Martin Huntsfeld/Mike Rasmusson SS 2004

Here you rise to well respected Master Martin Hundfeldt's art of combat with the shortened sword in harness from four guards

L1
L2
L3
L4
L5
L6
L7

Mark that this is the first guard:

Take your sword in both hands and do so strongly, and come into the hanging point to the right ear, and stab at his face, and attack him in the face or anywhere else, if he wards then disengage, and go through with the stab, and attack him as before, and when you have reached him, then set your sword under your right armpit, and thus force him ahead of you.

A second play

Stab to him as before, if he wards it with the forward point before his left hand, and sets it aside, then follow him with the left hand on his sword by the point, and push his stab off, and stab strongly to his crotch with the right hand. If he is wary of the stab, and also drops to your sword, then throw your sword in front of his feet, and push him or grab with the same arm, and then break him.

Another

You also want to strike him to the throat with the pommel from the high guard, or on the arm joint of the forward hand, or in the knee joint of the forward foot, and if he will ward this, when you strike him against the knee joint, and will over-reach you above, then displace his strike at the hilt, and put your point in his face.

Note: That which one strikes with the pommel, is known as the thunder strike which you also want for under the eyes, striking to the visor with it.

Note: Mark when one leads in a circle at his pleasure, So attack to the left against a finger, and break upward, or stab him above into the gauntlet and in the hand, and lift the sword upward with the hand, and lead him in a circle, know that this is good, and also secret.

Note: If you will throw a man who has attacked you, then grasp over with the left hand over his left, and take the weight by his left elbow, this is good.

Counter it thus

When he will grasp through, then counter his hand ahead with your sword by the vambrace.

This is the second guard for combat in harness

Take the sword in both hands, and hold it over your knee, and go to the man. If he then stabs below to you then don't ward him but attack him to his face.

Or if he stabs above be it to your face or anywhere else, then set his stab off with the forward part of your sword, and attack him to the face, or to the throat, and set your sword under your armpit, and force him ahead of you.

Or set it aside between your two hands, and drive the pommel around his neck, and put your right foot in front of him, and so he falls.

A counter against this

Take the arm well, and wrench around and try the arm break.

Note: When you displace then drive above with the handle over his forward driven handle, and pull it to you, and counter, and attack.

Or change through, and set aside with the pommel.

Break this thus:

Take the pommel well with the left hand and thrust back behind the sword, and stab, below to the testes.

This is the third guard for combat in harness

Take the sword in both hands, and stand in your hanging by the right side so that the left foot stands forward, and when someone stabs to you, or will strike with the pommel, or will attack to you, then stab him to his forward hand.

Another

Or stab through over his hand, and over his sword, and push the pommel to the ground, and attack.

Yet another

Or strike through to his forward driven elbow with the pommel.

Or below to the elbow, and against the sword hard on the blade, and under the right armpit or onto the knee.

Note if he attacks on the middle of your sword to your face strong from the edge then quickly shove out.

Note if he attacks you on the point then lift the sword over the head, and take the sword in both hands, and pull to you and strike him to his forward hand that he holds ahead to the attack, or to the knee joint, and grasp the sword again by the blade, and take advantage of the knee.

This is the fourth guard for combat in harness

Take the sword under the right armpit, and go to the man with an attack, and attack him to the face, If he wards then disengage or attack him to the throat or to the shoulder, or under the armpit and force him thus from you, and when you have attacked then let him not come off, and if he then will come to you with strikes, and will work with the pommel, then follow him by pressing after, and don't let him come off to attack or stab again, when he does he will be short, this is an art to know.

Of attacking

Mark all who would attack to do so, to the face or to the throat and to the left shoulder, or under the armpit, and thus force him.

Note: Mark, as you attack him to his left side then step off with the left foot. Or if you attack him to his right side then step off with the right foot, and stride ahead, and hit him on a side, if he withdraws the side then stab him to the head, know this is the best offense against people.

Note: Mark, when you have attacked, and he is longer, then at the same time you hit ahead of yourself so that his point goes off upward, and he is fully attacked in the gorget.

Note: When he is shorter then you let your sword sink off below to the right hip, and as before go out upward with the point, and below the gorget is well attacked as before, and don't let him come off, he will then work with the pommel so observe the pressing after with the point so he can come to nothing as you observe, and is good.

Mark the counter against the attack to the face or wherever it may be

Stab him below to the hand that he has set forward on the blade, and thus lead him from the circle.

Note: Or stab him over his forward hand, and punch the sword down toward the ground with the pommel, and attack him.

Note: Or set him aside between both your hands, and with the pommel thrust before the throat, and below with the right leg set behind his left, he is then thrown over.

Note: Or set him aside with the point, and attack him to his face.

Or change through with the pommel, and set it aside with it.

Or if he has turned the hand around on the blade then stab him above in the fingers, and lift out upward.

Note, yet a counter against the attack:

Stab him below through his hand, and over his sword, and send the pommel over his left hand and pull down with it, and attack.

Note: When one will drive the pommel over your right shoulder and around the neck, then grab his elbow with the left hand, and thrust him from yourself, and stab strongly with the right hand.

Note: Or grab his right with the right hand, and take his weight with the left on his elbow.

Note: Pull him to yourself with the right hand, and grasp his body and take the side, and lift him, and strike him below from the foot so he falls, this is good too.

Note: When he stabs then stab at the same time as him to his left side, and clasp his sword to your sword with your left hand, and twist the right hand down through his sword, and then strike him with both swords.

