Thanks for the comment, I hadn't yet noticed what you're saying about the other fencer. He does sometimes launch an attack on being attacked, rather than parrying first. We're gonna analyse that together next time. Also, good point about distance, as it does seem my cuts (and my thrusts aswell, in case you've noticed) often don't reach just by a few centimeters. Thank you!

Hi, thanks a lot and welcome! Here's a few other HEMA channels for you that are very good: - Scholagladiatoria / Matt Easton: kzfaq.info - Academy of Historical Fencing: kzfaq.info - Federico Malagutti: kzfaq.info - Daniel Pope: kzfaq.info - Schildwache Potsdam: kzfaq.info - Virtual Fechtschule: kzfaq.info - Dreynschlag: kzfaq.info - Die Freifechter: kzfaq.info/love/UAQZwiF84s7p4R3Q5RUsiw - Martin Fabian: kzfaq.info

@@historyandsabre very nice of you!! TY 👍🏻

Thank you very much! Also check out my more recent sparring videos as our timing and distance has improved vastly since then.

Thanks for the input, we train from Roworth btw which is very much in the Angelo tradition. I think I get what you're saying and we do drill with the sword and arm slightly preceding the front leg on the lunge. It's just sometimes hard to transfer all the drilling into sparring. I definitely find it intriguing how you phrase the "back-foot to front-hand connection for the cut, and that the cut lands just before the front foot arrives.". Sounds good to me!

@@historyandsabre Oops! What I said might not apply to Roworth, or even to "papa" Angelo's posters... The 1817 Infantry Sword Exercise starts to incorporate some basic exercises (the Extension Motions) that don't appear anywhere in the earlier manuals, using the Position of the Soldier which was the foundation posture of the Prussian drill system being used by Britain at the time. In the introduction to John Windham's 1759 "A Plan of Discipline..." he talks about a post-Frederik the Great international "scene" developing around the Prussian Step and the Manual Exercise, with contests being held to develop new exercises, and strict ideals of reducing complex movements to their simplest parts while eliminating anything extraneous or done "purely for ornament". Windham implies a training "culture" existing among British Drill Sergeants, based on the Prussian concepts, that had been around for 50 years or so prior to Angelo's official Infantry Exercise; since the first unarmed exercise in Angelo's 1817 manual seems at least based on the Prussian stuff, and the Extension Motion Practises for the Sword Exercise are later used by themselves as a way to teach marching technique up until Fox's 1889 "Physical Drill...", Angelo's 1817 Infantry Sword Exercise seems like a way of harmonizing the Prussian Drill system with existing Broadsword systems, which had all been written by Cavalrymen up to that point. The method for generating power for a cut up til then had been to form "a sweep" or moulinet before the cut; neither method appears in the 1817 manual, and by 1880, Waite's "Lessons in Sabre" absolutely forbids any backward motion of the hand or sword tip as a way to propel the cut. Since military swords actually got heavier in the Victorian period, something obviously changed "under the hood". Windham has a kind of origin story for the Drill System; early Prussian matchlock gunners had to hold their 20-25 lbs muskets out at arms length because the lit matches on the guns could set off the powder cases strapped to their chests, so they needed to develop techniques to move in formation, load and fire without blowing themselves up... Windham doesn't go into detail, but by the 1870's Bertram Browne's "A Practical Guide to Squad and Setting Up Drill" talks about using the larger muscles of the "haunches" (hips?) and torso to power all "military movement", and the exercises seem designed to integrate the arm into the rest of the body so that those larger muscles are doing most of the work. Frederik the Great reformed the Prussian Drill and brought the musket (now a flintlock, no match) close to the chest, but the "integration work" might have been retained in the drill; or at least it seems to be there in the British interpretation of the system. The 1817 system was explicitly for Infantry, to the point where Angelo had to later release a completely re-vamped version of his sword exercise for Cavalry that re-introduces a kind of "sweep" before every cut similar to earlier methods, implying that a solid connection to the ground is necessary for the Infantry technique; that sweep is still left out of the later 1845 Infantry Exercise, the 1875 revised Exercise, and of course there's Waite's "no sweep" system in 1880. All of that said, I'm not sure how much traction there is for the idea that the "Shaolin Temple" of Victorian British military sabre is actually Potsdam...

Yup, definitely!

Cheers, appreciate your thoughts! As others have pointed out, my biggest weakness (I'm orange) is failing to recover to guard after a descending cut. I'm already seeing some improvements as I have started modifiyng my cutting mechanics.

Very concisely said!

I'm glad to hear that, thanks!

Hi, great comment! I can totally see how your suggestions might work. In retrospect - and I believe I have inproved regarding some of my frequent mistakes in this video - I reckon that going for shallower targets, i.e. the sword arm, will significantly decrease doubles. I don't know why I was so set on going for the ribs here but I have since trained myself to keep more distance that way. Cheers!

Thanks, Viktor! I am getting a lot of good feedback right now on here and also over on Facebook but yours is beyond helpful! You picked out exactly what I did and offered possible solutions right away. I can work with your suggestions, much appreciated!

Cheers!

Hi, I think you pretty much summed up the fight there haha. Yeah, I am cautious with thrusting, especially when my opponent is taller than I am. Overall, I think your other observations are more or less accurate! Thanks for commenting!

That is actually a great idea, I'm pretty sure I'll implement that whenever I can make some sparring videos!

