| German Long Sword Terms |
Definition: |
| Absetzen | setting aside, the principle of timed counter attack to deflect a thrust or parry a cut, also used to signify a trapping move where the sword is hooked over the opponent's and forced downwards, it can also mean a parry, generally followed by a thrust |
| Abwenden | ward off, such as with a deflecting parrying action |
| Am Schwert | on the sword, attacks made while maintaining constant pressure on the opposing blade, also known as the Winden (winding or turning)
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| Binden | a bind, or trapping action by pressing blade upon blade (usually edge on edge at the ricasso)
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| Drey Wunder | three wonders - thrust, the cut, and Schnitt (a slicing or drawing cut), they taught the thrust was used primarily at longer range, the cut at medium range, and the slice more at closer range
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| Durchwechseln | changing through - the move of evading contact with the opponent’s blade as you strike (e.g., changing line of attack)
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| Durchführen | disengage under - in close-combat leading your point under their sword to thrust at the opening on the other side. |
| Abschneiden | cutting aside, short drawing cuts known also as Schnitt ("slices"), used at closer distances against the opponent’s forearms and hands, they can be made with both the lead and the back edges
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| Fechtbuch | fight book or fencing book, a German manual on fighting techniques and methods, particularly swordsmanship |
| Fechtmeister | Fight Master |
| Fechtschule | A German Medieval or Renaissance fencing school or public fighting exhibition and competition |
| Fuehlen | gauging of an opponent's "feeling" or pressure |
| The Four Openings | areas to aim at in combat, the first opening is the opponent's right side, the second opening is their left side above the belt, the other openings are their right and left sides below the belt. |
| Gleich Fechten | attacking at the same time as the opponent or In des Fechten (as opposed to Nach Reissen and Vor Fechten) |
| Halb Schwert | half-sword, techniques of gripping the middle of the blade itself with the second hand (often by gloves or armored gauntlets). Also called Halt-Schwert, they allow a wide range of offensive and defensive striking and deflecting actions as well as thrusts |
| Krieg | handwork, also called war, the phase of combat once swords have crossed and the distance has been closed |
| Hengen | hanging guard/stance, called the Ochs ("ox") stance in the German schools (for resemblance to the sloping horns of an ox |
| Hard and Soft | The idea when ever contact is made of gauging the pressure the opponent places upon you blade (either strong or weak), oppose strength with weakness and weakness with strength to control and exploit |
| Von Tag | from the roof |
| Oberhut | upper guard |
| In Des Fechten | attacking in the middle of the adversary’s own attack, one of the three ways of overcoming an opponent’s attack along with Gleich Fechten and Nachreissen |
| Hangentorte | hanging point, and possibly even Wechsel (meaning "change"), a position with the blade horizontal pointing forward and the hilt pulled in close, used for warding, thrusting and parrying |
| Kampfplatz | an enclosed area where judicial duels and some foot challenges took place, it was an open made up of a square wooden barrier or "ring" |
| Kron | "crown", one German name for the Middle guard, also a type of Halb Schwert (half-sword) parry against a vertical downwards cut with the sword held point forward over the head |
| Short Edge | Back or "false" edge of the sword, opposite of the Long edge (Lange or "true" edge) |
| Long Edge | Forward or true edge of the sword, opposite of the Short edge (back or "false" edge) |
| Langortt | or Langer Ort, meaning "long point", a limited defensive thrusting position with the blade horizontal and arms extended straight forward more, ideal for warding and making stabbing attacks or stop-thrusts |
| Alber | Low guard or Fool’s guard, apparently since it was thought foolish to rely only on defense |
| Mittlehut | middle guard, the blade is held centered out from the lower abdomen at a 45-degree angle aimed at the opponent’s chest, throat or face, see "Pflug" |
| Pflug | plow, for its resemblance to the position of plowing behind a yoke, the blade is held centered out from the lower abdomen at a 45-degree angle aimed at the opponent’s chest, throat or face, see "Mittlehut" |
