Rapier Style Fencing 301
Now you have learned Rapier techniques, here is information
on the different kinds of blocks, a few new moves, and the use of other
weapons.
1) LEFT HAND BLOCKS
| LEFT HAND BLOCK |
| From Parry-6 position, you are ready to attack
and block using your second hand glove. |
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| The motion is a rotation from the inside up
to block the blade coming at your upper torso or head. |
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| The motion is a rotation from the inside to
the downward position to block a blade coming at your mid
torso to leg. |
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2) MORE ADVANCED MOVES
| BELL CRASH |
| The Bell Crash involves you getting the oppontunity, or
creating the opportunity for you to get your mid blade alongside
your opponents midblade or tip, then rapidly ramming your
sword down alongside mid point or tip, causing the guard of
your blade to crash into their sword. This sudden "hammer"
effect pushes your opponents blade far away for a moment,
hopefully long enough for you to make your attack. |
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| BLADE SLING |
| In this move, you move your blades mid section to your opponents
blades mid section. Then, you rapidly sling your blade along
his, to the side. The goal of this move is similiar to a Bell
Crash, in that you want your opponents blade to be flung to
the side for enough time for you to make your attack. |
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| BENT ARM ATTACK |
| In this maneuver, you are actually attacking with a bent
arm. The aim on this attack is to lock your opponents blade
out, while lunging at the face. To begin with, make sure that
your opponent is in a "Parry 6" stance. You will
raise your weapon up from a Parry 6 to a Parry 4 move, while
"balestera-ing" forward and bringing the bell of
your weapon up. This will leave you in a Parry 4 position,
but your arm will be up a foot to a foot and a half higher
than normal. Your parrying hand/weapon will go down to block
a lower riposte. If done correctly, you will be very close
to your opponent, with their blade locked out to your left.
Your main weapon is catching their weapon, and blocking the
high, and your secondary is blocking your low. You should
be able to reach out and extend your right arm a touch and
strike your opponent in the mask. If they attempt to retreat,
lunge from your new position, and strike the mask. Recover
into a Parry 4. This is one of the very few times you will
attack with a bent arm. Speed and accuracy allow this "power
attack" to be very effective. |
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| "JACK IN THE BOX" |
| In this move, you aim for your opponents foot or knee, but
at the last moment angle your blade tip up and hit your opponents
chin or face. A foot stomp also sometimes helps in this maneuver,
as your opponent will look down at the noise, and the tip
movement, and usually this also helps create a hole for your
blade tip to travel from your opponents lower body to his
face. |
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3) SECONDARY WEAPONS
| SWORD |
| This is the most commonly used weapon in general mele combat.
Sometimes it is also used in tournaments, but not as often
as the Dagger. The advantages to a second sword are the distance
in which you can make an attack with your secondary weapon,
the reduced time to continue an attack or defense if you lose
your primary hand, and it allows for a block from a further
distance than a dagger. |
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| DAGGER |
| The dagger is the most common secondary weapon used. It
allows for a very fast parry, as well as its existance as
a possible threat to your opponent. If you and your opponent
get to close together for swords to be used effectively, the
dagger becomes the best way to ensure a touch against your
opponent. |
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| STICK |
| The stick is modeled after a fighter pulling his sword from
his scabbard, and then using the scabbard as a parrying device.
One does not actually use a scabbard, because the scabbard
would get all knicked up and damged, but a wooden stick does
very well as a imitation of the scabbard. The stick of course
has to have the same size and consistancy of a scabbard. A
rarely used item, the stick actually works very well in trapping
an opponents blade, as the softer wood causes attacks against
it to "stick" a bit, and the expected beats, glides,
etc. do not work as your opponents is used to, as he is hitting
soft wood rather than metal. It can't be used to hit an opponent,
and this makes the stick a rarely used secondary item. |
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| HAND GRAPLING |
| Not allowed in many kingdoms or events, the use of hand
grapling needs to be done very carefully. No actual person
to person body contact is allowed, but it is rather an attack
on your opponents weapon, hand or arm. More of a push or shove
to make your opponents weapon move away, this move requires
much practice and skill to use. It is very fun to do and to
watch. It is also very historically accurate for real combat.
Always check with your event marshal to see if this is allowed. |
| VIDEO
OF WALL OF STEEL 6 WITH HAND GRAPPLE/PUSH (1.4
meg wmv file) |
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| CAPE |
The cape is also a very rarely used item, and even more
rarely used correctly. Most people would assume that the
cape is used to wrap the second arm in, and thus prevent
it from being taken. Not so, the primary use of the cape
is to hide your blades attack. A swirling motion to cause
the cape to billow up in front of you, thus hiding if your
blade is coming in high, low, side, or straight thru is
the way a cape is used. It can also be used to trap your
opponents blade for a moment. The cape is hard to learn
properly, hard to use effectively, and thus rarely used.
It can be great fun to watch its use however, and if someone
comes at your with a cape, few people know how to defend
against it well
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| NAGINATA SPEAR |
| Not approved yet, but quite possibly in the near future,
the Naginata spear is a Japanese Kendo practice device, with
a bendable tip made of woven bamboo. This tip bends when slashed
or point driven into an opponent. Probably the west coast
will see the first use of the Naginata, and links to purchase
it are found in the shopping area. I look forward to experimenting
with this in the near future. |
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4) BUCKLER USE
| BUCKLER USE |
| If your opponent is not in range, you can keep
your buckler closer to your body to rest your arm. If he is
in range to hit you, with a lunge or balisteri, you need to
keep your buckler well in front of you. The buckler can also
be used not only to deflect an incoming shot, but can also
be used to "punch" the opponents weapon, and thus
push it to the side. My buckler is leather covered, to help
the opponent "stick" the blade to the front, allowing
me more control over my opponents weapon. |
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| You can't see it from this angle, but the buckler
is fully extended by my left arm. This gives an opponent only
my right hand and right leg as a target for his counter attack.
Know this, and be prepared to parry or retreat, protecting
that exposed leg or right hand. |
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| Here I am outside of the range of my attacker.
I am resting my arm that is holding onto the buckler. If your
opponent is not in range, you do not need to extend the buckler.
Only when in attack range do you need to extend it. Don't
wear your self out with your buckler fully extended at all
times if it is not needed! |
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| If I am in range, or if I am attacking, I extend
the buckler as far as I can in front of me. This increases
the "cone" of protection that I have against my
opponent. I should actually have my back straight, and not
leaning forward like I am. If you are lunging, or in attack
range, keep that buckler out! |
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| Blocking high, and lunging mid or low. Always
keep your buckler between you and your opponents blade, and
do not let your opponents blade get in such a way that you
do not know where it is. Do not cover your eyes with your
buckler, or you will not know where your opponents blade is! |
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| If your opponents weapon is mid or high, you
can try to hit your adversaries leg or foot, and protect yourself
by raising the buckler high. Again, be carefull not to cover
your eyes, you need to see what your opponent is doing. |
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If your opponents weapon is low, you can
protect yourself by keeping your buckler low.
If you do this however, and your opponents blade is mid
or high, you are opening yourself up for a shot to your
head. |
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