kind of lethal conversation that arises when the steel sings in the dark alleys of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lankhmar" target="_blank">Lankhmar</a> than in the <a href="http://www.wiktenauer.com/" target="_blank">mesmerizing minutiae of historical fencing manuals and traditions</a>.<br />
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Of course, it's a recruiting exercise, though not how you'd think. True, some years we pick up new members who not only stick, they also contribute to the Art and the Society. However, Historical Fencing is... mentally and physically demanding. You have to <i>want </i>to do it. Most of our stalwarts come and find us, rather than the other way around. So, popping up at a gaming convention is more about reminding the world that we exist, than about grabbing new people.<br />
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However, in truth, I find the main satisfaction is in being there there, being part of that magical community of People Who Do Something Cool.<br />
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Once you finish education and get a job - or devote yourself to finding one - once your leisure time is distinct from your work time and suddenly precious, you have a choice: are you going to fritter it all away on screen time, or are you going to Do Something Cool with those few spare hours; knit, game, craft, campaign, volunteer... <i>fight with swords</i>?<br />
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Mostly, we keep to our church-hall "salle", training, fighting, studying. That's fine; for use, swords are <i>about</i> swords, not showing off or performing. However, it's good to take our place amongst fellow travelers.<br />
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We'll be back at Conpulsion next year, but you don't have to wait until then to pick up a sword. <a href="http://www.dawnduellists.co.uk/" target="_blank">If you live near or in Edinburgh and are curious about Historical European Martial Arts, then be one of those people who comes and finds us</a>.<br />
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We do smite, but we don't bite.<br />
<br />
Martin<br />
.-)<br />
<br />M Harold Pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949772130509527838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1883336322499581568.post-32350512706177556922012-10-29T15:12:00.000+00:002012-10-29T15:13:04.890+00:00Heel or Toe? Watch your feetI recently had a bit of a revelation while paying particular attention to how my balance worked depending on whether I took the next step with my foot toe-first or heel-first. It gave me all sorts of ideas for things to give people to think about we more often than not simply take for granted.<br />
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But before I cover the difference between each step let's think about the back foot for one moment.<br />
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Whether it is for stepping in and out of measure or whether it is for lunging, how we distribute our weight from the back foot can be a matter of losing or winning a bout. Generally speaking in both cases you want to delay the shift of weight from the back foot to the front foot as much as possible. This allows you space and energy to divert your step at the very last second thus permitting a void or a retreat to happen depending on what your opponent does. This control of feet is often rather overlooked, especially in more "upright" fencing systems. However, in many rapier systems, which can have some rather dramatic weight-shifts, this is a very important principle. One needs only to read between the lines of Girard Thibault d'Anvers's treatise to realise that if you allow your weight to be delayed over the front foot you can then respond in proper tempo to an incoming attack and step accordingly for a safe defence to occur. Many Italian systems also allow for this space by having the major guards with the weight placed further back onto the back leg.<br />
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With this in mind, whether one steps or whether on lunges, which part of the front foot will make contact with the ground first is essential. When stepping with the toes extended, it allows for greater balance and flexibility due to a wider circle being created between the back foot, which acts as a pivot, and the front foot, which "draws the circle". This is the sort of step you want to make when simply stepping in and out of measure, whether you are circling your opponent or moving along a straight line. As an exercise, stand feet together, the back foot (left if you're right handed) either firmly on the ground or with the heel raised a little off the ground and take a step forward with toe pointed towards the ground. Now feel the weight staying over your back leg and see how stable you are without putting the front foot down on the ground, instead drawing an arc with your toe.<br />
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Now let's see what happens with the lunge. An important aspect of the lunge is the ability to recover. Some later systems advocate deep lunges and they have their reasons to do so. However focussing solely on rapier systems, it is fair to assume that one wants to be able to safely recover from a lunge. As we've seen the front toe pointing down increases the diameter of your "stepping circle". With the lunge, the further forward you step, the harder it is to recover. I personally recommend lunges to be no longer than one foot's length, that's the distance of your own foot, not the imperial measure. And to allow for this shortened distance, I recommend your lunging step to be lead with your heel. Not only will it allow you to step at a safe recoverable distance but it will also prevent more severe ankle twisting which usually happens due to the ball of the front foot rotating on landing. As a reminder, the foot must always be the last part of the body to start moving during a lunge, lunges should always be lead by the point of the sword to minimise the distance it requires to travel to its intended target.<br />
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To summarise, when stepping, lead with the toes, when lunging, lead with the heel. And while this is a simple deduction borne of my own experiments, I am more than happy to have people discuss the practical application of this method, bearing in mind that I make no claim of universal truth along all fencing systems, more that it is mostly relevant amongst rapier systems, but may be helpful for other systems.Jean-Louphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14293016779226139571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1883336322499581568.post-20202389247429055702012-09-18T17:59:00.002+01:002012-09-18T17:59:37.970+01:00ZornhauZornhau - trans; "Wrath strike" - is a diagonal cut. <br />
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Diagonal is good because the target can't duck or sidestep, it gets power from both gravity and the motion of your body, and because it clears away incoming weapons as it strikes home - "<em>Fencing Securely</em>".<br />
