#sprechfenster

[historicalfightingguide]

“ Brian Kest on the Riddle of Physical Arts   Stephen Jenkinson on Stillness

Compel (from 42v of Danzig 44 A 8):  You should in all striking and meeting always bind strongly on his sword and force (constrain) and coerce (compel) on his sword with your point, and with skill see if you can set upon him. Sprechfenster (from 36v of Danzig 44 A 8):  Whoever can truly  fight from it at the sword can coerce (compel) his foe so that he must be hit whether he likes it or not and cannot manage to strike or thrust before your point.

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A desire line is formed from many people over time choosing not to walk the paved paths, but instead go the way that seems most expedient to them.  they are typically formed when planners don't account for real human behavior.

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About us!

James is the founder and principal instructor of the Goliath Historical Fencing Academy. He began fencing in 2009, after being inspired by the film Reclaiming The Blade. At Goliath, he instructs several weapons systems including longsword, rapier, dagger, unarmed combat, quarterstaff and halberd. He has taught at private seminars at major fencing events in Europe and Canada as well as across the US.

Jess Finley has had a sword in her hand for the past twenty years. Her initial interest was in stage combat, but not too long after beginning that pursuit began to ask "... but how did they really fight?" From that question, she branched out to German Medieval Martial Arts after being accepted as a student by Christian Tobler, who remains her mentor to this day.   She is the head instructor at Ritterkunst Turnhalle in Lawrence, Kansas. She has taught and competed internationally as well as private intensives at her home.  She also has a background studying Judo under the tutelage of Arden Cowherd of Topeka Judo Club.

She is a published author, having written a book entitled "Medieval Wrestling" on the fifteenth century Master Ott's wrestling treatise of German wrestling techniques..  She also researches medieval clothing construction and fabric armor, and has presented her findings at the International Congress on Medieval Studies at Kalamazoo and published an article in Medieval Clothing and Textiles (Boydell and Brewer) on her study of a 15th century quilted armor.

Jess's Patreon is http://www.patreon.com/jessfinley”

And of course some talk of the sources and principles of KDF and fighting in general

The section at 54 or so minutes into the video there’s a very interesting discussion about stillness in fencing, how that relates to the sprechfenster(speaking window) and more general KDF concepts like indes, nachraisen, etc. 

For anyone who hasn’t yet seen the following links:

Some advice on how to start studying the sources generally can be found in these older posts

Remember to check out  A Guide to Starting a Liberation Martial Arts Gym as it may help with your own club/gym/dojo/school culture and approach.

Check out their curriculum too.

Fear is the Mind Killer: How to Build a Training Culture that Fosters Strength and Resilience by Kaja Sadowski may be relevant as well.

Another useful book to check out is  The Theory and Practice of Historical European Martial Arts (while about HEMA, a lot of it is applicable to other historical martial arts clubs dealing with research and recreation of old fighting systems).

Worth checking out are this blogs tags on pedagogy and teaching for other related useful posts.

Consider getting some patches of this sort or these cool rashguards to show support for good causes or a t-shirt like to send a good message while at training.

And stay safe

#hema #historical fencing #swords #swordfighting #desire line #sprechfenster

[vidilpoge]

2023-03-31 Training Blog

After the usual warm up and Forma di Fiore we continued with some play for zornhau, last time it was with abnehemen, this time was winden. Love me some winden. It mad me utter the phrase: "this is the most german thing I've seen so far this year". We drilled winden plays till I was sick with them circa November and now here they are back with vengance. Let me go about some platitudes if you don't mind.

It has been scorched into my head since the first weeks of practicing that "Fencing start from the bind", and that the true mark of a master fencer was getting the stab in. How wonderful to find this two statements true in the winden plays. Once the bind is engaged you can fight almost indefinetily for the central line, changing high/low, inside/outside, and then someone slips and the stitch goes thru.

That is, in theory. In sparring I find that the most common reaction from sprechfenster is undo the binden and go for a chop, at least for my mates from the hall. This drives me nuts, but it's a me problem, I know that this is the case and I should adapt my style to counter it. We spar so little nowdays I don't even now if I have a style anymore.

