This is a partnered defensive drill working from the Rowarth manual. It is the very basics of defence against the typical cuts seen in the six cut cutting drill.
I like this. It's a little different than the Hutton we've been practicing, but seems like a useful drill. I will try it out next time we practice sabre. Thanks!
I'm in Italy, started fencing a while ago, now trying this, in here I can't have metal blades Sabres, any suggestions on what sabre to use for training? (maybe like the ones utilised in the videos)
Great video on sabre! I enjoy watching your sabre videos. Though I'm going to take a leap of faith here because I saw something weird: is she in range to hit Nick's body? In my perspective, she is very close, but no cigar. The best way to see if she is in lunging range is to do the following: first, extend arm as if she is lunging by point. Next, advance until her point hits Nick (or opponent). After the hit, she does a reverse lunge. Finally, she recovers and, lo!, she is in her lunging range. While this is highly unrealistic because no opponent will let a person extends point to measure their lunge, this method of checking the lunging measure serves as a pedagogy tool to let the person know their lunging range and, most importantly, their non-lunging range.
+Neo Henry On a few cuts she is a whisker short, though the parries stop her cuts short in many instances, and curved blade make it look even further away because of those parries as a result. However, why is she at the limit of her reach? Because normally she uses a blade two inches longer than these, because I told her to not move her back foot at all during the video to maintain the framing for the video, and therefore I picked the distance at which we were as a I reset, and I am two inches taller than her. Funnily enough we were working on many distance work drills after this video in session tonight and they will be covered in a video at a later date. But all of those factors contributed to her being a whisker out. However, it does not effect the drill for the defender, and is at times quite representative of many real fights or sparring bouts, where opponents fight at the maximum of their reach for protection and an unwillingness to commit to a full reach attack. I wasn't bothered by this, because it did not effect the drill for the intended student, who is practicing defence. As I said in the video, this can even be done with fixed footing.
Good drill! You can see the weakness inherent in using just inside and outside against the lower attacks - your weak/strong relationship is less advantageous than when you're using hanging. I don't believe I've read Roworth - what is his defense against someone who cuts down towards the leg? Just a drawing back of the leg?
+Michael Eversberg II Indeed, the hanging parries are almost always stronger than the inside and outside, however, a successful inside guard in particular, opens up a greater range of counters than the hanging guard. This relationship can be seen if you go back and watch sabre fights between the two instructors Mike and Nick, where Mike favours using the low inside and outside guards to counter low cuts, where Nick favours hanging and half hanging guards, Yes that is exactly the defence against the leg cut. In fact we shot a lesson last night on stance and core footwork that includes this, and it will be posted within the next few days. It would be shown and taught before these kind of drills normally, but we are not posting them up quite in the order in which we would recommend learning, they will however be re-numbered in that order as an when we fill the holes.
I have seen a similar drill that continues with cut 7 to the head and a St George guard. Otherwise exactly the same. Is there a reason the cut 7 is not done in this drill? Or do different, but similar systems use different drills? Just curious. Very nice demo and explanation. Thank you.
Straight vertical overheads are often omitted even in earlier sources, because they realistically almost always come at an angle anyway and even if they don't, the difference between cut 7 and cut 1 are marginal and you defend in much the same ways.
Nobody really uses wood for sabre or much of HEMA at all, singlestick being the only exception. I'd recommend you get a synthetic as we are using here, they are made by Black Fencer in Spain, who have resellers around the world. The model we use most and is based heavily on originals is the 1796 infantry model.
3:55 when you say 'low guards' and 'high guards', are you backwards? It seems like the hanging guards are more capable of defending against attacks from below, whereas the other guards are better at defending attacks from above. In the original drill, the hanging guards are the ones that are used to defend the low attacks. So shouldn't the hanging guards be the low guards?
It's all to do with hilt positioning. Hilt higher than the head - high. Below the head - low. But I have moved away from using this distinction now anyway. Mainly because it can just lead to some confusion with some of the other styles we work with in the club. The Hanging guards are not used for defending low attacks. The half hangers are used to defend flank and belley, the hilt is at shoulder height. Guard of St George is used when slipping against a leg attack, but the sword isn't actively defending there, it is just getting out of the way and into a position where it counter cuts with power and speed. Another reason I have moved away from the high/low division, as the half hangers are made at the same height as inside/outside, hilt wise.
Dear Nick, int he manual stand the inside guard could defend again cuts from I to V. You think this is practical, could it really defend against the cuts from 3 and 4 ?
Yes the inside guard can absolutely defend against 3 and 4, in fact in the first edition of Roworth there is a version of inside with a slip used for this, before being replaced by half circle (against cut 3) in later editions. The import thing to remember is you need to create a good cross with the opponents blade to give a good defence. So if they cut 3 against you, the inside guard needs to have the point directed well to your left, whereas if they cut 4 the point should direct well to your right. This usn't my preferred way to parry though cuts (which would be half hanging guards), but sometimes it is needed in the moment
@@AcademyofHistoricalFencing thank you a lot Nick, I think I will have a lot more question as progressing though the manuals. I would love to visit you fencing club for some weeks. For sure I can learn a lot about Roworth. I preferred in the past the cold steel manual from Hutton and "Das Säbelfechten" from Barbasetti. (Also some polish cross cutting). Kind Regard Dennis T.
If they are made diagonally then the inside and outside guard. If vertical, guard of St George. You can see it in the solo drill here. Each attack make is followed with the parry that would defend against the cut you just made. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hcAR18JtL8s.html
+darthclone7 Yes, you should be able to parry a longsword with any kind of sword besides some of the unusually light weapons in history, providing you parry with the right part of the sword i.e the forte (or strong). The hanging parry is the strongest is is best against more powerful cuts or weapons like the longsword that have substantially more leverage.
+Tom Rundell Steel - For basket hilts Darkwood Armoury are quite good, but expensive for what they are, even more so if you are not in the US, and they aren't perfect. You will see me using one in some videos, including a new sparring clip we will post tomorrow. Aside from that, the only other recommendation would be Danelli. We have a few of his swords, though not baskets, and all are excellent. Onto sabres. It has always been difficult getting training sabres. Regenyei is currently the only one making ones that we would recommend. All of the ones he makes are good, but he doesn't sell out club standard normally. I have just tried to order another after my break last week, so we'll see. Synthetic - Knightshop for light hitting and off the shelf, Black Fencer for something a little more realistic that will take longer to get and hit harder.
+Tom Rundell I believe Peter Regeneyi ( www.regenyei.com/ ) and Marco Danelli ( www.danelliarmouries.com/ ) are two of the most popular / respected weapon-smiths in Europe at the moment. I have heard nothing but good things about their work, and dearly hope to own at least one myself one day, by either maker.
