Szymon Chlebowski Feder

[Ian]

Mike Edelson's review of this interesting feder.

[Sir Brian]

Lol, I remember that fight at Shortpoint he mentioned! It was freaking intense and more than one blade was bent! Mike's (the one in the video) was the worst one though. I'm glad he was able to straighten it.

OMG if it was bent THAT much in the duel and the demonstration on his thrusting pell put that blade a notch below an aluminum blade for stiffness then those guys were hitting HARD! 

[Sir Nate]

Lol, I remember that fight at Shortpoint he mentioned! It was freaking intense and more than one blade was bent! Mike's (the one in the video) was the worst one though. I'm glad he was able to straighten it.

OMG if it was bent THAT much in the duel and the demonstration on his thrusting pell put that blade a notch below an aluminum blade for stiffness then those guys were hitting HARD! 

I think I Remember you mentioning that Demo, And how this guy was bending peoples blades when he struck them.
I understand what Mike means when he says some blades have the feel of a sword while the others don't.

[Sir Martyn]

I really can't see why you'd ever need/want to hit that hard with steel - seems excessive.

[Thorsteinn]

I really can't see why you'd ever need/want to hit that hard with steel - seems excessive.

Tell that to Duke Icefalcon, Aveloc Twice-born, or Viscountess Sir Brynne MacClellan. 

[Sir William]

I really can't see why you'd ever need/want to hit that hard with steel - seems excessive.

Quickest way to kill or dispatch your opponent is to hit them hard; if they're still standing, then you hit them again.  Harder. 

All kidding aside, the art of the sword is about killing- stands to reason someone somewhere is going to try and come as close to that idea w/out actually stepping over the line and doing it.

[scott2978]

You guys have all heard of BOTN right? Like a modern day version of early medieval tournaments.

[Sir Edward]

You guys have all heard of BOTN right? Like a modern day version of early medieval tournaments.

Yep, and you'll probably find several varying opinions of it here too.

However, this style of "feder" is intended for doing Blossfechten, or unarmored combat. And for that, you don't need a whole lot of power. In fact, excessive power can be detrimental, in terms of over-committing to attacks, tiring yourself out, and telegraphing your moves.

[Sir Brian]

You guys have all heard of BOTN right? Like a modern day version of early medieval tournaments.

Yep, and you'll probably find several varying opinions of it here too.

However, this style of "feder" is intended for doing Blossfechten, or unarmored combat. And for that, you don't need a whole lot of power. In fact, excessive power can be detrimental, in terms of over-committing to attacks, tiring yourself out, and telegraphing your moves.

aka a "Buffalo" 

[Thorsteinn]

In fact, excessive power can be detrimental, in terms of over-committing to attacks, tiring yourself out, and telegraphing your moves.

My 2c: What's excessive for one, is fine for another. I was accused of being a buffalo in a HEMA class because I hit harder than almost anyone else was comfortable with. The leader told me that he could easily counter me because my power was obviously being a buffalo and therefore would be handled by the counter-buffel moves. He was wrong.

We have a new guy in our SCA group who could give Duke Uther of the West a run for his money. He hit really hard before he learned technique. Now he hits really hard all day long.

If you train to do light power all the time, then if someone comes at you like a hurricane of control & power you stand a good chance of being his lunch.

One mans "9" is another mans "5".

PS Don't forget that Aveloc Twiceborn, who's 5'9", defeated, and rocked the world of, his Belgian 6'11" opponent at IMCF. Even after the giant picked him up and tossed him in frustration.

[Lord Chagatai]

Man I wish I could have seen this first hand and not just on film...would have been better in person..


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Sir Brian]

Far too often being aggressive is misconceived by many to coincide with hitting harder which is adversely proportionate to proper technique, because if proper technique is applied then a swordsman maintains a consistent and appropriate control of the blade and therefore the power of the hit.

