Lesson Plan : Breaking Bad

Transcription

1 Meyer Free Scholars Study Plan 2017 Lesson Plan : Breaking Bad What to do when the other guy doesn t play by your rules by Daniel Pope, February, 2017

2 When Techniques Break Bad Everyone wants to think that their system of fencing is special. They choose a style (for whatever reason) and assiduously read the texts and practice the methods therein, then they fence with someone in a tournament or social context, and the canonical moves don t seem to work exactly as they should. The reason for this can largely be attributed to the principle of overfitting. Every technique has a parameter space in which it works. Change too many of the parameters, or push them too far, and the technique can no longer be applied with the original intent. One of the main ways in which these parameters are changed is style. Fencers from different backgrounds use techniques which are similar, but significantly different enough to make application of a given counter or principle impossible. Effectively they aren t playing by our rules, and by defying the canon of our sources, they defeat us. In an ideal world we would therefore deploy an entirely different defence against their style, however rarely do we know what parametric thresholds are being exceeded until it happens to us in real-time, and we re forced to adapt. In today s lesson this is exactly what we ll be replicating in a controlled environment. We ll be using one of the fundamental techniques from the earlier German sources; the Zornhau, and by pushing the envelope of its applicability we hope to learn something about why it works, and when.

3 The High Cut - a Primer Let s just remind ourselves of how we tend to cut in old school fencing. Begin with the lead foot facing directly toward the opponent or slightly out (as normal). Beginning from a shouldered vom-tag we pull the left hand down and just afterwards begin with a push of the right hand, and in the movement we bring the hands across from our right to the left of our centreline in, cutting forward almost like we're catapulting the tip of the blade at them. Our feet follow after as the sword tip passes over our shoulder, taking a broad step to the front right. In the movement the hands should be somewhat lower than the shoulder and in the movement we'll be creating an angle of perhaps 135 degrees or so between our forearms and our sword. As soon as the arms reach their extent let the tip shoot forward into the opponent, all in a single movement. The feeling of the cut should be of throwing the point at them rather than cutting down and then thrusting. EXERCISE 1 Goal: Practice the zornhau and zornhau-ort Make 5 cuts against the opponent s mask as a cutting action Make 5 cuts against the opponent s mask as a thrusting action

4 The Point of the Zornhau Just to remind us all of what the zornhau is and how it is intended to work, let s return to the source. From Pseudo von Danzig: Whoever Over-hews you, Wrath-hew point threatens him. Gloss: Mark, the Wrath-hew breaks all Over-hews with the point, and yet is nothing other than a simple peasant strike, and drive it thus: When you come to him with the pre-fencing, if he then hews at your head from above on his right side, then hew also with him wrathfully from your right side from above, without any parrying, on his sword. If he is then Soft on the sword, then shoot in the long point straight before you and stab him to the face or the breast. So Set-on him.[1] This is the basis of the zornhau, so let s practice. EXERCISE 1 Goal: We begin with a static opponent, so we can diagnose our technique. P1 will begin with the right leg forward in an extended pflug position as if they'd just struck an oberhau. P2 begins out of distance in shouldered tag, left lead leg. P2 cuts a zornhau, setting aside the opponent's blade, and ending on-point with the face. NOTES : We can diagnose the problems here - if we cut too much to the blade we'll miss the face, if we don't cut far enough we'll leave them online to stab us. This should have been fairly easy, so let s modify it:

5 EXERCISE 2 Goal: An orthodox opponent actively cutting Both participants begin out of distance in shouldered tag, left lead leg. P1 initiates with an off-line step and a high cut to P2's upper left opening. P2 steps offline and cuts a zornhau, taking the line of their sword and ending point-online within 30cm of their face. P1 doesn't parry or smash through, they just remain in an medium bind. P2 thrusts to the face without stopping their movement. NOTES : This technique should work almost miraculously well, however toward the end we should do some quality assurance checking; P1 should cut off to the side in an attempt to draw the opponent s blade too far over. We can then correct this shortcoming. Discussion: What are the options if we overcook our zornhau and go past the line?