I was mentally worn out from work and I opted out the last exercise, as it involved no collaboration between partners and minimal gear on (only mask and gloves). That's how you get injured or injure somone. It was "from the bind, without undoing the bind, do winden until you get in with the point". Ffs I can't do a fuhlen drill at 10 pm after a day of work and against a guy 15 cm taller than me. And with synthetic simulacra, or as I love to call them "the fisher-price swords". I watched them doing it and it was a shitshow, ngl.

Also before the training started I made clear with the instructor that the woman who came for the free trial last time was scared AF when him and the other instructor isolated her from the rest of the class and sandwiched her between the wall and themselves. I know it was to leave the floor to us and to talk to her about what HEMA is etc, but the thing was that two strangers who you know for a fact can wield violence (and they have weapons in hand!!) are cutting you off from the rest of the room and you're alone, at night, far from home. I will be surprised if she wants to be back, the poor thing. The instructor response to me laying down the situation was, like, "this is something we shall account for, in the future". I swear to GOD he is the most awkward guy, in the "he cannot be selfaware" sense of the word.

#hema #fencing #german longsword #2023 03 31 #winden #zornhau #training log

[junck-ritter]

Stand in Sprechfenster, To see who will enter. Whoever draws back, Strike in with a snap. Now let me assure, No defence is for sure. And if this is well known, Barely he’ll come to blows.

Johannes Liechtenauer.

This is from a translation of the whole Blossfechten (unarmoured fencing) of the codex 44a8. I have gone to extreme pains to translate the verse into english and make it rhyme properly while losing as little meaning as possible. Stay tuned.

#hema #manual #book #source #poetry #liechtenauer #sprechfenster #fencing #historical #european #martial #arts

[longswordsinlondon]

A Good Evening

I haven’t blogged my own self-congratulations for at least a week, so here’s some: I just enjoyed a really good evening at longsword practice.

We worked on drills in the pocket of thrusting from a sprechfenster engagement. Always good material, and I was blessed with a diligent training partner.

This was followed up by some fun sparring, and topped off with an invitation to do some dagger sparring. Dagger sparring is almost always messy, but we had some great exchanges in between the doubles. There were several clean hits with control by both of us, but the cherry was one rally of at least a half dozen attacks and parries that had us looking around for applause and finding no one was watching but busy putting their kit away.

“That was some Bourne movie shit!”

#HEMA #historical fencing #dagger #Historical European martial arts #longsword

[justanotherfencer-blog]

Goal of the year; Die vier versetzen

Vier sind versetzen / dy die leger auch ser letzen / 

I have spent a fair amount of time the last few months thinking about how Liechtenauer wanted us to fence. One of the first things I started to note when diving into Ringeck (our primary source), was that it fairly explicitly states that 

1. Always start from the right side (if you’re righthanded) (14r-14v)

2. If you’re doing a vorschlag (you take the initative, which is what liechtenauer tells us to) against someone defending, you should only use the five cuts (16v-17v)

3.Four of these cuts each break one of the four guards/lyings (vier leger). (34v-36v). These are called the vier versetzen, or the four setting asides; Zwer to tag, Krump to ochs, Schiel to pflug and Schaitler to alber. Note that Zornhau is not one of these, due to it not breaking any leger (I’ve been toying with the idea of zornhau breaking central positions as vorschlag, such as langeort and sprechfenster when applied properly).

Interestingly enough the vier versetzen are seldomly used in sparring by the HEMA community, and they are rarely seen in competitive matches (oberhau and thrusts are much more common openers). I know I personally almost never used them, instead reverting to simple oberhaus and thrusts when attacking. The exception is the zwer, which we see a decent amount of as a vorschlag to tag.

So in the name of science and fencing, this year I’ve decided to focus on being able to perform the vier versetzen in earnest when fencing, to the point that I can consistently perform them even in competition. 