The level of power one uses in a hit is essentially just the opposite principle pointed out by Bill Grandy’s excellent article posted several years ago over at MyArmoury.Com whereas he describes the proper technique while leveraging a cut. – i.e. instead of cutting all the way through in executing a proper cut, you ‘pull less’ and thereby hit with less power when dueling to mitigate the overall danger of injuring your training partner. IMO mastering this principle is the epitome of a truly accomplished fighter because the most novice fighter can hit with power. 

http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_arms_gls.html

The Strike
To strike is to make a hard cut with percussive momentum, unlike a slice (detailed below). This can also be referred to as a cut. Striking with the sword is not just a simple action of swinging the arms. A cut must be controlled and precise, because anytime you attack there is a moment of opportunity for your opponent to strike you. Therefore you must never attack wildly and must always recover into a guarded position.

There are a few important things to keep in mind when cutting. The first is to make sure you are striking with the edge. This may seem obvious, but many beginners have a tendency to twist their sword mid-swing, resulting in a strike with the flat, or they will hit with the edge at an angle where the blade will not easily cut. As you begin the cut, you will always want to extend the arms first. Imagine that you are trying to reach out to strike your opponent, but do not lock the arms in doing this. You will be aiming to strike with the weak of your blade, as it is the faster portion, and therefore it will hit with the most power (despite its name, which is not referring to its use in the cut).

When cutting, the dominant hand will guide the blade in its direction, but the major cutting power comes from the off hand, as it will create the leverage to get the tip moving faster. A simple drill to practice this mechanic is to grip the sword so that it points forward and slightly upwards. Take the off hand and pull up on the pommel. This will cause the tip to lower. When you cut, you will have to balance guiding the sword with a slight lifting of the pommel in order to get a proper cut.
 
Leveraging the hilt
If you only swing with your arms, you are probably fencing too close, and may throw yourself off balance. The cut comes from the body, not the shoulders, and therefore when possible a step should follow after the sword begins to move. You will generally want the sword to finish on the side of the back foot. Let's assume that you are standing in a left foot forward stance and performing a cut that is moving from the right side to the left. You will want to follow the cut with the right foot, ending in a right foot forward guard; therefore, you must make a passing step (in this case we will make the step by moving forward, though one can just as easily pass backwards should the situation demand it). This allows your entire body to be put behind the cut, and more importantly gives much greater control over the weapon. Time the step so that your foot lands at the exact moment you strike your opponent (arms extended), and then relax into a guard (the guard you relax in will be dependent on the direction of the cut).

It is important that you begin to move the sword before you step. If you begin to move your foot first, this is an opening your opponent will see. At the very least it gives the enemy time to defend; at the worst your opponent will strike you. By starting the motion with the sword you are moving the most offensive part of your action first, giving your opponent less time to react. Likewise, your opponent cannot attack without defending now, potentially giving you the advantage.

For the moment, we will practice cutting with the long edge only as this tends to be the most natural motion. There are three main types of cuts: the over-cut (oberhau), the under-cut (unterhau) and the middle-cut (mittelhau). Each of these can be made from any guard, but for simplicity we will start out in the Roof guard at first with the left foot forward.
 
Over-cut (Oberhau)
For your first cut, an over-cut, extend your arms as the sword moves downward. Pass forward and finish in the Fool's guard. For the sake of this drill, cut along a slightly diagonal path from upper right to lower left.

After you have practiced the over-cut, practice the under-cut up into the Ox guard. This cut is reminiscent of a golf swing to the casual observer, though the body mechanics are very different. Begin once again in the Roof guard with the left foot forward. As stated above, you should cut so that the sword finishes on the side of the back foot. We are going to cut from lower right to upper left, finishing in the left Ox guard, so that will require a passing step forward. As always, though, the sword must be in motion first.
 
Under-cut (Unterhau)
To make this cut, one cannot simply change into the guard. The tip of the sword must move in an arc to get the tip of the sword up to speed for an effective cut. To achieve this, you will slightly bring the tip back to the side, similar to the aforementioned golf swing, though not nearly as far lest you be struck for leaving yourself open. As you cut, align the long edge to face forward and begin to cut upwards, passing forward so that you strike at the same time your foot lands, extending the arms outwards to reach the opponent from a safe distance, then relaxing into the Ox guard. Your long edge will finish facing upwards, and your right foot will now be forward.
 
Middle-cut (Mittelhau)
Last will be the middle-cut into the left Plow. Begin in the Roof guard and start to make a slightly diagonal, but mostly horizontally cut with the arms extended (but, again, not locked). Pass forward with the right foot and step as you extend to strike. After you strike, continue the motion of the sword into the Plow guard on the left.

