Stick Thrusts

[Knifefighter]

This is just a response from a discussion on another thread.

in fact, in that particular type of competition, you were using a lighter stick and you were actually throwing a larger number of techniques, and because they were lighter, because you really couldn't actually knock the guy out, full power shots weren't that important - you actually needed less power, because the scoring was based on the number of hits, not the actual target or the effect it would have on the opponent...so it was a bit of an artifact

Agreed.

i preferr to "stab" a lot with the point, because it gives you a lot of potential damage with lowere energy expenditure and less potential to open yourself up to prepare for a cut/slash; consider this - you don't have to actually poke someone that hard with a stick for there to be a good effect - you could actually do a good amount of damage jabbing with the end of it, almost like foil fencing
in fact, the entire French school of foil, as in real sword fighting, not sport, eventually dispensed with cuts/slashes because they found that this left you open to getting poked by a sharp point (shortest distance between 2 points, etc.)

I’m not sure how much you have actually fought using this, but I’ve found that it’s pretty ineffective against someone who is halfway decent with the stick. I've worked a lot with thrusts and find that it works great with blades, but not so well with the stick.

western fencing, in its heyday, had heaps of this sort of thing - you look at old classical fencing manuals, they show exactly this: how to get inside to that range and take the guy down;

There was a system of sword fighting in Germany (in the 1400’s, I believe), that used chain mail gloves to grab the opponent’s sword to disarm and/or work into grappling and ground fighting.

[hskwarrior]

Personally I Don't Like Stick Thrusts That Much Unless Its Aimed At A Soft Spot Or Vital Area. I Think They Are One Of The Least Effective Techniques Unless Stabbing At Those Vital Areas.

What Training Do You Use To Practice Your Stick Thrusts.?

[Mr Punch]

There was a system of sword fighting in Germany (in the 1400’s, I believe), that used chain mail gloves to grab the opponent’s sword to disarm and/or work into grappling and ground fighting.

I saw a demo by some old sword style experts in Warwick Castle where they showed us that half the time the big bast@rd swords were used by grabbing the blade with the gloves and swinging the heavy pommeled crossbar or poking with the pommeled hilt just like a big club. This was especially useful against horses so there was no danger of the blade getting stuck, and against knights with heavier armour. They also showed a few nifty techs using the crossbar as a lever for jointlocks including one that looked very much like a figure four.

These techs have been practiced pretty much continuously by the Masters at Arms in the Tower of London (whi must have one of the coolest jobs on the planet) since 1000 years ago. How's that for TMA!?

No relevance to the thread, but there you go!

[hskwarrior]

HERE HERE

HORRAY FOR tma.....

[Kristoffer]

These techs have been practiced pretty much continuously by the Masters at Arms in the Tower of London (whi must have one of the coolest jobs on the planet) since 1000 years ago. How's that for TMA!?

the guys in red who has to watch the big black birds? cool

[Xiao3 Meng4]

There was a system of sword fighting in Germany (in the 1400’s, I believe), that used chain mail gloves to grab the opponent’s sword to disarm and/or work into grappling and ground fighting.

I heard something about this.

In the era of duels, the use of a Gauntlet was frowned upon. It was seen as ungentlemanly, and if someone dueled with a gauntlet, it was likely that the next duel they fought would be their last (death by accomplice's crossbow bolt or bullet to the back.)

Hence, it became customary to throw down the gauntlet as a way to respectfully challenge someone to a duel. The same gentlemanly conduct spurred the complete removal of the unarmed hand from play, either by placing it behind the back, or holding it high and back. I think it was around this time, too, that the duel began to change from "To the death or the yield" to "To first blood." Unfortunately, I don't know what culture this duel etiquette originated in, or when these changes occured. Any ideas?

CSP

[Knifefighter]

I think it was around this time, too, that the duel began to change from "To the death or the yield" to "To first blood." Unfortunately, I don't know what culture this duel etiquette originated in, or when these changes occured. Any ideas?

There is an interesting book called "By the Sword" with covers sword play history, mostly European. According to this book, most duels were to the death, rather than first blood and this never really changed until bladed duels died out or were legislated away.

[FatherDog]

There is an interesting book called "By the Sword" with covers sword play history, mostly European. According to this book, most duels were to the death, rather than first blood and this never really changed until bladed duels died out or were legislated away.

When I fenced, I was told that the reason epee doesn't have the same right of way rules as sabre and foil was that epee was a weapon used when most duels were to first blood. Was that during the time when duels were in the process of being legislated away, or was my fencing instructor just a little whacked?

[yenhoi]

You can train stab motions on a tire just like the cut and slashes. The same motions are useful for inserting the stick into gaps and openings for trapping and grappling.

Also useing the butt of the stick should count as poking too, right? Smashing with the hand end of the weapon is common all over the world, and useful to boot.