Pseudo-Hans Döbringer/Michael Chidester In 2022

HEre begins Master Liechtenauer’s art of fencing with the sword, mounted and dismounted, armored and unarmored. Above all else, you should notice and remember that there’s only one art of the sword, and it was discovered and developed hundreds of years ago, and it’s the foundation and core of all fencing arts.

Master Liechtenauer understood and practiced this art completely and correctly; as I said, he did not discover or develop it personally, but rather traveled through many lands and searched for the true and correct art for the sake of experiencing and knowing it.

For this art is serious, correct, and complete, and everything that proceeds from it goes toward whatever is nearest by the shortest way, simply and directly.

When you want to cut or thrust at someone, it should be as if you tied a thread or a cord to the point or edge of your sword and pulled or drew it toward their nearest exposure, because you should cut or thrust in the shortest and surest manner, in the most decisive way. This is all you should want to do, because proper fencing doesn’t have broad or elaborate parries, nor the wide fencing around by which people procrastinate and delay.

You will still find many dancing masters claiming that they believe that the art of the sword grows better and richer day by day, and that they have conceived and created a new art. But I would like to see anyone who could invent and perform a legitimate strike or play that falls outside of Liechtenauer’s art. All they do is jumble and confuse the plays and then give them new names (each one according to their own ideas), and they devise wide parries and often want to do two or three strikes in place of a single one. They do this to be praised by the ignorant for the sheer liveliness of it, as they stand fiendishly and perform elaborate parries and wide fencing around, and, having no moderation in their fencing, they bring long and far-reaching strikes, slowly and clumsily, and severely delay and overextend and expose themselves. This doesn’t belong to earnest fencing, but only to play in the fencing schools for exercise and entertainment.

Earnest fencing goes swiftly and precisely, without hesitation or delay, as if measured and balanced by a cord (or something similar). When you cut or thrust at the person who stands in front of you, then clearly no strike backward or to the side can help you, nor any wide fencing with multiple strikes (nor any other way that you procrastinate and delay, and miss the chance to end it with them).

On the contrary, you must strike straight and directly toward them (toward their head or body, whatever is nearest and surest), so that you can reach and take them swiftly and rapidly. Furthermore, one strike is better than delivering four or six, delaying and waiting too long so your opponent wins the Leading Strike faster than you (because this strike is a great advantage in fencing).

It’s written further on in the text how Liechtenauer only lists five strikes, along with other plays which are sufficient for earnest fencing, and he teaches how to perform them according to the true art, straight and direct, as closely and as certainly as possible. Moreover, he leaves aside all the new inventions and confusing work of the dancing masters, which don’t come from this art.

Now notice and remember that you can’t speak or write about fencing and explain it as simply and clearly as it can be shown and taught by hand. Therefore, you should consider and debate matters in your mind—and practice them even more in play—so that you understand them in earnest fencing. Practice is better than artfulness, because practice could be sufficient without artfulness, but artfulness is never sufficient without practice.

Also know that the sword is like a set of scales, so that if the blade is large and heavy, the pommel must also be heavy (just as with scales). Therefore, to use your sword certainly and securely, grip it with both hands between the guard and the pommel, because you hold the sword with much more certainty like this than when you grip it with one hand on the pommel. You also strike much harder and more strongly, because the pommel overthrows itself and swings itself in harmony with the strike, and the strike then arrives much harder than when you grip the sword by the pommel (which restrains the pommel so that the strike can’t come strongly or correctly).

Furthermore, when you fence with someone, take full heed of your steps and be certain in them, just as if you were standing on a set of scales, moving backward or forward as necessary, firmly and skillfully, swiftly and readily.

Your fencing should proceed with good spirit and good mind or reason, and without fear (as is written later).

You should also have moderation in your plays and not step too far, so that you can better recover from one step to the next (backward or forward, however they go). Also, two short steps are often faster than one long one, so you will need to do a little run with short steps as often as you will a big step or a leap.

Whatever you want to perform cleverly, in earnest or in play, should be hidden from the eyes of your opponent so that they don’t know what you intend to do to them.

As soon as you approach the point where you believe you could very well reach and take them, step and strike toward them brazenly, and then drive swiftly toward their head or body. You must always win the Leading Strike, whether it lands or misses, and thus allow them to come to nothing (as is written better further on in the common lesson).

Moreover, it’s better to target the upper exposures rather than the lower, and then boldly and swiftly drive in over their hilt with cuts or thrusts, since you can reach them much better and more certainly over their hilt than under it. You’re also much surer in all your fencing like this, since harrying above is much better than below. Though if it happens that the lower exposures are nearer (as it often does), then you should target them.

Always go to their right side with your plays, because in all matters of fencing and wrestling, you can better take your opponent in this way than directly from the front. Whoever knows this piece and brings it well is not a bad fencer.

Remember that if you’re obliged to fight earnestly, you should contemplate a thoroughly-practiced play beforehand (whichever you want, if it’s complete and correct), and internalize it seriously and hold it in your mind with good spirit. Then perform whatever you chose upon your opponent with pure intent (just as if you were to say, ‘This I truly intend to do well’), and it should and must go forward with the aid of God, so it will fail you in nothing. Thus you do righteously by charging and stepping in to strike the Leading Strike (as it’s written many times further on).

OH, all the arts of fighting need
 The help of God in righteous deed.
Stand straight in form and sound in frame,
 A well-made sword must serve your aim.
Before and after, strong and weak,
 ‘Within’, that sharp word mind and seek
In cuts, thrusts, slices, pressing, lairs;
 In covers, push and pull feel there;
Hang in and wind to pierce their guard,
 Pull, sweep, leap, grab, and wrestle hard.
Have boldness, yes; be swift, that’s true,
 But prudent, cunning, clever, too.
Fight measured and deliberately,
 With reason, stealth, and skill—that’s key.
And practice art with grit and cheer;
 The word ‘motion’ goes far and near.
And in these seven verses here
 Lie principles both plain and clear,
Foundational and relevant,
 With names so you might understand
The noble art that wins the fight.
 With thoughtful mind consider right
(And this I tell you truthfully,
 and hereafter it proved will be)
What you will read or hear in time,
 Each part revealed in prose or rhyme.
Take heed, oh fencer, this is true:
 The art will be well-known to you;
The sword in full shall now reveal
 The many paths within its steel.

OH ‘motion’, that beautiful word,
 The crowning treasure of the sword
And art of fencing, full and wide,
 With all that does therein abide.
Its articles and base are here,
 Its movements named both plain and clear;
These terms you will now rightly learn,
 And then their use you will discern.
As soon as you begin the fight,
 Be sure you know this lesson right:
Remain in motion, not at rest,
 Be ever changing in your quest,
Once fighting does at last begin.
 Drive forward toward your righteous win,
Flow in and out without a break,
 And every move with boldness make.
Like rushing flood that does not cease,
 Without a pause, without release,
Act swiftly with no time to wait,
 So they can’t strike, and dominate
Them till they injured will be made
 Since they cannot escape your blade
Without receiving blow severe.
 So learn this teaching, hold it dear,
For what is written here should guide
 Your every move and blow in stride:
“Now let me make this plain and clear:
 No one defends without some fear,
And if this truth one learns and knows,
 Then scarcely can they come to blows.”

Here remember that continuous movement is the beginning, the middle, and the end of all fencing according to this art and teaching, so that you strike the beginning, the middle, and the end in a single advance, and bring it well without the hindrance of your adversary and without allowing them to come to blows. This is based on the two words ‘Before’ and ‘After’ (that is, the Leading Strike and the Following Strike); directly, in a single moment, one after another with nothing in between.