| Meisterhau | master cuts, prized techniques described by the grand-master Liechtenauer in which the swordsman strikes in a manner so that his sword deflects the incoming blow while simultaneously hitting the opponent |
| Mittelhau | a horizontal left-to-right cross-cut |
| Mordschlag | death blow, a type of rare Halb Schwert blow made by holding the sword blade itself with both hands and striking with the pommel or guard, used to slam a foe in heavy armor, aslo called Morteschlag |
| Nach | the defensive or countering principle of fighting, opposite of Vor ("before"), Nach und Vor are two important concepts in the Fechtschulen |
| Nachreissen | traveling after, attacking immediately after the adversary’s own attack, one of the three ways of overcoming an opponent’s attack |
| Obere Ansetzen | techniques delivered over or above the opponent’s guard (opposite of Untere Ansetzen) |
| Oberhau | over cuts, or strikes above the waist, either diagonal (Zornhau) or vertical (Scheitelhau) |
| Ort | German for the point of the sword |
| Pressing-the-hands | a move to push your blade in against the opponent’s forearms or hands just as they lift to strike or just as they lower to strike, one form of this cut was called the Krumphau |
| Ringen Am Schwert | wrestling at the sword, sometimes called Ringkunst, also involving Schwertnemen ("sword-taking") close in disarming moves and grappling (ground-fighting or Unterhalten, "holding down") |
| Rota | a countering technique described by Filippo Vadi (c. 1480) wherein the back edge is quickly raised to smack or deflect an opposing blade prior to an immediate descending cut with the forward edge |
| Schielhau | a sideways cut with the back or short edge (Kurze Schneide) of the blade, delivered with only one eye on your opponent (perhaps also called the "squinting cut") |
| Scheitelhau | a vertical cut, delivered either Oberhau (above the waist) or Unterhau (below the waist) |
| Schwech | weak, German masters divided the long-sword into two portions, the weaker section of blade from middle to point was known as Schwech (or Schwäche), used for most thrusting and slicing |
| Schwertnemen | sword taking, close-in disarming or trapping actions |
| Stark | strong, German masters referred to the long-sword in two portions, the strong section of blade from middle to hilt was known as Stark, used for most parrying and cutting (equivalent to the Forte of later renaissance fencing), opposite of Schwech |
| Stuck und Bruch | technique and counter, the idea that every technique has a counter and every counter has a technique, two major components of the German systems of swordsmanship |
| Throwing-the-point | A German technique of turning a false cutting blow into a sudden straight thrust |
| Ueberlauffen | overrunning, the concept of timed counter-attack by outreaching the adversary just as they attack, you move into or out of their action and strike their closer targets exposed by their own attack |
| Versetzen | literally displacement or to displace, a defensive action to put off an attack by a deflecting blow or counter strike as opposed to an opposition block, employed with evasive stepping (Versatzungen or the "displacements" are four of these cuts) |
| Von Fechten | attacking before, one of the three ways of overcoming an opponent’s attack |
| Vor | the offensive principle of fighting, aggressively taking the initiative, opposite of Nach |
| Winden | the "Winding" or turning, close binding actions to maintain pressure and dominate the opposing blade to get in and use either edge to slice (also allows you to close and seize) |
| Zornhau | a diagonal cut, delivered either Oberhau (above the waist) or Unterhau (below the waist) |
| Zornhut | "guard of wrath" or "rage guard" sparingly used vulnerable posture with the weapon pulled all the way point down behind the back, but which allows the most powerful blows |
| Zwerchhau | slanting cut, a horizontal right-to-left cross cut (also called Geschrenckt Ort) |
| Zuefechten | one of the two phases of combat where the combatants are closing together and their weapons make contact (prior to Anbinden or Handarbeit) |
| Abnemen | To free yourself from the bind or to make an attack from the bind |
| Abschneiden | To cut over the arms from below or from above, usually done with the long edge |
| Duplieren | To instantly follow up a parried long-edge strike with a strike through a swift crossing over of the arms |
| Einlauffen | Running in. To duck in under the opposing weapon or employ closing and entering techniques |
| Fehler | Feint. To feint a strike at a high opening and change to another, usually lower, opening in the strike. Luring your opponent to commit to defending one opening and striking another. |
| Hende Trucken | Pressing the hands. |
