Haha, Nicole's face at 1:51 You guys rock.

Due to habits carried over from sport fencing I had been using the broken wrist position in my rapier fencing. This lead to the very type of tendonitis you describe in your video. About a year ago, after watching Gary Chelak's video on hand position for Giganti rapier, I switched to the correct wrist alignment. Unfortunately my wrist still has some swelling just down from the thumb. I will be recommending this video to all my fencing partners so they can avoid my mistake.

An official poll for you! Do you like the background music? Or would you prefer it silent? Please reply to this comment with which you prefer.

And Nicole's faces while defending were great xP

The quality of the videos has always been good, but this last one was outstanding! Subtle humour, great explanations and examples, and the fact that the music covers brief moments of silence between showcasings of the information and the sparring feels fantastic! You can really feel the effort you guys are putting into this channel and I can't wait to see more growth and pristine content from you guys!

Nice tips, thank you. I will pay more attention to the broken wrist for sure.

Real Filipino martial arts that focuses on the blade.has the exact same thought process. awesome video. -Tom KOA

It's true that one needs to do special strength & flexibility training to be able to "hyperextend" the wrist on a heavy blade without damaging the tendons and ligaments. But if one takes the time to develop that strength and flexibility, it open a whole range of fast, powerful techniques that are sometimes called "jabs". If you're going to attempt it, start out with isometrics for a few months before attempting cutting, and it's critical to learn how to equalize the force at the end of the jab. (The main force of of the jab is applied before the end of the movement, so the equalization of force doesn't diminish the power of the cut.) But it's not recommended unless you're willing to put in the time-most people just injure themselves attempting it, and one of the reasons most longsword fencers are well advised to keep their wrists straight with heavier swords is to avoid that damage.

I really liked the last sentence there - and now of to the blades.

You could have shown how many fencing weapons have tilted or pistol shape handle to compensate for the curve of the wrist. Good video as always.

Having done my best to take everything you guys have taught in these videos as this is some of the BEST instruction on the internet.... This still remains the most difficult thing for me to do. Part of that is I have no one to spar with which means that over-swinging is very easy for me. Nothing to stop the blade, so it's all on me. I can, however, keep a strong wrist if I use a hammer grip on my feder but it just feels like I am limiting myself.

Do you think that this is also true for the Scheitelhau? Or is that the exeption to the rule.

Great video as always. The background music was great non intrusive.

Good and solid information for beginners. Well done!

excellent topic. Seeing it in practice it becomes a no brainer

would you please cover on how to do the falso manco parry from manciolino's spada solo with proper body alignment. I have a hard time doing that...

Very solid information. Thank you so much. Please continue this great work

Thank you so much

Nice video who puts your message straight to the point. I have a little bit off-topic question: what Langes Messer simulators are you showing here? I find it extremely difficult to find appropiate simulators for Langes Messer as most tend to be far to light or far too heavy. So I am always looking for new manufacturers for them.

While I don't practice I love watching these video's for the knowledge base!

I never fully understood the concept, I'm certain this will help me a ton while I practice and spar. I also appreciate the subtle humor in some scenes. For the music, I'm a fan of the background music, but less of a fan of the intro/outro music.

What's the purpose of hand shifting then? I'm one of those self-taught people so I always assumed that moving the thumb position was to keep from hyperextending the ligament while also being able to get the "full velocity" you refered to.

This is how you HEMA. Good job, as always.

awesome vid!! thank you, I really appreciated it!

does it matter if i end my cut in a broken wrist position?? because when i hit the taget my wrists are in good form, but after i hit the target they fall in a brokenwrist position. does this matter??

Why are emphasizing the force? you practice unarmored fencing, it doesn't take running through some one to kill someone, or cutting there head off. a fast hit in a unarmored with a sharp blade with make someone bleed to death with minimal force. IF this wasn't the case, we wouldn't see thumb grips on later sabers, with basically encourage high speed snaps cuts.

You two are awesome!!!!!

Yes!

What is your interpretation of the scheitelhau? I have seen some interpretations that involve a "broken" wrist position.

In german academic sabre fencing many cuts are done with broken wrist position. In books like Friedrich Schulze " Die Säbelfechtkunst" there are many photos who show a broken wirst position. In other sources for this fighting style, too. But in academic sabre fencing your goal is to fight the duel and not to kill the opponent. Maybe it is done to keep the energy of the blows low.

Does that mean you're not able to stab in a straight line but only a little upwards? When i try to stab without a broken wrist, the point of my weapon always shows up, which means i have to be much closer to penetrate right? Oh and the music is a bit distracting for my taste, something calmer would be nice. Thanks for the good tutoring.

Does the thumb in line with the false edge maintain structure for thrusting?

What about side sword and saber systems where there are frequent wrist cuts?

Forgive me if I'm confusing something, but is there a similarity between the "broken" wrist position and a handshake grip?

Curious, what type of metal are the swords made out of? thanks!

damn i wish i knew this more early. my wrist is killing me...

This would also be valid if I try to trust with a curved blade like some sabres or a dussack?

How do you quantify systems that have such wrist positions? For instance; Meyer's dussack guards of Langort and Wechsel, Luckecher's planting, Destreza's first position, Bolognese guards of Guardia d’Intrare, Coda Lunga e Distesa, and Porta di Ferro Larga. I'm adding this little bit since people get pissy when you ask for clarification on the internet: I'm not arguing with you. I'm just being inquisitive.

If you guys see this: I've been doing drills with a practice longsword and I'm perfectly able to keep my right hand properly aligned. However, my left hand I can't help but over extend as I'm rotating the blade. I don't know if this is an issue anyone else has had or if it's even an issue at all. If you guys (or anyone else) knows anyways to fix this aside from time, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

Yay I Got Moar!

Please, name of the intro song ?

I took a hema class, guy broke my left wrist in some fancy lock he did on me when our swords where binded. I haven't been back sense because the shit wont seem to heal and I don't have insurance to see a doctor and even if I did they just x ray it tell me its broke and send me away like they have every other broken bone I ever had. Some of these HEMA instructor guys aren't professional and let their ego run ramped resulting in hurting or turning off new students.

I disagree. If you go through the treatises it shows broken wrist positions plenty of times, in addition you'll see it in other sword martial arts like iaido as part of the follow through of the cut, or kenjutsu for cutting at your maximum reach and kendo (although I know people in the HEMA community don't take kendo very seriously.) Although in all these circumstances its not as extreme as you show. However it's something to be aware of situationally for sure.

Thanks for that detail. Now I will have practice it. The devil is in the details. Also, long live Thor!

66 likes