James Colton

Selected Plays from the Liechtenauer Glosses

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https://www.jamescolton.com/articles/liechtenauer-longsword/plays/

Introduction

The Liechtenauer glosses detail the following plays that illustrate the concepts and techniques of KDF. The plays are organized by the meisterhau used to initiate them. This guide assumes you are familiar with the basic terms and concepts of Liechtenauer’s system, which you can read about here.

Zornhau

  1. Stand in right vom tag
  2. Throw your point into langort, leading with the long edge
  3. Pass your right foot forward

Zorn-Ort or Ansetzen

  1. The opponent throws a zornhau to your upper left
  2. Parry with a zornhau from your right, ending with your point forward
  3. The opponent is soft in the bind and makes no attempt to be hard
  4. Thrust to their chest or face

Abnehmen

  1. The opponent throws a zornhau to your upper left
  2. Parry with a zornhau from your right, ending with your point forward
  3. The opponent is hard in the bind and their point is moving offline
  4. Lift your sword over their point, maintaining the bind
  5. Cut down to their head on the other side

Zucken

  1. Throw a right zornhau at your opponent
  2. The opponent goes to parry with a right zornhau
  3. Before the swords meet, pull your sword toward yourself so the opponent’s blade passes by
  4. Thrust in on the other side of the opponent’s blade

Durchwechseln

  1. The opponent throws a zornhau to your upper left
  2. Parry with a zornhau from your right, ending with your point forward
  3. The opponent is very hard in the bind, which is near your point, and their point is offline
  4. Drop your point underneath their blade and bring it back up in a thrust

Winden am Schwert

  1. The opponent throws a zornhau to your upper left
  2. Parry with a zornhau from your right, ending with your point forward
  3. The opponent is hard in the bind and keeps their point online
  4. Wind into left ochs so your strong is on their weak
  5. Thrust to their face
  6. The opponent parries upward
  7. Raise your hilt and lower your point to continue the thrust toward their chest
  8. The opponent parries even higher
  9. Durchwechseln and thrust downward at their chest

Duplieren

  1. The opponent throws a zornhau to your upper left
  2. Parry with a zornhau from your right
  3. The opponent is hard and their point is offline
  4. Wind in behind their blade into right ochs as they push your hilt aside
  5. Cut or thrust to their face

Mutieren

  1. Throw a zornhau from your right
  2. The opponent parries with a zornhau to your left
  3. The opponent is soft, but makes a failed attempt at being hard
  4. Wind your short edge on top of their blade into left ochs
  5. Thrust to their lower opening

Krumphau

  1. Stand in right vom tag
  2. Switch to thumb grip and throw your point into langort, crossing your arms and leading with the long edge so your point hangs to the left
  3. Pass your right foot forward, springing to the right and pivoting counterclockwise

Counter to Ochs and Langort

  1. The opponent stands in ochs, or attacks into langort
  2. Spring to the side and throw a krumphau to their wrist

Parry into Thrust

  1. The opponent throws a zornhau to your upper left
  2. Parry with a krumphau from your right
  3. Wind into ochs and thrust or short-edge cut to their face

Kurtzhau

  1. The opponent throws a zornhau to your upper left, or stands in ochs
  2. Perform a krumphau underneath their blade, catching their attack above your strong
  3. Thrust to their face or chest

Zwerchau

  1. Stand in right vom tag
  2. Switch to thumb grip
  3. Rotate your sword horizontally overhead into left ochs, leading with the short edge
  4. Pass your right foot forward and pivot counterclockwise

Counter to Oberhau

  1. The opponent throws an oberhau to your left side
  2. Spring to the right and throw a zwerchau to their head, catching their attack on your strong and hitting them with your weak

Counter to Zwerchau

  1. The opponent throws a zwerchau to your left side
  2. Parry with a zornhau from your right
  3. The opponent throws a zwerchau to your right side
  4. Throw a zwerchau from your left at their neck

Veler into Zwerchau

  1. Throw an oberhau from your right
  2. The opponent goes to parry
  3. Before the blades meet, pull back into a zwerchau from the other side, or from the same side under their sword

Schilhau

  1. Stand in right vom tag
  2. Switch to thumb grip
  3. Bring your sword across from right to left into left ochs
  4. Lift your pommel and drop your point, leading with the short edge

Counter to Oberhau

  1. The opponent throws an oberhau to your left side
  2. Parry on top of their sword with a long schilhau from your right that strikes their head

Counter to Pflug, Langort, and Low Thrusts

  1. The opponent stands in right pflug or langort
  2. Throw a schilhau from your right such that your strong intercepts their weak
  3. Cut their hands, or thrust to their chest or neck

Scheitelhau

  1. Stand in right vom tag
  2. Throw your point at the top of the opponent’s head, leading with the long edge, keeping your hands at eye level in a high langort

Überlauffen

  1. The opponent throws an unterhau to your lower opening
  2. Withdraw your lead leg and throw a scheitelhau

Counter to Kron

  1. Throw a scheitelhau to the opponent’s head
  2. The opponent parries in kron
  3. Lift your pommel to sink your point over their hilt
  4. Thrust to their chest
  5. The opponent parries high
  6. Wind underneath their arms and slice them

Resources

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