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HANDWORK

Meyer applies this term to all actions that take place after the Onset [2r]. He also calls it the Middle (Mittel), or the War (Krieg), which is the usual term in the older sources.

In the earlier sources, the War is described as consisting chiefly of winding. Meyer 51r has remarks on the War.

Defenses

Stepping Out

Throughout the tradition, when an attack comes in, the combatant generally steps laterally away from the incoming cut, called stepping out. Meyer often also calls for extra protection by bending the head and/or body behind the blade [Meyer 54r]. This is in addition to whatever blade technique is used to parry the incoming cut.

Stepping out can also serve as a means of getting one’s own blade on top of an incoming cut. The step is sometimes described as being to the side and forward and occasionally it is simply described as forward. Only rarely is there any mention of moving back against an incoming cut; usually this happens as a means of making the opponent miss (see Evading, below), but Ringeck 104r implies that one sometimes ends up stepping backwards when one is heavily pressed by an attack. Austretten can refer to a volte-step—cf. Meyer 2.74.1.

Evading

Evading an attack by moving the body in such a way as to make it miss. This technique seems to be relatively rare with the longsword.

Parrying

See the beginning of Meyer Chapter 5 especially on this subject. Meyer 59v.3: ‘parry’ as an initial blocking move. This is the generic term for the use of the blade to defend against an incoming attack. Meyer identifies three classes of parries. The first is simply catching the opponent’s blade, without any attempt to attack. Meyer does not recommend it, as it confers no particular advantage, although he recognizes that it is sometimes necessary when the opponent is delivering a series of very swift attacks [15v, 28r].

The second type involves intercepting the opponent’s blade by some form of catching or setting off, followed by a counterattack [15v, 28r].

The third type is the techniques that parry and counterattack in the same motion, as happens with many of the reverse cuts, such as the Thwart and Squinter. Starhemberg 26v emphasizes the importance of keeping the point in line when parrying, an important consideration when the followup is likely to be a thrust.

The term can also mean a static defensive position—essentially a guard—and in the earlier texts it is also used of the standard oppositions to the four chief guards. Of this last use, the Starhemberg text notes that these aren’t really versetzen in the normal sense [26r].

Catching; Setting Off

This is a form of parry in which the opponent’s attack is caught by interposing one’s own weapon rather than set off with a counterstroke. The hanging and sliding parries are essentially variants. The Longpoint is often used to catch [q.v].

 

Countercutting.

The use of a countercut to parry the opponent’s attack. Meyer is most explicit about this subject. He says that any cut can be parried with a High Cut; a High Cut can be parried with any other cut. The medieval sources make less specific mention of the use of cuts as parries, but where a Wrath Cut is used to parry Wrath Cut; Ringeck 41r, where the opponent uses a countercut to bind; and Starhemberg 26v, which mentions using a cut or thrust to parry.

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