Pseudo-Hans Döbringer/Christian Trosclair LS 2022

This is the general preface of the unarmored fencing on foot. Mark this well.

1	Young knight learn,  to love god and women,
2	so your honor may grow.  Practice chivalry and learn
3	arts that adorn you  as well as serving you in conflict.
4	Wrestle well,  bear glaive, spear, sword and knife
5	manfully and learn  to defeat these when in the hands of others.
6	Strike quick and hurry at him,  rush in, not caring for hit or miss.
7	So that you dishonour  him before the judges.
8	Be prepared for that:  All art has length and measure.
ⅰ	And whatever you want to do,  keep up a good common sense
ⅱ	Be it in earnest or in play,  have a light heart but don’t get overconfident.
ⅲ	So you may see  and observe with a high spirit
ⅳ	What you can use  and plan your next move against him.
ⅴ	Confronted with bravery and power,  every opponent will hesitate.
ⅵ	Never  give him any advantage on you.
ⅶ	Also avoid silly risks,  against four or six opponents don't advance
ⅷ	Don't be overconfident,  maintain balance, this will serve you well.
ⅸ	It is a brave man  who can stand against someone of his own kind.
ⅹ	And it is not a shame,  against four or six opponents run from the fight.

This is a general teaching for the sword.

9	If you want to show art,  move left and strike with right,
10	And strike left with right,  if you intend to fence strongly.
11	He who moves after strikes  may not enjoy any art
12	Strike at him as you like,  no Wechsler will harm you.
ⅺ	Never strike to the sword,  always wait for the openings.
13	to the head or to the body,  do not shun the Zeckrühr.
14	Fence with your whole body  if you want to fence strongly.
15	Hear this is bad,  do never fence from your upper left when you are right,
16	And if you are left,  you will lack severely at your right.
ⅻ	So better  fence down from your upper left.
17	Vor Nach these two things  are the source of all art.
18	Schwäche und Stärke,  Indes you must remember.
19	So you will learn  to defend yourself with art and work.
20	If you are frightened easily,  you will never understand fencing,
ⅹⅲ	Bravery and quickness,  carefulness wits and Intelligence
ⅹⅳ	Sense, stealth,  measure precognition grace skill
ⅹⅴ	Fencing needs all this  and a free and easy mind.

This is being followed by general comment: At first learn and know that the Ort of the sword is the centre and the means and the core of the sword. All techniques start and end with the Ort, thus the Hängen and Winden are the begin and the turnings around the centre and many good fencing techniques stem from this.

These have been invented so that a fencer, who immediately strikes at the Ort and yet does not hit instantly, may employ the before mentioned Techniques in combination with strikes thrusts and cuts, with stepping off or in, and with stepping around or jumping, in order to hit his adversary. And if someone has shot his Ort out too far, by thrusting or lunging, he can recover or shorten it by employing the Winden or stepping off, so that he again may use those appropriate techniques and principles of fencing. From there he again may strike thrust or cut, because according to Liechtenauer's art, strikes thrusts and cuts stem from all fencing techniques and principles. And later you will hear, how one technique and principle stems from the other and how they can be used in succession, so that if one method is being defended, the other hits and succeeds.

Secondly, you should learn that there is nothing about the sword that has been invented for without reason and that a fencer should make use of the Ort, of both edges, the hilt and the pommel. Each of these has its own special methods in the art of fencing. And how to practice this, you will see and hear later

Also know and learn, by the verse beginning with “If you want to show art etc” it is meant that an artful fencer should place his left foot in front and strike from the right side directly to the man, and with threatening strikes just as long as he sees where he may hit him and reach him with his stepping. And when he says “if you intend to fence strongly” so he says that you should fence upwards from the left side with the whole body and with all strength, to the head or to the body wherever he may hit. And never strike to the sword but just work like would not have a weapon or if you don't see it, and should not avoid Zeckrühr or taps, and permanently be in motion, work and contact, so the opponent may not come to strikes.

Also he means that one should not follow or step right after the strikes but always a little sideways and in a slope around, so that he gets to his flank. There he will get him much easier with any method compared to confronting him directly. Whatever he strikes to thrusts at his opponent, it will not be defended by any Durchwechsel or other techniques, if the strikes or thrusts are directed at the man and at the openings, to the head or to the body, with stepping around or other footwork.

Also know and learn when he speaks: “Vor Nach those two… etc” there he means the five words, Vor Nach Schwach Stark Indes and within these words lies all art of Master Liechtenauer and these are the basic foundation and the core of all fencing on foot or mounted, with armour and without.

By the word “Vor” he means that every good fencer should always gain the Vorschlag, may he hit or miss. And when Liechtenauer says “Strike and hurry to the man, rush in may it hit or miss”. This means, as soon he approaches his adversary by stepping or running, he should instantly attack as soon as he is sure he could reach him with either a step or a jump. Then he must attack to his head or to his body, without any fear to the opening which he can hit best. So he should gain the Vorschlag, and it is not impOrtant, if it directly hurts the adversary or not. He must also be sure with the correct measure of his steps, so that he may not step too short or too long.