My first problem for performing them is confidence. I think I got the technique down for them, but I keep doubting my distance and timing and losing the moment for performing them. I fully expect it will take all of spring before I can start doing them reliably, but when they work I’ll be one step closer to fencing in a way that Liechtenauer would approve of!

Wish me luck! ;-)

#vier versetzen #hema #ringeck

[schottisreisetagebuch]

Unbekanntes Wien - Das Tröpferlbad

Die Bezeichnung ‚Tröpferlbad‘ leitet sich vom spärlichen Wasserdruck aus den oberen Hausetagen her - dort befanden sich die Tanks, die an hygiene-intensiven Tagen rasch an ihre Grenzen stießen. Das Wasser floss dann nur tropfenweise aus den Brauseköpfen. Gemeint ist die Zeit der Eröffnung des ersten Wiener Volksbades, 1887. 

In Ottakring steht das letzte “reine” Tröpferlbad Wiens

Bis zum Ausbruch des Weltkriegs errichtete die Wiener Stadtverwaltung weitere achtzehn Brausebäder. Im Jahr 1914 versammelten sich gezählte dreieinhalb Millionen Menschen im städtischen Getröpfel. Das bedeutet: Bei der damaligen Bevölkerungszahl von zweieinhalb Millionen Einwohnern hat sich jeder Wiener durchschnittlich eineinhalb Mal pro Kalenderjahr geschrubbt. So richtig sauber waren sie nicht, unsere Vorfahren. Im Krieg riecht man eben nicht so genau hin. In den fünfziger Jahren hat das Komiker-Duo ‚Pirron & Knapp‘ dem ‚Tröpferlbad‘ ein musikalisches Denkmal errichtet. Längstens seit damals hatte es der Duschkopf ins kollektive Gedächtnis der Stadt geschafft.

Anderswelt

Heute gibt es nur noch ein einziges reines Brausebad: Das Volksbad 16. Wo schon, in Ottakring. Im Parterre eines Gemeindebaus. Pirron & Knapp live. Anderswelt. „Ja?“ Ich erschrecke. Ich habe nicht mit so prompter Aufmerksamkeit gerechnet. Die Türe hinter mir schließt sich. Ich stehe in einem Nirosta-Paradies in der Größe einer Mikrowelle. „Was wollen Sie?“ Ich sage, dass ich duschen möchte, eigentlich. „Eigentlich?“ Ein Drachen undefinierbaren Alters mustert mich von oben bis unten. „Sie?“ Sie mag an schrullige Personen gewöhnt sein, ich bereite ihr, scheint’s, Kopfzerbrechen. „Ja, ich“. Ich blicke mich um. Schuldbewusst.  „Weshalb?“, sagt die Person hinter der Glasscheibe. Ich beuge mich zum Sprechfenster hinunter, sie geht vorsichtshalber zwei Schritte rückwärts. „Weil ich es nötig habe“, flüstere ich. „Ich kenne meine Pappenheimer. Sie gehören nicht dazu.“ „Ist das Lokal öffentlich oder nicht?“ „Aber nicht für Sie. Sie haben schon geduscht, heute.“ „Was kostet der Spaß?“

Im Brausebad

 „Sie haben kein Handtuch dabei.“ „Brauche ich das?“ „Zum Duschen nicht, aber zum Abtrocknen.“ Wo sie Recht hat, hat sie Recht. „Was wollen Sie hier?“ Ich rücke mit der Wahrheit heraus. Ich möchte ins letzte ‚Tröpferlbad‘ Wiens. Einfach so. „Ist das verboten?“ „Weshalb wollen Sie rein?“ „Ich möchte ein paar Fotos schießen.“ „Nicht von mir. Hier wird geduscht und sonst gar nix.“ 

Fotografieren verboten!

