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Wednesday 16th of March
(March 16th, 2011 by Ludwig von Rege...)

Lesson plan: Beginning rapier based on Meyer interspersed with discussions of fencing theory.  Development of multi-part attack and response drills, starting well out of measure, should appeal to non-beginners.

Started with the usual footwork practice.

Brief review of Meyer's lunge (to the body) and parry.

Discussion of hand orientation and strength of the edge vs flat.

Incremental drill (slowly add steps to build a long sequence): A & B in Eisenport. 

1. A approaches B.  B lunges when A comes into measure.

2. A parries B's lunge.

Rapier at St Sebastian's
(March 14th, 2011 by Eleanor Hall)

Ludwig, Eleanor and Eloise took their rapier gear along with them to the St Sebastian's event on the weekend and did a bit of training.  Eleanor also found the pile of fibreglass rapiers which are once again in her car to be taken along on Wednesday.

Eleanor has discovered that she likes using the hanging guard against Ludwig's oberhau but needs to tighten her defence as the resulting bruises are less then fun.

Ludwig brought along a couple of bucklers so we did a bit with them.

Eloise and Eleanor hatted up with single sword.

Newcomers, Meyer, Manciolino
(March 9th, 2011 by Katherina Weyssin)

Fencing is picking up steam for the year, with Ludwig and Eleanor taking over more of the teaching, Caterine returning to practices, and a couple of very talented new fencers on the scene.

 

Unfortunately, Eleanor is too busy sorting event photos, and Ludwig is too entranced with his new fencing-manual, by Manciolino (16th C Italian, Bolognese school) to have time to update the website regularly.

First Fencing!
(March 2nd, 2011 by Katherina Weyssin)

There was fencing! With new people and everything! Yay!

Last fencing class of the year
(December 1st, 2010 by Katherina Weyssin)

Still Meyer rapier, of course:

2.77r: / Forgeng p197:"How you shall change through and thrust to the other side against an opponent who strikes out your first thrust"

2.77v: "How you shall pull back the thrust as if you intended to thrust in elsewhere, and just as he will parry it, thrust back in where you had first threatened the thrust"

[skipped  "how you shall counterthrust at the same time as he cuts"]

2.78r / Forgeng p198: "How you shall catch your opponent's cuts and thrusts, and countercut"

Saint Catherine's Tournament
(November 28th, 2010 by Katherina Weyssin)

On the Sunday of Saint Catherine's, we had a picnic in Cornwall Park, and a tournament to select our new Baronial Fencing Champion. Eleanor Hall arranged the tournament, with assistance from Don William de Cameron, last year's champion.

 

We had five combatants:

  • His Excellency Don Emrys Twdr, our Baron
  • Don William de Cameron, defending champion
  • Sir Willehelm von Tanneberg
  • Baron Benedict of Askerigg
  • Lord Ludwig von Regensburg

 

When someone counters your counter-attack . . . go into Ox
(November 24th, 2010 by Katherina Weyssin)

Revision of the sequence:

  • your opponent attacks
  • you parry, then thrust
  • your opponent parries your thrust
  • you take the momentum from the parry, snap into Ox, and thrust on the other side

On both sides, and building it up slowly, as we had some newer people.

More work on the low cuts, and that defense in Ochs
(November 17th, 2010 by Katherina Weyssin)

We revised what we've been doing for the last several weeks. William and Ludwig noticed some interesting connections between the response in ochs to a counter-thrust which is parried (he attacks - you parry and thrust - he parries your thrust - you snap into Ochs and thrust anyway) and the 8-part play were were working on before that. I'll leave them to write it up.

Low cuts that aren't very low
(November 11th, 2010 by Katherina Weyssin)

We intended to quickly revise all the material we did last week, then make our way through the next sections. Instead, we found ambiguities and complexities we hadn't noticed last week, and never made our way out of the first paragraph:

How you shall intercept and counterthrust from the Straight Parrying against an opponent who cuts at you from below.

2.76r, Forgeng p196

I'm going to start by giving Forgeng's translation of Meyer's text here, so I can refer back to it:

More plays from Meyer
(November 3rd, 2010 by Katherina Weyssin)

We continue to work our way through Book II of the rapier section:

How you shall intercept and counterthrust from the Straight Parrying against an opponent who cuts at you from below

2.76r, Forgeng p196

Our classic Meyer defense against cuts or thrusts below your guard, called sperren or "barring" in the section on parries:

  • pivot on your back foot, lowering your point, catching your opponent's blade with your long edge
  • thrust at his face, stepping forwards with your front foot

Extra notes this time, from Meyer:

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