6 Failure 1: They Step Straight In! A common problem is that both combatants charge straight into the fight heedless of what s going on and end up with high hands and few options. This is a chaotic moment in the fight which often results in much flailing and poor shows of skill, and was particularly frowned upon in the fechtschule scene. Discussion: What do people think we should do? What would Meyer Do? We all like to think of this as grappling range, but from this position much grappling is poorly executed, so let s simplify the grappling by focusing on large amplitude techniques which use gross motor movements rather than fine control of balance, which is hard. Technically Meyer favours dropping the sword and going for a double leg takedown, however in the interest of safety and applicability in the tournament scene we ll change it to simply taking the back and tripping them backward. EXERCISE 3 Goal: Learn a simple back takedown when the bind is too close. Both participants begin out of distance in shouldered tag, left lead leg. P1 initiates with a straight passing step and a high cut to P2's upper left opening. P2 steps offline and cuts a zornhau. P1 keeps moving through into a close bind, taking the hands high P2 drops the sword, circles them with the right arm, slips around to their right hand side and gets a grip around their middle from behind. P2 puts the arch of their right foot behind P1 s heel, taking them backward to the side and sitting themselves down in a side breakfall position. NOTES : There are other rear takedowns here; the double leg, the lift and knee flip, the back mount, but this is the easiest for most people.

7 Failure 2: They Cut Meyer Style Remember how we just learned to cut an old school German oberhau? Okay cool, now let s not do that any more. Obviously the zornhau is a beautiful technique if both participants are playing the same game of cutting. However we're filthy Meyerites and we refuse to play be the rules. To begin with we cut from a high tag position, and cut with a very "straight" long-point, rather than the lowered hands version. We also tend to use ring-guards in this period, which confounds things further, so let s look at what happens which we try to cut against them. EXERCISE 4 Goal: Experiment with the zornhau against a long point. P1 begins in a straight longpoint, right leg forward. P2 begins in tag, left lead leg. P2 attempts a zornhau-ort against P1. Remember, try cut your zornhau with the point online. Discussion: How did this fare? Did people manage to keep the point online? Maybe the problem is that we re just attacking the longpoint straight on - let s try it against people cutting all the way through. EXERCISE 5 Goal: Experiment with the zornhau against a Meyerite cut. Repeat the previous exercise with P1 cutting a full Meyer zornhau through extended longpoint. P2 attempts a zornhau-ort against P1. Remember, try cut your zornhau with the point online.

8 Discussion: How did this fare? Did people manage to keep the point online? What tends to happen is that people either have to go high with their technique to stay covered. If they don t they either still get hit or the opponent s blade slides down their own onto their hands. What would Meyer Do? There are a number of responses from the devices in Meyer which are applicable here, since we re all itching for something new, though, we ll look to later sections of Meyer (as well as Mair and Hutter) for the answer - the Break Window (Brechfenster) First, what is it? Meyer describes it as being like the high guard when you've come under your opponent's sword. Essentially it's kind of a kron-like position under their sword. Second, why the break-window? No, this is NOT the speaking window. However it can be said to break the window. The speaking window is essentially like longpoint, particularly in the bind (as we find our opponent if they do a Meyerish cut in the last exercise), To break it we go immediately into the brechfenster. From here we'll remain (Bleiben) until the opponent moves to cut around or otherwise act, then immediately cut a kneichelhauw under his arms on his left side, or otherwise attack his openings. EXERCISE 6 Goal: Use the brechfenster against a Meyerite. Repeat the previous exercise. P2 attempts a zornhau against P1, this time forsaking the point online and going straight to brechfenster, then remaining. P1 takes away as to cut. P2 cuts a kniechelhauw to P1 s arms.

9 Corollary: Can I Use a High Tag and Still Zornhau? Yes!... No!... Kind of. Discussion: What do the peanut gallery think? You can certainly use it against someone doing an old school cut, though it may be slightly slower than a shouldered tag. If your opponent is using a Meyer cut also, however, you can still use a version of it. Instead of cutting and staying on point, side step outward and cut straight down over the top of their cut with your own Meyer style cut. From here press the hands or cut with the false edge to their face. EXERCISE 7 Goal: Use a High Tag Attempt a High Tag zornhau using old school cuts against a person in extended pflug. Repeat against an opponent cutting old school cuts. Attempt a High Tag zornhau using Meyer cuts against an opponent in extended longpoint. Repeat against and opponenet cutting Meyerite cuts.