„Okay…“, sage ich, „Was bin ich schuldig?“ „Zwei siebzig. Für eine Stunde.“ „Und wenn ich kürzer dusche?“ „Sie haben kein Handtuch dabei.“ Wir drehen uns im Kreis. Ich lege die Münzen auf den Resopal-Tresen. „Sie duschen ohne Handtuch?“ „Das tue ich immer.“ Die Frau lässt mich nicht aus den Augen, dann tippt sie den Betrag in die Registrierkasse und wurschtlt den Bon durch den Sprechschlitz. „Sie werden hier nicht fotografieren.“ Ich betrete das Allerheiligste, vor mir liegt ein langer Gang. „Rechts die Männer, links die Frauen. Toilette bitte um die Ecke.“ Wie aus dem Nichts steht der Zerberus hinter mir. Rückzug ist nicht mehr. „Haben Sie eine Seife?“, sage ich und ahne die Antwort.“ Die Alte sieht mich einfach nur feindselig an. „Einundzwanzig. Rein mit Ihnen.“ Ich stehe vor einer Stahltüre. „Helfen Sie mir beim Ausziehen?“ Ich war schon mal besser. „Wenn Sie in einer Stunde nicht draußen sind, hol ich sie höchstpersönlich raus.“ „Was soll ich eine Stunde da drinnen tun?“ „Duschen.“

Vergittert

Die Frau dreht sich um und schlurft den langen Gang entlang. Ich blicke ihr nach. Sie bleibt stehen. Dann öffne ich die Kabinentüre und fühle mich plötzlich sehr einsam. Nirosta. Der winzige Raum ist nach oben hin vergittert. Aus der Zelle neben mir, höre ich ein Geräusch. Ich beuge mich hinunter und sehe durch den Bodenschlitz ein Paar Gesundheitsschuhe, darin die Person von vorhin. Ich entkleide mich und stelle mich unter die Dusche. Lange. Der Strahl ist dünn. 

Die letzten hüllen fallen

Offenbar ist in den oberen Stockwerken auch gerade Wasserverbrauch angesagt. Viel hat sich nicht verändert im Sechszehnten. Ich ziehe mich an, die Kleider sind tropfnass, sie wurden auch gewassert (im Preis inbegriffen). Vorsichtig öffne ich die Türe. Der weiße Mantel sieht mich unverwandt an. „Und? Haben Sie fotografiert?“ „Ich habe geduscht.“ „Brav“, sagt die Wärterin und wischt mit einem Schrubber die Bodenfliesen entlang. „Ich gehe jetzt“, sage ich und verlasse das Bad. Tröpferlnass. Die Türe öffnet sich wieder. „Sie können noch bleiben. Fünfzig Minuten haben Sie noch.“ „Wofür?“, sage ich. Die Frau lächelt ein Zahnloses Lächeln. „Zum Tratschen. Weshalb kommen die Leute sonst hierher.“

Der Beweis

#Michael Schottenberg #Schotti #Schotti unterwegs #Studio 2 #ORF #ORF 2 #Das unbekannte Wien #Tröpferlbad #Pirron & Knapp #Nirosta #Resopal #Wien #Nur in Wien

[historicalfightingguide]

“Footage coms from historical fencing tournaments: Frauschlag and Startschlag 2022, Poland. Historical techniques (colourful background) has been identified using Codex 44 A 8, aka: Codex Danzig (before 1452) and HS 3227a, aka: Codex Döbringer (ca. 1400). Names of fencing actions (black background) follow modern fencing theory. Footwork and preparatory actions are yellow, offensive red, defensive and counter-offensive blue. Identification of historical techniques and fencing actions has been consulted with HEMA coaches and researchers: Maciej Hammer (ARMA-PL, KSF), Maciej Talaga (ARMA-PL, Sprechfenster Blog) and Karol Zakrzewski (ARMA-PL, KSF). ______________________________ Fencers among others: Adrianna Bereta Filip Markiewicz-Wlazło Jakub Zielnik Michalina Musioł Joanna Katarzyna Puchalska”

And don’t forget - we can use every video of sparring as a training tool. But especially this one with named techniques for what’s shown. Depending on the systems you study, the interpretation of the original materials you have etc. you may use somewhat different terminology but you’d still find various interesting examples. If you are interested in learning how to use a longsword check out these few links.

For anyone who hasn’t yet seen the following links:

Some advice on how to start studying the sources generally can be found in these older posts

Remember to check out  A Guide to Starting a Liberation Martial Arts Gym as it may help with your own club/gym/dojo/school culture and approach.

