What happens in a training session?

If you've been reading about us and you're interested in trying historic swordsmanship, you may be asking yourself, "I wonder what can I look forward to at a training session?"

The Structure of a Session

A typical training session at Vier Leger is comprised of:

• A warm up, focused on joint mobility in preparation for wielding a sword;
• Unpartnered drills - including stepping, guards, cuts and transitions;
• Partnered drills with the sword; and,
• Strength and conditioning exercises.

Each session will range from 1 to 2 hours in duration.

What will I be doing in my first few sessions?

As a beginner, the first thing you will practice is how to stand, hold and move with the sword.

Then you will work on the four principle guards and the basic cuts and thrusts.

These practical elements will be interspersed with sword terminology and an introduction to the Liechtenauer tradition. You will also receive an overview of how we approach further training and what you have to look forward to in the future.

This will fill up your first couple of sessions and should be enough to help you decide if this is the martial art for you.

Where to from there?

Your initial training is about familiarising yourself with the sword and getting acquainted with how to properly hold and move with it.

Once you are comfortable with the sword and can demonstrate a reasonable understanding of basic movements, you will begin practicing partnered drills, which will facilitate your entry into our general curriculum.

What's with the Strength & Conditioning?

We at Vier Leger believe that fitness is an essential part of practicing any martial art. While our overall approach is in developing general fitness for our participants, our strength and conditioning training for swordplay gives particular attention to the core, rotator-cuff, and the grip.

The ARMA have posted an excellent article titled The Role of Fitness in Historical Fencing which is well worth the read. We share their views on the importance of physical fitness.

Our current approach to strength and conditioning will be covered in an upcoming post.

Do I need a sword?

We will make training weapons available for use by beginners. You will only be required to purchase your own sword if you decide to continue training with us.

All training is delivered at a level appropriate to your skill and needs, and always with a safety first approach.

How do I start?

Please contact us for information on attending your first session.

The Appeal of Historic Swordsmanship

There is something truly romantic about the medieval longsword. We can remove the myths, castles, costumes and ancient battles, and an elegant piece of finely cutlered steel will still cause people of all ages to marvel in awe.

While many enjoy the sword from an aesthetic viewpoint, some take it a step further and engage in martial practice.

Putting aside the elements of self-defence and physical fitness, a common thread runs through all martial arts – rather than just being something to pass the time, they can be pursued as a way of furthering ourselves mentally and emotionally, and can even become a focus to enhance our spirituality.

So, why do people choose the Historical European Martial Arts, or even more specifically, medieval swordsmanship?

The pull of the sword – an innate interest in edged weaponry may lead us to view the sword as a potent symbol or elegant weapon.

The pull of the times – we may have an interest in medieval history, re-enactment, or the myths of old, where the sword often features strongly.

The pull of the unknown – we might view the reconstruction of these arts as a great puzzle, enjoying the research and study, and recreating a part of our collective history.

We can appreciate the appeal of historical swordsmanship from a romantic perspective, but we must always remember to respect the sword. In its time it was an efficient, versatile and deadly tool, and that is no less true today, even when we are employing blunts or wasters.

The exact reason why anyone chooses this as a martial pursuit will likely involve more than one specific motive, but its position as a practical and historically based method for employing the longsword will continue to arouse interest for generations to come.

First Contact

Many people I have talked to have had their first contact with the historical combat arts through various media items posted on the internet, and have often encountered them unexpectedly.

A number of individuals that I have had the pleasure to converse with, both practicing swordsmen and not, have confessed that their initial impressions of the German Kunst des Fechtens were formed after the discovery of short clips of swordplay posted on YouTube.

It is great for our art as a whole that there are some fantastic clips posted on YouTube and various other sites across this world wide web. In this post I'd like to bring one in particular to your attention which helped to cement my desire to undertake the study of this art.

The video embedded below, titled "Fechten mit dem langen Schwert" or Fencing with the Longsword, was posted on YouTube in May 2007 by TheRealGladiatores.

I urge you to take 2 minutes and 21 seconds out of your day to watch and enjoy it, even if you've seen it before.

The creators of the video, a school of Historical European Swordsmanship named Gladiatores, operate a number of schools and training groups in Germany.

For those readers desirous of learning more about Gladiatores I have taken the liberty of posting a link to their website translated into English by Google Translate here.

Videos like this help to dispel some of the general misconceptions surrounding medieval swordsmanship.

The most common misconceptions are that employing the longsword was merely a matter of using strength to bash sword on sword, or that medieval swordsmanship was brutish and without any discernible heritage, refinement of technique, or finesse.

Another misconception involves the weight of medieval swords, which will be mentioned in an upcoming post.

The first step to a wider acceptance of historical combat arts as a whole is dispelling these false assumptions, and it is exciting to see more and more content coming online that represents these arts favourably and accurately.

• Brock, for Vier Leger

Fechtschule Sankt Peter

During June 2008 I was honoured to attend classes on the basics of the German Longsword as taught by Andrew Brew of Stoccata School of Defense.

Andrew teaches German Longsword and Polish Sabre at his Fechtschule Sankt Peter, located in Pymble NSW Australia.

