The Armour Archive

AllenJ

even the old german manuals were known as "fechtbuch" - Fight books. So I feel the term is applicable.

AllenJ

I have a custom baskethilt with an Angus Trim blade. It's pretty nice. I think the edge is a little too thin though. I think Albion is a much better sword.

AllenJ

I tripped over my books and fell into some internet

AllenJ

I'll take some time to read it and work through your explanations before just making an off the cuff critique

AllenJ

to use half sword would be to give up a major advantage...range. Thrusting is paramount. As long as you stay in front of the two sword person you will always be able to hit him before he hits you. If you shorten that distance by going to halfsword, you give that huge advantage up. on the historical ...

AllenJ

I agree with several others here that some sort of vocalization does help with the physicality of the blow as well as a sort of mental assistant. I dont think a specific "word" is right or wrong, but just a noise is best. Personally my vocalization comes out as more a "huit!" noise comming up from t...

AllenJ

the staff was certainly used in knightly training and was certianly not below them to use. Check out David Lindholm's recent book on the subject from Chivalry Bookshelf:
http://www.revival.us/index.asp?PageAct ... ProdID=268

AllenJ

I want one too...just for the record

AllenJ

Is this thread about the film or buying Albion swords...I'm confused

AllenJ

where did you find it where it was marked down?

AllenJ

Stainless steel is worthless for anything over about a foot in legnth. I never thought I'd say this but rattan probably is better than a random piece of flatbar. Real swords are heat treated to deal with that problem. So the best bet would be to invest in a real sword. Anything decent will stand up ...

AllenJ

Yes that is the Talhoffer manual. Im curious as to where you got the name "french head parry" though. It's just a halfsword displacement. As to your experiences in bouting. So if I understand right, you pinned your opponents sword behind his back, and he continued to hold on to the sword behind him ...

AllenJ

I'd be very curious to see a spine obliterating bear hug. Pray they dont have armour I guess. Let's see if I got this right, you are calling a "french head parry" what the fighter on the left is doing only without the traversing step to the right and subsequent pommel strike? http://base.kb.dk/pls/h...

AllenJ

what is a French parry? Hee hee. A typical "French head parry" involves switching into half sword, leaving your dominant hand on the hilt, and holding this above your head. When you go left or right with said parry, you just do the same, but on one side. Why dont you just go into Hengen? (Hanging)

AllenJ

I'm considering just yielding if I get hit in the leg - it may be that you just can't fight from your knees in chausses. Steve I think you are right there. I think more and more people are finally realizing that the historical evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of non-knee fighting. Any blow that ...

AllenJ

It gives me great comfort and joy to read this thread and know I belong to a group that can do everything you wished you could!

AllenJ

ok- good point. I should have stated that it is not as prominant in later period texts. I do think there is something there though, with the style of hilt affecting they style used. If its a simple cross, arming style hilt, then its more I.33-ish. If there is more of a complex hilt present, then you...

AllenJ

... Actually, the open-faced helm isn't the issue: In most serious, life-or-death combat the combatants seem to have fought sans visors... On the other hand, I have a strong suspicion that SCA fighting, as currently fought, is a lot like early-period (i.e., prior to the age of plate) combat, especi...

AllenJ

Rhys has the best point in that you would be using an incomplete system. The whole dynamic of the real martial art of German unarmored longsword changes once you start leaving out portions as large as grappling. Most longtime SCA fighters have developed a system that works effectivley in this specif...

AllenJ

...One should also not dismiss the techniques of I.33 simply because they are from 1290 and say that the sword did not cut and thrust then. Nor should one fall into the same trap as Egerton Castle did and assume that pre renaissance sword work was just bashing about and not refined or taught in a s...

AllenJ

It would seem to me then that you can pretty much do any sort of steel combat just as long as the blade is "approved" and you don't hit "excessive" and call it all cut & thrust?

Who is making your broadsword Jon?

AllenJ

the top two Fiore one, one which involves a blade grab and the second a knee kick. on the second page the text instructions complete what you dont see illustrated: Top left: the fighter on the right will throw the left hand guy over his thigh. Look at the leg placement. Top right: using the pommel t...

AllenJ

Some good points Winterfell, I still think that the VAST majority of the blades out there are way too whippy. That and the SCA notoriously sides on the far, far right of safety. I think that it's misleading to call the combat portrayed in I.33 as 'cut & thrust'. Just because there is cutting and thr...

AllenJ

thanks for clearing up my misconceptions. Wearing a harness for cut & thrust seems a bit excessive. I would be terrified to see how awful the fighting would be if "flexible" two handers were used. Im sure it would just turn into whippy sword tag as any committed two handed strike would certainly be ...

AllenJ

From what I understand of some of the Cut & thrust rules (please correct me if I'm wrong) ... No hard percussive strikes. (nevermind that a cutting blade must hit in a percussive manner in order to work) No points are awarded for blows that arent followed by a pushing or pulling slice. (this is just...

AllenJ

You DO have OPTIONS! :D A good point was made in asking what exactly you are looking for as far as a time period or weapon study. That being said... ARMA has study groups all over the US Im not sure if Schola Gladiatoria has any US groups but they are legitimate. there are several others that Im su...

AllenJ

You DO have OPTIONS! :D A good point was made in asking what exactly you are looking for as far as a time period or weapon study. That being said... ARMA has study groups all over the US Im not sure if Schola Gladiatoria has any US groups but they are legitimate. there are several others that Im sur...

AllenJ

Word of warning. Last I checked, A&A does NOT heat treat their pole arms. They claim they were not historically done that way. I dont know if that is accurate or not but I do know a guy that bent the tip of one of their halbreds the first time he tried to thrust to a piece of plywood. That shouldnt ...

AllenJ

what is the sword you are trying to match it to? Is it a dagger to be used in tandem with the sword like rapier and dagger or C&T and dagger? The size and shape will depend on what its being used for. Many scottish dirks are longer than that.

AllenJ

Ditto to the two above- there is no documentation or extant examples of anything resembling a "musculata" anywhere in the Isles.

AllenJ

or when you have idiots making up rules...

blows clean through the target and you get punished.
Thats gotta suck to loose for being good.

AllenJ

Oswyn_de_Wulferton wrote: For Thrown Weapons competitions (SCA), if the weapon hits the ground before the person gets to the target to score it, it doesnt count.

not to derail the thread, but where is the logic behind that rule??? Thats worse than knee fighting!

AllenJ

why the hell would ANYONE be trying to catch a spear that they just threw?

AllenJ

There are evidences of leather covered aketons and jacks in Scotland, but just the cloth ones are much more common.

Also I think that more soldiers did not wear surcoats, than did.

Just the mail over your padded garmet is a great look.

AllenJ

I think it has much less to do with armor type than with excessive weight and personal physical fitness. Just the daily wear of being overweight will jack your knees up- not to mention what happens when you fall on them. (yet another reason fighting from your knees should be abolished from the plane...

Re: Fighting in maille chausses