Dakao v. 2.0 - The Crooked Cut

German Longsword (acc. Johannes Liechtenauer, Sigmund Ringeck)

Ξ November 23rd, 2007 | → | ∇ Uncategorized |

I. Introduction

A. Overview

1. Context

• Unarmored combat for dueling, 14th – 15th centuries

2. Principles

1. Timing
2. Leverage
3. Control

3. Concepts, basic

4. Concepts, advanced

B. Brief history

1. Johannes Liechtenauer – 14th century, from Swabia or Bavaria, a Meister of the Kunst des Fechtens.
2. Sigmund Ringeck – 1420-1440? Wrote glosa (commentaries) on Liechtenauer’s merkverse (teaching verse), per Hanko Döbringer’s model (“Alles ist ringen.”)

C. Der Langschwert

1. Point

2. Pommel

3. Cross

4. Hilt

5. Schwech

• Upper, weak half of blade
• Hit with this half in attack

6. Störk

• Lower, strong half of blade
• Hit with this half in defense

7. Lang / true edge

8. Kurz / false edge

II. Principles

A. Times of the fight – These are moments in time, not units (e.g. seconds, minutes).

• (e.g. When you void an opponent’s attack, you are in his nach; if you act in that moment before he can act again, you create your vor during his nach.)
• 1. Vor - acting before your opponent acts. This is the heart of the art!
• 2. Nach - the moment after your opponent has acted
• 3. Indes - acting in the moment that your opponent acts
  • 1. The moment for a meisterhau – simultaneous attack and defense
  • 2. The white-hot instant (from Dr. Bill Ernoehazy) when the blades clash (binden)

B. Leverage

1. Störk und schwech – strong and weak

1. When weak, yield to opponent’s strength; cover to stay safe, move obliquely
2. When strong, press forward directly

2. Fühlen – responsiveness in the moment of blade contact

• Lets you feel whether you are strong or weak during Indes

C. Control

1. Distance – Understand and choose the range at which you fight when you are ready. Don’t play into the opponent’s range, esp. when you are unprepared.

2. Weapon – Be aware of the opponent’s weapon. Use your hands and weapon to limit his actions. By restricting his options, you can keep yourself safe.

III. Concepts, basic

A. Vier Leger – Four guards

1. Footwork

• stand on balls of the feet, 50-50 weight distribution

2. Stance

• feet shoulder width apart, 45 degrees apart; straight back

3. Four guards

1. Vom Tag – From the Roof
2. Albers – the Fool
3. Pflug – the Plow
4. Ochs – the Ox

B. Meisterhau

1. Zornhau

• counter with zucken, durchwechseln, winden; careless displacements are poor counters, b/c they’re vulnerable to the aforementioned counters. Counter opponent’s zucken with hende trucken.

2. Krumphau

• krump to opponent’s hands during his strike; krump under his strike to deflect, and turn momentum into a false edge oberhau / krump to his head or pull back for a quick thrust; krump to his blade; counter with arm extension into a thrust.

3. Zwerchhau

• wind / duplieren into a cut; zwerch to other side; tear down sword and zwerch; enter and thrust or tear down opponent by the neck; counter with a steeper zwerch falling swiftly under the blade; also counter with a hende trucken in the nachreisen.

4. Schielhau

• this vertical zwerchhau breaks thrusts and long points with its single-time counterattack. Counter by passing forward in weak cover, deflecting opponent’s schielhau, and delivering your own schielhau or zwerchhau.

5. Scheitelhau

• use distance and offline step to strike opponent’s head or arms from high. Counter by displacement with the krön or winding to ochs; counter with hende trucken winding or verkehrer.

C. Winden

1. duplieren

2. mutieren

3. verkehrer

• a high mutieren (ref. Scheitelhau)

4. hende trucken

• winding that ends in pflug / ochs, slicing opponent’s wrists from above / below

IV. Concepts, advanced

D. Vier Versetzen

• Counters involve advancing on a pass in cover, in the tempo of displacing the opponent’s strike.

1. Krumphau vs. Ochs

2. Zwerchhau vs. vom Tag

3. Schielhau vs. Pflug

4. Scheitelhau vs. Albers

E. Nachreisen

• Take the vor back during the opponent’s nach

F. Überlaufen

• Ref. Scheitelhau; overrunning with distance

G. Absetzen

• Move from pflug to ochs or pflug to pflug to displace an opponent’s strikes

H. Durchwechseln

• Slipping the point

I. Zucken

• Twitch to the right and left targets to break the opponent’s guard and create an opening; seize it by breaking your own pattern. Hende trucken / nachreisen to counter.

J. Durchlaufen

• Throws, grapples, disarms

K. Abschneiden

• Cutting off the opponent’s actions; placing the blade for a schnitt on the opponent’s wrists in the vor or in the nach

L. Hende trucken

• Pressing the hands; extension or completion of abschneiden techniques

M. Zwei hengen

• Two hangings; pflug and ochs are lower and upper hangings

N. Das Winden

1. Binding on the left from a right oberhau, wind up to left ochs
2. When 1st winding is displaced, remain on same side of opponent’s sword, but pass to left and wind to right ochs
3. Bind on the right, wind to right ochs
4. When 3rd winding is displaced, remain on same side of opponent’s sword, pass to right and wind to left ochs
5. Bind on the left, wind to left pflug
6. When 5th winding is displaced, wind to right pflug
7. Bind on the right, wind to right pflug
8. When 7th winding is displaced, wind to left pflug

O. Nebenhut

P. Schrankhut