We continue to work our way through Book II of the rapier section:
How you shall intercept and counterthrust from the Straight Parrying against an opponent who cuts at you from below
2.76r, Forgeng p196
Our classic Meyer defense against cuts or thrusts below your guard, called sperren or "barring" in the section on parries:
- pivot on your back foot, lowering your point, catching your opponent's blade with your long edge
- thrust at his face, stepping forwards with your front foot
Extra notes this time, from Meyer:
- do it all really fast
- this applies to low cuts aimed at the middle of your body or higher (i.e. pretty high for low cuts!)
- you can use this against mittelhauw as well as unterhauw? "If he cuts or thrusts at you from below or across"
How you shall parry from above and thrust in under his weapon
2.76r, Forgeng p196
This one appears to be the same defense, only perhaps against a somewhat lower attack ("from below or underneath your weapon" instead of "from below or across"). The differences in the description are that instead of a simple pivot on the back foot ("step out from his incoming thrust or cut with your rear foot"), you "step out from his blade with a springing double step well toward his right side"; and that instead of thrusting at his face you thrust "under his right arm at his body".
He also gives one more move at the end: after your counterthrust:
. . . pull your weapon quickly toward your left shoudler and deliver a Defense Stroke diagonally through his right shoulder. Thus you come at the end of the cut into the right Low Guard, from which you should go quickly back up into the Straight Parrying to protect yourself further.
Doing this slowly, in drills, we found that the defense stroke didn't usually "connect" with anything. We assume, since no footwork is mentioned, that you could do it moving backwards (to assist a safe retreat) or forwards (persuing, if he evaded your thrust). We mostly practiced it backwards, retiring into guard. It seemed like it would be somewhat effective against a range of counters, and should at least keep him occupied while you get back to a safe position.
What to do against very low cuts
The final paragraph in this section deals with very low cuts: "well down at your lower leg". Meyer's advice: don't bother parrying it, pull your front foot our of the way and stab him in the face. Elsewhere (in the section on parries) he has a move that is much the same except that you parry as well as moving your front foot.
I think that the summary of Meyer's advice these sections could be:
1. Parry attacks that are coming in below your guard (or below your normal guard in eisenport or straight parrying) with the point low; but catching them with the long edge as usual.
2. Against "higher" low attacks, parry and counterthrust to the face. Against "medium" low attacks, parry and counterthrust under the arm. Against very low attacks, get your front foot (i.e. the target) out of the way, parry only if necessary, and attack their face.
3. Having attacked, go back into guard.
How you shall further conduct yourself when he has struck away or borne off your counterthrust
2.77r, Forgeng p197
It's not entirely clear whether this section is still dealing with defenses against low attacks. We assumed that we are once again looking at both fencers starting in eisenport, and attacking to the face or chest. Thus, this is an elaboration of the "basic attack and defense" we studied earlier.
Previously:
- "you" stand in straight parrying
- the opponent thrusts at your face
- you pivot on the back foot, and parry with the true edge
- you thrust at their face
Now we add:
- they parry your thrust with their true edge (pivoting on the back foot? or rocking back?)
- they thrust at your face
Now what do you do?
Meyer says you:
note diligently from which side he strikes you out; step toward that side and in the very momentum he has given your blade by striking it out, let it snap around for the thrust, and thrust at him to the same side from which he has struck you out.
Thus we have a new drill:
- the opponent attacks to the inside line
- you parry, pivoting on the back foot, catching his blade with the long edge
- you counterthrust at his face (note: this can be done "on" or "off" his weapon - more on this later)
- he parries your counterthrust, "striking out your blade towards his left"
- you step to his right (which foot?); letting your blade snap round into right Ox
- thrust outside his right arm
You can do this on the other side too.
We found several points where we wanted to do this in different ways:
Footwork: we all came up with slightly different solutions. It's probably a matter of relative height (and perhaps personality) - no one true solution.
"Letting the blade snap around": some wanted to make that a very circular motion; some mostly just rocking back, otherwise fairly linear. Some felt one of those more natural on one side, one on the other. Sometimes it varied according to how the opponent had parried. Probably both are fine, depending on situation.
If your opponent manages to impart a lot of momentum to your blade (for example, if you've thrust "off" his weapon, losing contact with it, and he's parried with some vigour) the larger, circular motion seems easier and faster. If it's a gentler parry, mostly pulling back might be quicker.