Weapons II

Last post, I covered the common weapons. So, now I should give an overview of the uncommon and complex.

Sword and Bucker- egad, this looks fun and painful. I've got no idea about the guards, except I recognise a few as tricky and deceitful, depriving your opponent of a measurement of their risk. The few bouts I have witnessed (mostly on youtube) come across as fast, vaguely confusing and relying on decent strategy so your flinch reactions don't end up killing you.

Pollaxe- It's an axe, a hammer and a spear all in one. I would call this the swiss army knife of weapons, but that makes it sound pansy. Far from it, this is more like the anti-tank gun of the medieval era.

Scythes... Yes there are sources out there that describe scythe fighting. Proper two handed big scythes.

Quarterstaff- Nothing like the Robin Hood stuff. The extra reach granted by holding it by the near quarter gives enough range that a talented staffman can take on multiple swordmen.

16th century dutch barroom brawling- still valid now, except for the chapters on throwing people by their hair and what to do when someone is trying to stab you with their eating knife.

Umbrella and bowler hat fighting. Eat your heart out Mr Steed. Someone was actually doing that on the streets of London.

And the best thing? The list is almost endless. If you master one, you have several more to learn, maybe you will be lucky enough to get your hands on a 'new' old manuscript that gives novel instructions for a known weapon. They're out there.. Somewhere. (and I have opinions about the new Fiore furore.. but that is for a later date)

Europe has been at war in one way or another since one tribe found another. Even at peace, there have been civilian ways to kill each other.

On weaponry

So what weapons are covered in HEMA?

It's seems to be one of three. Rapier, Backsword or Longsword. This isn't an exclusive or comprehensive list, you can find many weapons if you look hard enough. At the larger events you will be able to find people willing to teach practically anything.

Rapier is as close as I want to get to sport fencing, it's actually rather fun and there are lots of subtleties. I've not moved on to using a second weapon, but I am looking forward to learning a little rapier and cloak, rapier and dagger or rapier and buckler. Apparently, this kind of admission may result in people questioning my manliness. But I wear nailvarnish and eyeliner, so I'm used to that.

Backsword is interesting- It's a bit simplistic, there's only a few methods of attack and defence but this allows a better understanding of the mechanics of the fight. You don't have to worry about lots of guards and many places to attack. It's a good starter for people who want to get a feel for the dynamics of a fight. Besides. Paradoxes of Defence is actually quite a laugh to read, there might not be a lot of information about fighting but it tells you a lot about the time.

I don't really know much about longsword. It comes in two main flavours, German and Italian. German is a bit forthright and potentially suicidal. Italian is a bit sneakier and complex. It looks interesting, but I've only had brief instruction on the two types so I don't have enough knowledge to form an opinion. It looks fun though.