Ed: This week brings the start of a series of articles from Baron Iskender (formerly Alejandro). Mundanely, he’s coached and coaches college fencing and rugby. Now, he’s agreed to share some of his knowledge with us. In the far misty time of our ancestors, say about 1980 through 1995, concepts of preparing your body for any […]
Archive for March 2014
Weekly Warfare Fitness – 1 – Terminology & Getting Started 4 comments
Second Giganti IV: Cuts to the sword (Giganti on melee) Leave a comment
Between the sections on defense against cuts and the use of passing steps in a fight, Giganti pauses to include a “preface<sic> to the reader on the nature of cuts”. It’s three pages, with no plates, but does set forth two pieces of advice. The first is that cuts are not good contratempo responses to […]
Night on the Town 35 comments
Last weekend, Ruairc, Letia, Ibrahim, and myself piled in a car and headed up to Night on the Town. Blacksword Tournament: The day started off as many events do, with a Blacksword tournament. Blacksword tournaments are fought single pass, single elim with double kills counting as a loss for both fighters. This one had a […]
Second Giganti III: Defense Against Cuts to the Leg 2 comments
Giganti’s system for defense against low-line cuts is fairly simple, though laid out over three plates mostly for reinforcement. As he instructs in his first book, the best defense is to stab your opponent in the face as he primes the cut. This works when your sword is not already engaged, so in his second […]
Second Giganti II: Voids against cuts Leave a comment
Giganti offers a second defensive alternative to cuts against the head roughly described as “don’t be there”. In contrast to the parries, the void leaning backwards provides for two responses, one a bit more contratempo than the other. Both options proceed from the void. Against either the mandritto or the roverscio, simply lean your torso […]
Tournament Structure/Rulesets Conducive to HMA Study 6 comments
Rory put forth the observation that the HEMA community is much troubled by what the “best” tournament format is, and long debate between entrenched positions as to what’s wrong with every current format (see: Sayre’s Law). It starts with the assumption that there is an optimal format, or at least a universally least-bad format. That […]
On University, and New Folks 7 comments
A week ago, I went to University to teach some classes. (Gawin was supposed to come co-teach, but life intervened.) Our classes were three: Rapier Melee Fundamentals – providing a mental framework for new fighters to process melee, based on how my own brain works in melee. When in measure, focus on swords: stymie threats, […]
Second Giganti I: Defense against cuts to the Head 4 comments
Through his first four plates (and a fifth plate embedded later on, in the section on passing steps), Giganti lays out his method for defending against cuts to your head or upper body with the sword or sword and dagger. In the first book his responses were either to lunge in the tempo of their […]
Ymir 2014 20 comments
Because nobody else has made this post yet. February 22 was the official day of the Rag’narok. So, of course, the weather was a balmy 70 degrees, with nary a Giant in sight. About thirty fencers showed, which was lower-than-usual attendance. Not sure why. I guess they don’t like fighting. The Tourney Traditionally, Ymir is […]