Thank you, my pleasure! Max uses some kind hockey gloves with tape around it as to cover up the gaps, and I use the standard Red Dragon HEMA gloves. Yeah, your're right that I should always come back up to guard. It's a bad habit that I cultivated because I used to be too slow to recover to guard consistenly. Instead of working on that problem, that's what happened. I'm not as slow anymore, so I'm trying to get rid of that habit.

I (guy in green) use those: www.faitsdarmes.com/en/gloves/46-hema-padded-gloves.html But modified a bit. Wrapped around with some duct tape to reduce the risk of getting hit in the gaps and and also some extra finger tip protectors on the thumb and the index finger.

@@Vatoeter These 3-bar hilted sabres looks absolutely amazing, right, and I was tempted to buy with this type of hilt, but then decided to take one with fully closed cup hilt. Mostly because I am afraid of finger damage. I am asking cause for some weird reasons here most of saber/rapier fencers use pretty thin leather gloves. They designed for hema somehow, but still.. We use additional overlay made of hard leather but it protects only wrist and thumb, not fingers.

@@historyandsabre I hope, we will get more these sweet sparring videos :) It is very interesting to watch how differently fights people from different clubs/countries. Even those who works with same sources.

Oh, these videos are not going anywhere. I've only just started doing them :) Well, apparently we put more of an emphasis on safety gear over here. I probably wouldn't fence with somebody who hasn't got at least something like Red Dragons for sabre. A basket hilt is a different story of course, you need smaller and lighter gloves for that. Thanks again for your support!

Nah, you're good haha! It's both the artificial lighting and the colour tweaks I did in post.

Ow and stop lowering your guard after an attack :P

@@2eme_voltigeur652 So everyone is telling me. Thanks, I do appreciate it! :)

Yes, these sabres are made to simulate historical weight and handling characteristics. The ones in this video are around 750 grams, which is quite accurate for infantry sabres of the early 19th century. Since there was quite some variation between models, makers, and nations, they could also be heavier.

Hi, yes you are correct. Good spot! I used them for a while like that and since I'm relatively short it worked great!

Good question but it's just a plate on his protective glove! I see why'd get the idea, though! :)

I think it's unlikely given that we already have Olympic fencing, which developed out of what we now call classical fencing. It would also be difficult to decide which sources and/or disciplines within HEMA you'd pick as an olympic sport. You'd have to aort of create a new one. Personally, I don't think this is the way for HEMA but I'm also not against it.

Thanks! Well, threatening the opponent with the point at all times isn't really necessary in a system like this. Roworth's 1st Ed. (1798), for instance, shows the blades almost vertical when engaging, while the illustrations for the later editions (we use the 4th Ed. from 1824 by Nick Thomas), they are shown more horizontal with the point online. Hutton based a good chunk of his knowledge and works on the earlier broadsword and sabre masters like Angelo and Roworth, you'll find the references. :)

Hi, I can't really comment on the SG mittens as I've neither owned nor used them before. However, I can just about get my SPES Heavy Lobsters in there. I think they are size small, though, so larger ones won't fit either. It also depends on the specific training sabre, since different manufacturers will have slightly different hilt dimensions aswell. Usually, I just use the Red Dragons for sabre but heavier gloves are generally a good idea. Sorry if that's of no real help.

@@historyandsabre Your recommending heavier gloves confirms what others also say. I like my fingers not broken :)) Well, if SPES heavies can be used for sabre, I think I'm gonna give SG mittens a go (seems that they fit the Blackfencer I have). Dankeschön für Ihre Hilfe!

Gerne, I hope it works out!

It's from Bloss in Poland and the blade is from Tylko as far as I know. I bought it back when there were no other readily available options for earlier military sabre steel sabres. It still feels great but I'd opt for other training sabres nowadays.

there was an attempted cut with the false edge to the hand from the left guy.

In principal yes, if the opportunity arises. I will say, though, that with heavily curved sabres such as the ones in this video, false edge cuts are quite a bit more difficult but they are nevertheless absolutely viable and functional technique.

It's a red SPES officer jacket 350N

True, thanks for the input. Check out our more recents sparring videos. You'll see that we have got a lot better at that.

@@historyandsabre True, thank you for the great content by the way.

I can, what would you like to know? Which aspects?

@@historyandsabre like how they compare when sparring? I heard jurek mention it and I was curious what the pros and cons were.

Absolutely right and, fortunately, I don't anymore! Check out my more recent videos!

Nice one. With a big moustache comes big responsibility

Um, what?

@@historyandsabre Haha sorry, just being silly. To me it kind of sounded like you said "Hi I'm pizza" at the very beginning of the video. My adult child brain giggled. Great video :)

@@iamalaser4185 All good, cheers! :)

Thank you for the comment but I don't think it's particularly constructive. We train from Charles Roworth's manual (1798/1824), which prescribes a back weighted stance and hammer grip. So I don't know why you would even bring up later traditions. It's beside the point. I know there are some issues with our fencing but we train to improve. "The legs don't work" is fine as an opinion but it's not useful at all if you don't elaborate on it. Best wishes, Peter

Sorry, but too many errors. Bad manners. The words do not work. You don't understand constructive criticism or basic interpersonal interaction. The heavily condescending tone= bad communication. You just end up sounding like a total jerk. This is just a basic list of mistakes...