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<h3>
How to throw a Zornhau</h3>
In a nutshell: <em>Throw the edge at your target</em>.<br />
<ol>
<li>Stand in Vom Tag. </li>
<li>Punch your right hand at the target's sternum. Drive this using first hips and legs, and then a step forward and out.<br />NB Blade always goes first, since your sword is your shield.</li>
<li>Ideally, strike with the top third of your blade - "the point of percussion".* <br />If you miss, end the cut with the point forward (in <em>Lang Ort</em>) and stab with gusto. You are now in <em>Krieg</em>. :)</li>
</ol>
<h4>
*SAFETY: </h4>
<strong>You must pull your blow</strong>. To do this, aim the cut just short of the surface. Since you are throwing the sword rather than whirling it, this should not be too hard.<br />
<strong>When being struck</strong>, don't chew your lip, talk and most of all, <u>don't turn away</u>; the front of your mask can take a pulled blow from a replica sword. The rear of your mask is made of air.M Harold Pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949772130509527838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1883336322499581568.post-8606956190871087332012-09-11T10:12:00.001+01:002012-09-11T10:12:31.912+01:00What we teach in Tuesday's German Longsword classWell, I was going to teach <em>Krumphau</em> tonight, but the study group found what <em>looks like</em> a much better way of doing it, and I'm not teaching it until I know it really works...<br />
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...and that's us. In a nutshell, we teach only those reconstructed Longsword techniques that actually work when we try to break them. If they break, then either our interpretation is wrong, or we're not fit or fast enough.<br />
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<h2>
Where German Longsword comes from</h2>
Our art is reconstructed from a <a href="http://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Fencing_manual">heap of old manuscripts</a> of varied purpose ranging from class notes, advertising brochures, manifestos through to crib notes, in our case drawing mainly on <a href="http://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Goliath_(MS_Germ.Quart.2020)">Goliath</a> from the 1510s. We don't on the whole have step-by-step guides, because fencing was something you learnt in a fencing school.<br />
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This means we have more detail on advanced or special techniques than on basic ones, and more information on <em>before</em> and <em>after</em> than on <em>how</em>. We have lots of data points, but also lots of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_interpolation">possible curves</a>. <br />
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In the end, the final test of authenticity is "does it work as advertised?" After all, these guys did it with sharps. A Darwinian process would affect both fencers and fencing schools.<br />
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Unfortunately, a similar process applies to our interpretations...<br />
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<h2>
Why modern interpretations of break</h2>
A martial art is a web. Each technique implies the others since it either counters or leads into them, whether directly or indirectly.<br />
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In German Longsword, for example, <a href="http://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Zornhaw">Zornhau Ort counters Zornhau</a>. Imagine you have an interpretation that works very nicely: <br />
<ol>
<li><em>Swish! </em>Here comes Fencer 1's diagonal cut, the Zornhau.</li>
<li><em>Swish-Clang-Splat!</em> And that's the Fencer 2 cutting <em>into</em> the incoming Zornhau, swatting aside the blade then stabbing Fencer 1 in the mask.</li>
</ol>
<em>Woot! Back to the 15th Century! Next stop 1389!</em><br />
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But... over time, something odd happens. <br />
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Your fencers get fitter and faster, and better at handling their swords. This - say - affects your Zornhau more than your Zornhau Ort. Within a year, your Zornhau drill is a farce with Fencer 1 consistently striking Fencer 2, and novices looking at you shiftily and not returning.<br />
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So, now you revisit Zornhau Ort and make that work. But now you have to do follow on techniques differently; with the sword in a different position, the Take Off (<a href="http://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Abnemen">Abnemen</a>) works differently, as does the counter to that...<br />
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So, two related forces drive a Darwinian process of improvement:<br />
<ul>
<li>Fencers improving - getting fitter and faster and this breaking inefficient ways of doing things.</li>
<li>Interpretations improving - and thus breaking other interpretations.</li>
</ul>
Gradually, like a pro cyclist truing his wheels, or a spider getting the tension just right on her web, you tweak and improve, then somebody breaks a different technique, and in fixing it, you get insights into another technique and...<br />
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<h2>
Can a reconstructed historical martial art become stable?</h2>
Fortunately, there's one fixed point in all this: <em>Does it work as advertised in the original texts?</em> <br />
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There will always be variations in techniques because there will always be variations in people - I have short legs, for example, some of my friends are tall, others short. However, the more you try to break your interpretations, the more you go at them with an open mind, the faster you find the cluster of sweet spots, and so stability.<br />
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In the end, the process may be Darwinian, but the environment is fixed. All these technique are struggling to occupy just one niche - the one-on-one fight with longswords.<br />
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<h2>
So will Tuesday's syllabus keep changing?</h2>
Probably not. Over the years, we've broken anything that wasn't robust. <br />
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Our core techniques don't rely on superior speed, or catching the other person woolgathering, or faking them out. Nor are they kill or be killed; we don't do "nippy". Nothing is broken. The syllabus is stable.<br />
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Even so, as we teach and fight, we'll always be open to tweaks and enhancements that make what we have work even better, which is what's happening to the poor old Krumphau right now.<br />
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So, watch this space.<br />
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(Or better yet, get Freeplay Passed, join the Monday Study Group, and help us...)M Harold Pagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08949772130509527838noreply@blogger.com0