Signature Shots #6: Avery's Bluffside Thrust
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- čas přidán 8. 09. 2024
- Signature Shots are the ones that are your "go to" or "bread & butter" techniques. These videos showcase one fighter's Signature Shot each episode, with an intent to be useful for medieval fighters from SCA to HMB, Hema to LARP.
This episode: Avery's Bluffside Thrust
Thank you!
You bet
Really interesting comment from Paul Blackwell on another platform: Vitus came up with an interesting Longsword version of this “curving thrust from inside his guard” idea. I'd been playing with Liechtenauser's book and couldn't get his “Break the Long Point guard” technique to work.
The 15C training verse translates as “Squint at the point and take the throat without fear” (SCA - for 'throat' read 'face' of course...).
Ringecks commentary didn't help at first - “The squinter breaks the Long Point and is done as follows. When he faces you and points his tip against your breast or face with extended arms place your left foot forward and look at his tip. Feign a strike against his point striking strongly against his sword with the short edge and thrusting with a forward step with the right foot, your point against his throat, with our arms extended.”
So the starting position is opponent left foot forward with sword extended out in front (a prevent opponent closing style guard); You also left foot forward, sword on right side in 'from the roof (high) guard. The 'squinter' is a blow with the short, false or back of the blade (however you want to describe it...)
I took things literally “striking strongly against his sword” to knock it out of the way then thrusting. This doesn't work - whack 'long point' aside and your opponent will immediately rotate the blade back in front of him for you to walk straight into...!
Vitus' solution was to turn the whole technique into ONE CONTINUOUS MOTION.
So; Broken into parts:-
The “with a forward step with the right foot” now applies to the WHOLE technique. The foot ideally lands as the thrust connects...
You 'feint' knocking his blade aside strongly enough to move the point JUST off line but not so strongly that you lose contact with his blade. (You have your right hand and leg forward, with body weight and momentum behind, so can easily control his sword for a brief moment by contacting it).
Now you continue with the “curving thrust” to the face by extending your arms. (OK it took a while to get here... thanks for being patient...). The 'angled/curved' thrust means you keep in contact with this blade preventing it from being a danger...
The technique ONLY works if you think of it as a FAST, continuous, 'S' shaped curving motion... and works very well at that!
Going bonk into defense is what I do best.
*BONK*
The way I execute the shot is a matter of timing. Me being fat old and slow I need the other fighters I am facing help to win my bought. To paint a picture I am a right handed fighter I throw that shot early so they see it coming this is while the other fighter is closing giving them time to defend against what looks like a standard off side slot shot. So in effect if I didn't take a step it would miss the other fighter with out them moving but since they are moving forward and when I take that step to close that range I step forward to my right which closes the distance and puts me off there center line. The step draws the tip of the sword around there defense and allows it to drop into the slot between there sword and shield and with there forward momentum and my step forward there is no need to apply an arm push forward the combined momentum is enough power for people to take the thrust
That's a really nice twist, thank you for sharing!
It is a bit obfuscated by you fighting goofy footed but I think you are driving the thrust actually with your hip. That is, you throw it out from your shoulder and elbow and turn the shot into a thrust with your hip. The reason why changing feet works is your goofing footing again. It shortens the range while you throw the shot and then drives it home with the hip. I think.
Thank you, I will definitely think on that!
Where did you get your shield?
The hand pavise I'm holding was made by Master Sir Nick of Caid, the one on the pole was purchased at Battle of the Nations from an Eastern European vendor.
Very weak and unsubstantional technique. Designed to tap the grill or arm of an opponent and cause a momentary pause in your opponent's defense. When the pause occurs the person who threw this weak flick shot cranks you in the head. The best counter to this is to ignore it and stop hit through or over it.
This flick shot first appeared in the early 90's in Caid as fighters sought to maximze their defense while minimizing the motions involved in the development of attacking techniques. Hence trying to get the most with the least.
If you can actually get the thrust in then that is good, as long as you can stab into the helmet and cause the helm to move with positive force to strike the face.
Sometimes it is what you do not know. This attack will likely not win a tournament or against a fortified opponent who wants to defeat you.
h8rs gon h8