If he now hits with the Vorschlag, so instantly follow through with the hit. However, if the defends the Vorschlag so that he turns aside or leads off the attack, be it a strike or a thrust, away from the intended opening with his sword, you should now, with the swords are still being in contact, feel or be aware whether he is soft or hard, weak or strong at the sword.

If he now feels how the adversary acts in his fencing, if he is strong or hard, in the very moment he realizes this he should, while the adversary is still protecting himself, become soft and weak and in the case of the adversary being weak, vice versa. To make sure that one cannot come to strikes, he should instantly execute the 'Nachschlag, that means that he attacks again while the other is still protecting himself from the Vorschlag, be it with a strike or a thrust. So he can employ different techniques for hurrying or rushing towards his openings and thus he is permanently in motion and very close to him and this should make him so irritated and confused that he is only busy protecting himself and cannot come to his own strikes. If one has to defend himself or has to be aware of the strikes which are directed against him, he is in much greater danger than the one who strikes at him, because he either can defend or be hit. And this makes it very difficult for him to gain the oppOrtunity for his own strikes. So Liechtenauer says: I tell you truthfully, no one defends without danger, if you understood this, he will not come to strikes.

If these five words, which this teaching and all other fencing is based upon, are not adhered,

then this is the reason why a brave peasant often defeats a master by winning the Vorschlag.

Now it has been said before that that Liechtenauer expresses he should bravely and without fear rush in with a good Vorschlag or the first strike to the head or body may he hit or miss, so that he strikes him just as stunning and frightening him so he does not know what he can do against him. Also it has been said that he should strike the 'Nachschlag before he recovers or might come to his own strikes. this also means this you should work in a manner that he is permanently busy with protecting and defending.

And if he defends against the Vorschlag, he instantly comes to the Nachschlag while the adversary is still defending for example, by rushing in with the pommel or transitioning into the Zwerchhau, which are generally good. He can generally transition into the Zwerch position, so he may use other technique which he may begin before the adversary can execute his own attack. And you will hear how you generate one technique from the other, if you follow this advice. That is he should execute with one thought and just as with one strike if possible the Vorschlag and the Nachschlag, quickly in succession.

It may happen that one has to defend the adversary's Vorschlag. So he would defend it by getting at his sword – and if he is a little slow or indecisive so he would want to stay at the sword and use the winden and feel if the adversary wants to pull back from the bind or not.

If one moves off, now that they were just bound at the sword, and the points are facing against each other to the openings, the skilled fencer has followed directly with the point, before the adversary can recover from his pulling-off, thereby executing a good thrust to the chest or anywhere where he could hit him best. And this is the method that the opponent cannot leave the bind unharmed, because with this following he gets nearer by thrusting the point forward at the sword, following the principle of the nearest and shortest target.

And if the opponent tries to attack newly with long strikes or thrusts after pulling off, he may always gain the Nachschlag or a thrust rather than with the first strike. Liechtenauer means this by the word “Nach”; if one has struck the Vorschlag so he should move in and without break strike the Nachschlag (in the same movement) and thus he should be permanently in movement and in contact, constantly using one technique after the other. So, if the first one fails, the second, the third or the fourth my hit not letting the opponent come to strikes because no one will ever have any significant advantage in fencing, except him who works according to this teaching and these five words.

Now if it happens that the opponent does stay at the sword after he displaced, and now it comes that he also stays at the sword – not having done the 'Nachschlag yet – so he shall wind and stand at the sword, and he should note and feel if the adversary is weak or strong at the sword.

And if he now feels that the opponent is strong, hard and rigid at the sword and only plans to press into him with his sword, so he should become weak and soft and completely give up his strength against the opponent. And thus he should let go of the opponent's sword, so it may whip and move off with the pressure. And now he can slide and pull off his sword quickly and then go for the opponent's openings quickly and nimbly, to the head or to the body, with strikes, thrusts and cuts, wherever he may hit surest and most direct.

Because the harder the opponent presses with the sword, the farther his sword is flung aside when he suddenly becomes soft and lets the sword slide off. So the opponent will be left open so that he can touch or hit as he wishes before the opponent may recover and come to his own strike or thrust.

If the opponent now is weak and soft at the sword and he feels and notices this, so he should be strong and hard at the sword and should rush in quickly forcefully at the sword, directly and frontal to the next best accessible opening. Just like as a string would be attached to the point which would pull and turn his point to the nearest opening, as to achieve the thrust.

Now if the opponent is strong and defends the thrust and displaces it by becoming strong at the sword, so that the opponent presses into the sword again, so again he should become weak and soft and let his sword slide off. And in this evading he should seek the openings quickly with strikes thrusts or cuts, as he wishes. And this is what Liechtenauer means with the words “soft and hard”.

And this concept is from the auctoritas when Aristoteles says in the book peyarmenias: Oppositions shine more clearly if placed next to each other than directly opposing them

Weak against strong, hard against weak and vice versa. If it should be only strong against strong, the stronger will always win. That is the reason why Liechtenauer's fencing is real and correct art, so that a weak man can win with his art and wits in the same manner a strong man can do with his strength and it would be no art otherwise.