As a beginner entering his school, I found his approach and teaching style both engaging and accomodating. The sessions were logical and practical, doing away with much of the pomp and ceremony that I have experienced in other martial arts.

Andrew is very approachable, with a visible enthusiasm for historical combat, and a deep knowledge of not only the German tradition, but many of the traditions within the Historical European Martial Arts.

Safety was a key concern during the sessions, with all participants working to their own level with a variety of swords, both wasters and blunts. After engaging in ordered progressions of individual and partnered drills, I watched as the advanced students engaged in free-play at differing speeds.

The school was populated by friendly and sincere students, who were happy to share their time and knowledge and trade strikes with a beginner. I felt very welcome and learned a great deal during my short stay.

If you are in the greater Sydney area and you're interested in the German Longsword, I heartily recommend that you get along to Fechtschule Sankt Peter and try a class. I'll definately be back!

For more information on attending a session at Fechtschule Sankt Peter, please visit the Stoccata site here.

• Brock, for Vier Leger

Wasters as Art

Vier Leger has just received two new wasters, made by our friend and fellow swordsman in the USA, Jeffrey Robinson.

The wasters are made of a single piece of high-density plastic with a clear-vinyl-sheathed metal cross. They will be used both for those beginning their training with us, and also as a great training analogue for our steel blades in pell-work and other drills and applications.

These wasters are practical works of art - not only do they have a remarkably sure and springy feel, they are great to look at too!

A short bio on Jeffrey:

I live in Sarasota, Florida and manage to squeak out a living as a sculptor/bronze caster.

I've been interested in edged weapons (swords in particular) for as long as I can remember. It's only been in recent years, however, that I've been able to realize my long held dream of actually learning how to properly use them.

I spent several years in various martial arts then stumbled upon an Iaido (Japanese swordsmanship) class. It was intriguing enough to hold my interest for a couple of years but I still wanted something more 'usable' where I could learn actual sword-on-sword tactics.

Then one day while researching information on heat treating blades, I came upon a web video of some people doing German longsword. I was amazed! I began to read everything I could find on the subject. I ordered Christian Tobler's book Fighting With the German Longsword and found translations of Dobringer, Ringeck, Von Danzig, Meyer, and generally anything I could find on the Liechtenauer tradition.

After locating a few like minded training partners I was able to put all the research to use. I made a number of hickory wasters to begin with. I made my own because the ones I was finding available for purchase were too light and improperly balanced when compared to a steel longsword. These were satisfactory for a time but we found that the wood wasters bounced too much on impact with each other, they don't flex at all, and they don't slide against each other like steel does in the bind.

The breakthrough came in the happenstance discovery of a dense, high performance plastic that is very tough (they are holding up far better than my hickory originals), has some flex to it, and slides in the bind very much like steel but is far safer than using a steel blade.

I made a few for my little study group and have since made several for fellow longsword practitioners in other parts of the world.

Above is a picture of me with two of my less practical creations. They are based on a pair of swords from a video game a friend of mine played. The blades are hardened and tempered high carbon steel. Hilt fittings are bronze. Grips are leather covered hardwood. One blade has etching along both sides.

And this is a picture of the high performance plastic wasters.

Thanks again to Jeffrey for his efforts in creating these amazing wasters. Jeffrey really went "above and beyond" in getting these to us - and we just can't thank him enough! They are a fine and welcome addition to our collection of training weapons.

If you would like more information on Jeffrey's wasters or to explore his sculptures and bronze works, please visit his website.

The Manuals of the Masters

Historical European fighting arts have survived to the present day through a surprising array of combat manuals written by various authors and commentators across the centuries.

A few of these manuals are text only treatises, while others are well illustrated; each of them must be translated before they can be used by the average English-speaking enthusiast, and a growing number of modern authors offer interpretations of the images and descriptions found within these works.

Free access to many source works and commentaries can be found online when one knows what one is looking for. An accessible and centrally located selection has been provided to the public courtesy of the ARMA at the Armarium.

However, the source texts may seem inaccessible to the beginning student.

For those unable to attend formal instruction, or wishing to start a study group, a number of modern authors have offered published training guides to the many armed and unarmed fighting arts comprising the Historical European Martial Arts.

One such guide, which outlines the use of the German Longsword and is based upon the texts and commentaries of what is commonly known as the Liechtenauer tradition, can be found in C. H. Tobler's book Fighting with the German Longsword.

A little searching online will turn up other approaches to structuring your training. Many different interpretations of the source works exist, with variance from school to school, and practitioner to practitioner. Often the interpretations used by any one person will change over time, reflecting their study and practice, and their communication with other practitioners.

Truly, however you interpret the manuals, it is the manner in which you and your partners approach your own study and training, and how you conduct youselves in your interactions with other practitioners, that will determine the outcome of your efforts. The values of respect, sincerity and camaraderie can be appreciated by all.

The rich and exciting legacy of the historical martial arts has been preserved through the Manuals of the Masters. By approaching these works honestly and earnestly, we do honour to our ancestors' efforts in preserving them.