Check out their curriculum too.

Fear is the Mind Killer: How to Build a Training Culture that Fosters Strength and Resilience by   Kajetan Sadowski   may be relevant as well.

“How We Learn to Move: A Revolution in the Way We Coach & Practice Sports Skills”  by Rob Gray  

Another useful book to check out is  The Theory and Practice of Historical European Martial Arts (while about HEMA, a lot of it is applicable to other historical martial arts clubs dealing with research and recreation of old fighting systems).

Why having a systematic approach to training can be beneficial

Worth checking out are this blogs tags on pedagogy and teaching for other related useful posts.

Consider getting some patches of this sort or these cool rashguards to show support for good causes or a t-shirt like to send a good message while at training.

And stay safe

#hema #fencing #historical fencing #swordfighting #videostudy #longsword

[junck-ritter]

Rapier Fencing according to Johannes Liechtenauer

For some time now I have been convinced that all of the very basics of rapier fencing are covered by the poem of Liechtenauer. Here I’ll have a go at demonstrating that. Commentaries are treated at the bottom of the post.

First instance of point-forward play appears in absetzen, in the latter half of the material.

“lere absetzen häw stich kunstlich letzen wer auf dich sticht dein ort trifft vnd seinen pricht“

Learn Absetzen(setting-off), artfully foil cuts and thrusts. Whoever thrusts at you, your point knocks and defeats his. Absetzen is the same play as scambiare di punta in the Italian tradition, or similar to a stop-thrust in modern fencing. It is a thrust which collects the opponent’s blade to keep you safe. The word “triff” is used for such a collection. There is no appropriate literal translation into English for “triff” but the sense in the longsword material is a “hit” but without much violence involved. “Contact” is implied, and the word can be used for a meeting between two people as well as physical bumping as in English. Cognate with gaining the sword in rapier fencing.

“Von paiden seitten Triff allemal wildu schreitten“

From both sides, knock every time if you are going to advance. Again the word “triff” is used in the same sense as the previous rhyme. The advice is not to advance without gaining advantage on the sword to clear the line. We are reminded to be conscious of our inside and outside lines “from both sides,” implication being that gaining the opponent’s sword on the wrong side can guide their point into our opening.

Schreitten can be more accurately translated as “step” but there is an implication of deliberate travel, while “tritt” is used for the simple placement of the foot (which unfortunately is usually translated also as “step.”)

Next we come to Durchwechseln. 

“Durchwechsel lere von paiden seitten stich mit sere”

Learn Durchwechsel(changing-through), from both sides, thrust severely. Durch Wechseln is analagous to a cavazione in rapier. The idea is to drop the point below the opponents sword to thrust on the other side. From the get-go Liechtenauer tells us the technique works on either side.

“wer auf dich pindet Durchwechsel In schir vindet“

“Durchwechsel will surely find who binds onto you.” Tricksy wording here, but the various copies of the poem seem to be quite consistent in the wording, so likely some lyrical gymnastics to keep the meter of the poem. In most examples of someone “binding-on” to you in the German tradition, it is assumed this has gained them some sort of advantage - as plays which start this way advise an immediate action. The advice here is that if someone has taken the line with their blade against yours, you can “find” them (their opening) with durchwechseln.

The poem takes us through “pulling” (a technique from spear), some wrestling and half-swording techniques, and finally we reach the hangings, which are prerequisite knowledge for the verses which follow them.

Zwaÿ hengen werden / Aus ein° hant von der erden /

Two are the hangings, out of the hand, from the ground. The hangings are point-forward guards on either side of the body, low or high. They are analagous to the four positions of rapier fencing in the thrust. 

In allem geferte / Haw stich leger waich oder herte

Against all danger, cut, thrust, posture, soft or hard. Geferte here refers to something which causes you trouble. If the opponent does something which endangers you, there is no need to complicate your tactical processes further than in terms of cut, thrust, posture, soft or hard. All your relevant decision making can be done with these concepts: How can an attack be made? What is the posture? Is the bind soft or hard?

