Versetzen and Absetzen: Longsword Lesson 16 

Thomas Heydenreich You are welcome. And thank you for the insight.

It's normally better to let your grip change on the sword than twisting the wrist. Turning the short edge out by bending the wrist means that it's a much weaker structure, and so if the opponent delivers a very heavy cut they'll be able to blow through that structure. If you change your grip while winding up into e.g. ochs, you can turn the short edge out while maintaining a strong wrist structure, which is able to then resist powerful strikes.

Cool. Real techniques work with fantasy weapons. 😀

Thanks!

The way I see it Absetzen is a cut and Ansetzen is a thrust. Absetzen = to set down, break down, dethrone; You are stopping his cut with your own cut (e.g. Zornhau, Zwerchhau, Schielhau) so it is a counter attack because it parries and ripostes at the same time, it is faster but also riskier Ansetzen = to settle on, put on, implement; You stop his cut by putting your blade on his blade, then follow up with a thrust (e.g. Mutieren, Winden, Zornhau-ort) so it as parry and then a riposte so they are not happening simultaneous, it is slower but also safer In short: Abesetzen is a counter cut (1 move) and Ansetzen is a parry cut with a thrust as a riposte (2 moves) And Versetzen (to set aside, offset) is just a parry. Edit: changed some wording Edit 2: So i was wrong about the absetzen. apparently it is a specific thrust, done with a winding motion so you end in the ox position, so its basically a winden. My version of the absetzten is more descriptive of the versetzen in that it is the cut that parries the sword.

Absetzen is specific thrusting technique, when you want to keep your opponents blade on your true edge, pushing it outside and thrusting simultaneously. Ansetzen is more like "principle" sharing some similarities with those more detailed versions of versetzen. While versetzen is cutting into change of guard, ansetzen is same kind of action but with a tip. Easiest scenario to explain: both opponents keep langort position with tips in quite close or even slightly crossing (so quite agressive distance but not enough for safe durchwesseln to absetzen) and while one change from langort to low vom tag as preparation for immediately following oberhaw, second has to react fast and follow his opponents blade with is own tip reaching his opponents body before he could change his stance and start with is attack or at least before he could start it properly. It is all about timing and fast reaction, like both swords was tied together with some invisisble string - while first one is pulled, second one is immediately following and stabbing into this movement which cannot be so easily stopped or changed.

Ansetzen is sort of "frog DNA" from messer, it does not appear in longsword treatises as such. It is basically an "offensive absetzen", where you initiate with a thrust in a way that you close out the most obvious defensive action. I.e.: when your opponent is in right vom Tag, you step forward and stab from left Ochs, catching his blade and stabbing him. Aka: the Slavic flying lunge :D

@@Angelimir thank you! I actually figured that out a couple years ago lol. I study Fiore/Vadi and Highland Broadsword now

@@frankheninja1 sorry for being a slowpoke 😅

They are standard Peter Regenyei feders. He has a list of suppliers on his site.