Because of this fencing teaches the feeling well as Liechtenauer says: “Learn the feeling, Indes is a word that cuts” because if you are at the sword with someone, and you are now skilled at feeling whether your opponent is weak or strong at the sword, indes or while you are in the bind, you may very well observe and plan what you should do against him. And according to this teaching and art, he may not pull off from the sword without being hurt, because Liechtenauer says: Strike that he is confused when he pulls off.

Now, according to this teaching you understand well that you should try to gain the Vorschlag and as soon as you execute it, so do in one rush instantly and without break the 'Nachschlag, and that can also be the second, third or fourth strike or thrust. So your opponent may not come to strikes. If you now bind with him so be skilled at the feeling and do as it has been written before, because this is the foundation of fencing so that you are permanently in motion and never pause or hesitate. And if it now comes to the feeling, so also do what is written before.

And what you begin to do, always have measure and control. When you have won the Vorschlag so don't do it too fast or too committed as you will be unable to recover yourself to do the 'Nachschlag. That is why Liechtenauer says: Be ready for this, all things need measure and control. And this also remember when doing steps and also before all other techniques and principles of fencing.

This is the text where he explains the five strikes and other techniques of fencing

21	Learn five strikes  from the right hand against the weapons
23	Wrath strike, Bent strike, transversal  strike, Squinting strike with vertex strike
24	Fool defends,  adheres, overreaching defeats strikes
25	Changing through, pulling,  running through, cutting off, pressing the hands
26	Hang, wind to the openings,  strike, catch, swipe, thrust repeatedly

[No gloss]

This is about the Zornhau

27	Whoever strikes at you from above,  the point of the Zornhau endangers him.
28	If he sees it,  take it up and off without danger
29	hold against him, wind,  and thrust again. If he sees it, strike him low.
30	Remember this,  Strikes, thrusts and guards, be weak or be strong.
31	Indes, Vor und Nach,  take your time and analyze the Krieg.
32	Whoever takes the Krieg  too high, he will be hit below.
33	In all windings  learn how to find Strikes thrusts and cuts.
34	Also you should  feel spontaneously if it has to be a strike, a cut or a thrust.
35	In all binds  learn to pull and jerk against the skilled fencers if you wish to fool them.
ⅺ	Never attack his sword,  always strike the openings
ⅹⅵ	To the head, to the body,  never forget the tick.
ⅹⅶ
ⅹⅷ	Learn  to turn the Ort to the openings.
ⅹⅸ	The one who swings strikes around and wide,  will usually be defeated
ⅹⅹ	With Strikes and thrusts  aim for the nearest and closest.
ⅹⅺ	Also you should step  to his right side
ⅹⅻ

Comment: Here learn and know that Liechtenauer strikes an Oberhau from his shoulder which is called the Zornhau. For someone who is angered and wrathful, no other strike comes as ready as the Zornhau, because this Oberhau strikes from the shoulder to the opponent, and this is why Liechtenauer says: If someone strikes an Oberhau against you, you should strike the Zornhau against him so that your point thrusts forward quickly. If he now defends against your point, pull the sword up and off from his blade and move to the other side of his sword. If he also defends against this, be strong against the sword and wind the point in for the thrust. If he defends this thrust, so take the sword away and strike low to his legs.

So constantly do one after the other thus he may not come to strikes. And always have the already mentioned words, Vor and Nach Indes Schwach Stark and strikes thrusts and cuts, in your mind and never forget these in fencing.

Furthermore, you should not hurry too much in the Krieg because if you aim above and miss so you will hit below. And how you execute one after the other, according to real art with special strikes thrusts and cuts you will hear later.

And you should not strike at someone's sword but directly to him, to the head or to the body wherever you wish.

Alternatively, you may understand the first verse as if you strike a wrath strike from above, the adversary is being endangered by the point of the wrath strike.

Now follow this teaching and stay permanently in motion, if you hit or miss, so that one cannot comes to strikes, and always step sideways off with your strikes.

Also know that there are only two strikes all others are based upon. And these are the Oberhau and the Unterhau from both sides, which are the main strikes and the foundation if all other strikes. And these again are based on the point of the sword which is the core and the centre of all other techniques as it has been written before. And from the same strikes come the four displacements from both sides, with these you break and defeat all strikes thrusts or guards and these also lead to the hangings which can very well be used for artful techniques as you will hear later. And however you fence, always turn the point against the face or the chest of the adversary, so he has always to watch out that you do not move prior to him.

And if it happened, that the adversary got the Vorschlag so he should be well practiced and quick with the Abwenden and as soon as he has turned off the (attacks of) the adversary, he should move quickly as soon as possible, and his point should always aim for the chest as you will hear now. And the point should, as soon as he comes at the adversary's sword, be always within a half Elle of either chest or face. Also he should be well aware if he can move in boldly for the next opening. And he should never move too far around so that the adversary cannot come forward before him, which will surely happen if the adversary comes forwards and is not hesitating, slow or moves too far.