The same sentiment is echoed and slightly detailed in the next verse with “ Vnd pruef dÿe gefert / Nicht mer nür waich oder hert.”

Next there is the Sprechfenster. The hangings have taught us how to enforce distance with our opponent and work with binds and thrusting (in some copies this is made even more explicit with extra lines)

"Sprechfenster mache Stant freÿleich besich seine sache“

Make a Sprechfenster. Stand freely and observe his intentions. Sprechfenster is a “speaking window” - This is the German word for a small port in a doorway through which a visitor can be examined and spoken to without letting them in. This is all part of the tradition of longsword tactics being described in allegory using doors, windows, gates and so on. The image being built is of the point, oriented forward, acting as a barrier to entry keeping distance between the opponent and yourself. From here it’s possible to fence reactively with a high level of awareness of the opponent’s intentions. In commentaries it is said to be the most artful technique of the sword, and its appearance as the final play in a list of techniques in increasing complexity is consistent with this.

“Schlach in das er schnabe Wer sich fur dir zeuchet abe“

Whoever pulls away from you, strike in that he snaps. Wording here is strange and exact translation is uncertain. The implication and mental image are clear: When someone draws their weapon back from the bind their weapon is moving backwards. The advance can be made, the chase must be made explosively to exploit the opportunity.

“Ich sag dir fur war Sich schützet kain man ane var Hastu ver nomen zw schlag mag er klein chumen”

I tell you truthfully, nobody defends themself without moving. If you understand this he can not come to blows. This is a repeating piece of advice in the poem. The concept is that any time someone defends one opening by moving to it, another opening is created. Therefore, if you want an opening to appear, threaten another. This appears after sprechfenster to remind us the same applies in point-forward fencing from blade contact as well as in fencing at distance with strikes.

COMMENRARIES, ABSETZEN

Pseudo-Danzig gives an example of transforming a cut into an Absetzen in left ochs (thrust in quarte)

3227a on folio 36v details mechanics of parrying during counter-thrusts, describing the ways to gain advantage on the forte. This is described as the first thing that should be learned to fence well.

The sadly incomplete 3227a lacks a specific commentary on Absetzen otherwise.

COMMENTARIES, DURCH WECHSELN

3227a gives a specific target for the Durch Wechseln. It names it the “fensterlyn” - a “little window” bettween the hilt and the sword. This is likely a pedagogical device for teaching very tight motions.

3227a also explicitly mentions “this should not be done wide but as close to his sword as possible.”

Pseudo-Danzig advises to make this move very quickly and efficiently as there is a danger of being set-upon with the point. 

Pseudo-Danzig advises the Durch Wechseln against anyone who makes an attack to the sword rather than the opening.

Pseudo-Danzig advises that if the opponent has properly gained and their point threatens you, Durch Wechseln is not advised but rather “working” - that is, remaining in blade contact and seeking another opening with winding or footwork.

COMMENTARIES, SPRECHFENSTER

3227a says the Sprechfenster can be made from any of the hangings (ochs, pflug, on either side.)

3227a appears to indicate that Sprechfenster is made in blade contact so that you can feel the intentions of the opponent.

3227a makes explicit commentary that if you feel the opponent draw back from the bind you should immediately follow after to the nearest opening. A simple extension of the arms for a thrust is reccomended.

3227a relates this sensitivity &c to vor and nach (specifically, vorschlag and nachschlag) - giving examples of provoking the opponent into hard parries and using the pressure signal to disengage.

Pseudo-Danzig gives a simple decision tree for Sprechfenster. If the opponent cuts to your head, counter-thrust in left ochs (a thrust in quarte)

Pseudo-Danzig tells us if the opponent attacks our sword to make a Durchwechseln and thrust immediately (cavazione)

Lew tells us Sprechfenster is the Long Point which denies the opponent the ability to rush in and bring their own techniques without first dealing with ours.

#fencing #johannes #liechtenauer #text #sprechfenster #rapier #technique #hema #medieval #longsword