Each of these cuts must be performed over and over and over again. They are very simple, yet if you do not have the sense of timing and movement down, you will easily be evaded and struck. A good swordsman has practiced these cuts thousands of times against the air alone, not counting against a still target or a practice partner. Be sure to start out slowly to get the basic mechanics right. Only after you have developed a strong feel for this should you speed up, otherwise you may be training your muscles to do the wrong things.

As mentioned earlier, all three of these cuts can be performed from any guard, and they can also finish in any guard. A simple drill is to go through the three cuts as already described. Pick a cut, pick a guard in which to finish, and perform the cut. Then, from that guard, pick another cut and guard and continue. Occasionally start in a guard and make a cut that finishes in the same guard (for example, start in a left Ox guard and make an under-cut into a right Ox guard). Certain variations will make more sense to use than others, but the important thing for now is to understand the basic movement.

[Sir James A]

The level of power one uses in a hit is essentially just the opposite principle pointed out by Bill Grandy’s excellent article posted several years ago over at MyArmoury.Com whereas he describes the proper technique while leveraging a cut. – i.e. instead of cutting all the way through in executing a proper cut, you ‘pull less’ and thereby hit with less power when dueling to mitigate the overall danger of injuring your training partner. IMO mastering this principle is the epitome of a truly accomplished fighter because the most novice fighter can hit with power. 

^ bolded part mine, a thousand times over. When I'm dueling with someone I am trying to hit *them*, not hit *through* them. Anyone hitting me hard enough to do serious damage intentionally and repeatedly should be removed from the field of honor.

When I'm cutting with sharps? Power and technique, but with great technique, you don't need a ton of excessive power either.

[Sir Martyn]

+1

The level of power one uses in a hit is essentially just the opposite principle pointed out by Bill Grandy’s excellent article posted several years ago over at MyArmoury.Com whereas he describes the proper technique while leveraging a cut. – i.e. instead of cutting all the way through in executing a proper cut, you ‘pull less’ and thereby hit with less power when dueling to mitigate the overall danger of injuring your training partner. IMO mastering this principle is the epitome of a truly accomplished fighter because the most novice fighter can hit with power. 

^ bolded part mine, a thousand times over. When I'm dueling with someone I am trying to hit *them*, not hit *through* them. Anyone hitting me hard enough to do serious damage intentionally and repeatedly should be removed from the field of honor.

When I'm cutting with sharps? Power and technique, but with great technique, you don't need a ton of excessive power either.

[scott2978]

Far too often being aggressive is misconceived by many to coincide with hitting harder which is adversely proportionate to proper technique, because if proper technique is applied then a swordsman maintains a consistent and appropriate control of the blade and therefore the power of the hit.

The level of power one uses in a hit is essentially just the opposite principle pointed out by Bill Grandy’s excellent article posted several years ago over at MyArmoury.Com whereas he describes the proper technique while leveraging a cut. – i.e. instead of cutting all the way through in executing a proper cut, you ‘pull less’ and thereby hit with less power when dueling to mitigate the overall danger of injuring your training partner. IMO mastering this principle is the epitome of a truly accomplished fighter because the most novice fighter can hit with power. 

http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_arms_gls.html

The Strike
To strike is to make a hard cut with percussive momentum, unlike a slice (detailed below). This can also be referred to as a cut. Striking with the sword is not just a simple action of swinging the arms. A cut must be controlled and precise, because anytime you attack there is a moment of opportunity for your opponent to strike you. Therefore you must never attack wildly and must always recover into a guarded position.

There are a few important things to keep in mind when cutting. The first is to make sure you are striking with the edge. This may seem obvious, but many beginners have a tendency to twist their sword mid-swing, resulting in a strike with the flat, or they will hit with the edge at an angle where the blade will not easily cut. As you begin the cut, you will always want to extend the arms first. Imagine that you are trying to reach out to strike your opponent, but do not lock the arms in doing this. You will be aiming to strike with the weak of your blade, as it is the faster portion, and therefore it will hit with the most power (despite its name, which is not referring to its use in the cut).

