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Meyer Longsword - left vs right

Submitted by Ludwig von Rege... on June 2, 2010 - 12:12pm

(Patrick's Notes)
 
Discussed the problem of left/right.  Meyer only discusses explicitly
two left/right variants: Ochs and Pflug.  In Ochs, it's left if the
sword is on the left (right foot forward), in Pflug, it's left if the
left foot is forward (sword on right).  We decided to adopt the
convention (till something better comes along), that stances are
generally described by which foot is forward except for Ochs.  So, for
example, Wechsel left has the left foot forward and sword on the right.
Repeated the call a stance in turn exercise and practiced approach and cut (Mittlehau) using Pflug as defence.
Learned new stances: Einhorn (Unicorn), Hangetort (Hanging guard), Schluessel (Key) and Zornhut (Wrath guard).
Together with Langort, Wechsel, Nebenhut and Eisenport this completes Meyer's list of secondary stances.
Looked at Meyer's theory of cuts passing through at least three stances.  Practiced the vertical examples:
Scheitelhau: Vom tag, Langort, Alba; Unterhau: Eisenport, Hangetort, Einhorn.
Practiced footwork, including passing by reversing stance.
Addendum: In the example above, Eisenport seemed a strange place to
start the Unterhau; this might be due to a problem with our
understanding of Eisenport.  It seems Eisenport is not part of
the Liechtenauer tradition that Meyer mostly follows (Fiore does have
Porta di Ferro, which is identical to Alba).  In his description of the
stance, Meyer describes it as a rapier position, and it's the only one
of the primary and secondary stances that does not have a plate. 
Confusingly, he then goes on to define "Schrankhut" (a point down
position) that is shown in a plate on the same page.  Forgeng, in a
german fencing glossary I found online, writes that for rapier,
Eisenport is point up, in longsword it's point down.  The above example
makes a lot more sense if it's: Schrankhut, Hangetort, Einhorn.
 
 
Addendum 2:  Correction: Nebenhut isn't depicted either; Langort is
depicted in Plate A, which is in the preceding section.  Talhoffer plate
16, Iszny Portt / iszni port looks like Alba.
 

 

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