Note: When one has attacked you, and you also to him, then this will counter near him as in forcing with the side to which he has attacked you, and grasp forward with your left hand to his sword by the point, and force him back to you, thus you take his side.

Note: If you stab to one from the high guard to his face, if he then drops his left hand onto your sword ahead of your left, then drop your pommel below your right armpit into the guard, and attack him under his left armpit, or to the chest.

Note: If you stab one to the face from the low guard, if he drops his left hand onto your sword ahead of your left then drive the right hand up into the high guard, and hang the point over his left hand, and attack him.

Note: Know that all high attacks counter, and outreach the low ones, and in all attacks, twist your pommel under your right armpit into the guard, and thus force ahead of yourself with strength.

Note: If you stab one to the face from the high guard, if he drops his left hand onto your sword between both of your hands then twist with the pommel inward through his arm…

…or outward over his arm to your left side, and pull to your right side, and attack him, this is called wrenching out below, and above.

Note: When you have attacked one, and he is strong against you so that you can not force, and he then would grasp down through your sword with his left hand, and grabs your left, and will take your weight, then watch him as he sends his around then attack him under the left armpit, thus you win in weakness as he is strong and strength helps him not.

Note: Stab at the same time with one from the low guard, and if strong then drive on the sword, if he is also strong then drive your right hand out with the pommel, and with the left put the point over his left arm before the chest or under his left armpit, and attack him, and in all attacks wind then in the bind under the armpit in the guard.

Here you rise to master Martin Hundfeldt's art of holding down and standing up during combat in harness

Mark when he falls then fall on him always to the right side, and fall with the right knee between his legs, and fall with the left hand in front of his throat, and be not too rash so that you don't fall too far over him, and grab to his dagger, and don't show your own that you keep in reserve, if he would then drop to the dagger then stab him in the hand.

A second hold

Take his right arm between your legs, and lay yourself across him and stretch yourself hard and hold your legs strongly together, and grasp with the left hand to his left arm, and hold it thus, and work the dagger with the right hand so that you go to both sides.

Yet a hold

When you fall beside him then take his head under your left armpit, and wrap around his throat, and lay yourself with your body above over his face, and work with the right hand.

Yet a hold

If he falls on his back then follow him with your right knee between his legs, and trap his right arm with your left kneecap, and grasp his left hand with your right, and pull it under his throat, and hold it fast with the left hand, and work with the dagger with the right.

Yet a hold

If you throw him on his back then follow with your left knee on his right arm, and with your left before his throat, and push him hard with it, and grasp his left hand with the right, and grasp with the left helping the right, and hold his left hand with your left, and with the right hand work with the dagger.

Another hold

If he falls on his back then grip both his legs under the knees with both hands, and lift him up and drop with the knee between his legs into the crotch, and hold both legs with one hand, and work with the dagger with the other.

Yet a hold

Note: By the throat with the left over the hollow.

Note: Under the right arm through and over the throat.

If you throw him on his belly

Then follow with your right knee behind in the crook and with the left hand grasp over his face forward to the visor, and pull upward, and push down with the knee, If his visor is open then reach with your fingers to his eyes, or grasp with both hands on the face, and twist his neck so he falls on his stomach again.

An arm break

Note: If he falls on his stomach then follow with one knee on his arm in the joint, and break upward.

Note: When he lays on his belly then sit on him and step over his arm, and break it.

Note: Sit straddling on his shoulder, and pull his head upward.

Note: His right hand on your back extends well above you.

Note: If he grabs your visor with his fingers when it is opened up from below, when you lie on your belly then strike with your left hand to his left, or to his right with your right, and pull over you, and push his head to the ground, and help with hands and with feet so you come up.

Yet a counter

Note: Grasp his left hand with your left, and pulling to you fall on your back and with the right hand grab his leg and lift upward so you come up.

If you fall on your back

Note: If one throws you on your back, then mark just as you fall to put your left hand on your chest, and when he falls on you then grasp his left elbow with your left hand, and with your right hand grasp under his left knee and lift upward, and slip your body quickly out during the fall so you come over him.

Another counter

Or bring your left arm around his neck, and lift with your right leg, and help with the right hand.

Note: If you can't do this, and he works with the dagger, then always slip yourself outward if you don't want your left hand to be taken then grasp him under his hand below the dagger, and take the hand close when you will grab, and when you have the hand trapped then grasp with the right to his left elbow, and lift upward pulling the right knee to you, and look to see if he can be thrust from you.

A good hold in wrestling

Grasp his right arm behind the hand with your right hand, and take his weight with your left hand on his right elbow, and with your right hand thrust his right arm well over your left arm and step behind him, and so hold him fast, if he is not thrown then grab his right leg below the knee.

This is a lesson

If you have thrown one below you then cut or wrench a great play from his weapon belt, stab him then in his visor with the dagger, and let him not take it out, this is good when it's muddy, or fill his visor with dirt, or pull upward with the dagger out to the ground and throw him on the face.

another lesson

Mark if you want to show him no opening then cut him from the weapon belt to the arm, or the pants, and whatever you stab from probing you cut off and if you find a belt then cut it off too and wherever you find something that will do you good, and stab well even on his dagger.

Mark you also want to hit him with the pommel, or thrust to the heart, when he is on or at the shoulder or at the other joints.

Mark during the striving to strike high or low to the ankle, and twist above to his side with the right.

Thus also stab the openings behind to the body to the face between the shoulders inward below the armpit, and not disengage again until he is secure.