10 What if I Don t Take the Centre? Now this is a thing that s covered canonically. If you don t take the centre (ie they remain strong) we are told: Be Stronger against, Wind, Stab. If he sees, then take it down. Gloss: Mark, that is when you hew in on him with the Wrath-hew, if he parries and remains Strong with the parrying on the sword, then remain also Strong against with your sword on his, and drive high up with your arms, and Wind your hilt on his sword in front before your head, and stab him above into his face. If he becomes aware of the stab, and drives high up with his arms and parries with his hilt, then remain standing thus with your hilt before your head, and set the point in below on his neck, or on his breast between both his arms (as painted hereafter).[1] Well that seems pretty easy, right? EXERCISE 8 Goal: Winding in the bind P1 and P2 begin in shouldered tag, and P1 cuts in with an oberhauw (old school). P2 steps offline and cuts a zornhau, but P1 stays strong so P2 isn t online. P2 winds high left and thrusts. NOTES: There is also a section here on how to go up against the thrust (kron?) whereafter the opponent drops the sword below. Discussion: What could go wrong here? What about if the opponent backs off? Should we chase after continuously? Cut around?

11 Failure 3: They Gavhau Me This is great, but can go terribly wrong. If we thrust and they lift into a hanging point on their right side we end up with our blade on their right side in an extended left ochs, and they can simply cut around with a big overhand cut to break our arm as we try to pitifully defend. EXERCISE 9 Goal: Experiment with thrusts P1 cuts an oberhauw which P2 counters with a zornhauw, as before. P2 winds high left to thrust. P1 lifts to a high hanging on their right, rotating over for a left oberhauw, all while stepping forward with the left leg. NOTES : P2 should experiment with responses. Discussion: What worked? What didn t? What would Meyer Do? Again, we could do lots of things, but let s use schlussel and einhorn variants for fun. As the opponent cuts around we can t do our own hanging as our blade is stuck over on their right side. Instead we either step forward with the left, or back with the right, and go into a high hand position like einhorn, providing a strong parrying surface to hid behind. From here we drop the false edge on their head, trying to draw their parry, and simply cut over with the zirckel out to the right or left, as we wish it. EXERCISE 10 Goal: Experiment with the zirckel P1 cuts an oberhauw which P2 counters with a zornhauw, as before.

12 P2 winds high left to thrust. P1 lifts to a high hanging on their right, rotating over for a left oberhauw, all while stepping forward with the left leg. P2 steps in or away, defending with a tight schulssel/einhorn. P2 cuts down with the false edge at P1 s head P1 defends and is taken aside by the movement or P2 s hilt. P2 steps out to the side and cuts an oberhauw through the zirckel. NOTES : P2 can also simply revers their blade and duplieren, so try that too.

13 What if They Parry HARD!? Now this is a thing that s covered canonically. If they push across as you do the ort part of the zorn ort: If he becomes aware of it, Then take off above without danger. Cool story bro. Gloss: Mark, that is when you hew in on him with the Wrath-hew, then shoot the long point into the face or breast, as the fore-described states. If he becomes aware of the point and parries strongly and presses your sword to the side, then wrench up over it with your sword on his sword s blade, off above from his sword, and hew him to the other side, yet on his sword s blade, into the head. That is called taking off above.[1] EXERCISE 11 Goal: Winding in the bind P1 and P2 begin in shouldered tag, and P1 cuts in with an oberhauw (old school). P2 steps offline and cuts a zornhau P1 parries aside hard P2 takes off above, sliding up their sword, then cuts to the other side. Discussion: What do we think of this technique? Do we feel safe doing it? Failure 4: They Keep Hitting Me! As we re outside their blade (and potentially under it) it s entirely likely a canny fencer will simply bash us in the face with the false edge as we try to take away. After all, they aren t idiots - they ve read the text too! Discussion: What do people think we should do?

14 What would Meyer Do? We have another option in this circumstance. Umbschnappen. EXERCISE 12 Goal: Winding in the bind P1 and P2 begin in shouldered tag, and P1 cuts in with an oberhauw (old school). P2 steps offline and cuts a zornhau P1 parries aside hard P2 steps forward left, snapping around over the top. Discussion: What do people think we should do? Putting it all together Now that we have every option covered, let s do some 25% speed sparring beginning each exchange with the zornhau and using the techniques (as well as freestyling it). References: [1] Cod.44.A.8 (1452), Translated by Cory Winslow [ ]