When cutting, the dominant hand will guide the blade in its direction, but the major cutting power comes from the off hand, as it will create the leverage to get the tip moving faster. A simple drill to practice this mechanic is to grip the sword so that it points forward and slightly upwards. Take the off hand and pull up on the pommel. This will cause the tip to lower. When you cut, you will have to balance guiding the sword with a slight lifting of the pommel in order to get a proper cut.
 
Leveraging the hilt
If you only swing with your arms, you are probably fencing too close, and may throw yourself off balance. The cut comes from the body, not the shoulders, and therefore when possible a step should follow after the sword begins to move. You will generally want the sword to finish on the side of the back foot. Let's assume that you are standing in a left foot forward stance and performing a cut that is moving from the right side to the left. You will want to follow the cut with the right foot, ending in a right foot forward guard; therefore, you must make a passing step (in this case we will make the step by moving forward, though one can just as easily pass backwards should the situation demand it). This allows your entire body to be put behind the cut, and more importantly gives much greater control over the weapon. Time the step so that your foot lands at the exact moment you strike your opponent (arms extended), and then relax into a guard (the guard you relax in will be dependent on the direction of the cut).

It is important that you begin to move the sword before you step. If you begin to move your foot first, this is an opening your opponent will see. At the very least it gives the enemy time to defend; at the worst your opponent will strike you. By starting the motion with the sword you are moving the most offensive part of your action first, giving your opponent less time to react. Likewise, your opponent cannot attack without defending now, potentially giving you the advantage.

For the moment, we will practice cutting with the long edge only as this tends to be the most natural motion. There are three main types of cuts: the over-cut (oberhau), the under-cut (unterhau) and the middle-cut (mittelhau). Each of these can be made from any guard, but for simplicity we will start out in the Roof guard at first with the left foot forward.
 
Over-cut (Oberhau)
For your first cut, an over-cut, extend your arms as the sword moves downward. Pass forward and finish in the Fool's guard. For the sake of this drill, cut along a slightly diagonal path from upper right to lower left.

After you have practiced the over-cut, practice the under-cut up into the Ox guard. This cut is reminiscent of a golf swing to the casual observer, though the body mechanics are very different. Begin once again in the Roof guard with the left foot forward. As stated above, you should cut so that the sword finishes on the side of the back foot. We are going to cut from lower right to upper left, finishing in the left Ox guard, so that will require a passing step forward. As always, though, the sword must be in motion first.
 
Under-cut (Unterhau)
To make this cut, one cannot simply change into the guard. The tip of the sword must move in an arc to get the tip of the sword up to speed for an effective cut. To achieve this, you will slightly bring the tip back to the side, similar to the aforementioned golf swing, though not nearly as far lest you be struck for leaving yourself open. As you cut, align the long edge to face forward and begin to cut upwards, passing forward so that you strike at the same time your foot lands, extending the arms outwards to reach the opponent from a safe distance, then relaxing into the Ox guard. Your long edge will finish facing upwards, and your right foot will now be forward.
 
Middle-cut (Mittelhau)
Last will be the middle-cut into the left Plow. Begin in the Roof guard and start to make a slightly diagonal, but mostly horizontally cut with the arms extended (but, again, not locked). Pass forward with the right foot and step as you extend to strike. After you strike, continue the motion of the sword into the Plow guard on the left.

Each of these cuts must be performed over and over and over again. They are very simple, yet if you do not have the sense of timing and movement down, you will easily be evaded and struck. A good swordsman has practiced these cuts thousands of times against the air alone, not counting against a still target or a practice partner. Be sure to start out slowly to get the basic mechanics right. Only after you have developed a strong feel for this should you speed up, otherwise you may be training your muscles to do the wrong things.

As mentioned earlier, all three of these cuts can be performed from any guard, and they can also finish in any guard. A simple drill is to go through the three cuts as already described. Pick a cut, pick a guard in which to finish, and perform the cut. Then, from that guard, pick another cut and guard and continue. Occasionally start in a guard and make a cut that finishes in the same guard (for example, start in a left Ox guard and make an under-cut into a right Ox guard). Certain variations will make more sense to use than others, but the important thing for now is to understand the basic movement.

Thanks for posting this Sir Brian.