Vomtag and the Simple Onset

  

    A common question I receive on my live TikTok training live streams is "what is the best position to start in?". I'm certain that if you asked any fighter this question the answers and reasonings will vary. My expertise is with the medieval sword with both the one-handed and two-handed shapes they take. For this discussion I will mainly be referring to the longsword as the basis for answering this question as that is the weapon most favored with my audience. 

    I wish to start by giving the disclaimer that I am a simple minded individual. I am aware that there are over a dozen longsword guards and have studied most of them thoroughly in both drilling, research, and sparring. I am a believer in the phrase "simplicity is the highest form of sophistication", and my fighting style reflects that with both sword and open hand. 

    

    The onset is the phase of a sword fight where both opponents stand outside each other's striking range. The onset is mostly a game of positioning- fighters maneuver around the battleground seeking to threaten a target unprotected by the opponent's guard whilst using their guard to stay out of harm's way. The onset can make or break a bout for you; therefore, I find that this step requires great care and strategy. 

    A common answer would be the long point guard. It is a guard that wherein you extend your sword far in front of you. I wouldn't say this is a bad guard to start in, but it is mostly a defensive position. 

    Vom Tag offers a mix of defensive and offensive power. It is known as the Guard of the Day in modern English. It is often the first guard people learn because it is the most versatile and simple to understand. Just because the guard is simple does not mean its ineffective. The truth is actually the contrary. 

    The vom tag position, when employed correctly, is powered by several muscle groups in the body including the arms, chest and back. Cuts made from this guard can counter just about any attack your opponent could make by the shear force it generates alone. Many of the master cuts (cuts that are both offensive and defensive) are worked from this guard because of its stopping power. 

    All five of the cuts (wrath, thwart, under, squint & parting) can be made from this guard. Due to the variety of cuts, it is very difficult to predict which action and opponent who stands in this guard will take. Other guards have less attack options which make them easier to predict and dominate. 

    The cuts from vom tag manifest quicker than cuts from other guards as well. A winding guard like ox requires the sword travel behind your body as it traverses its arc. Any time that the blade is behind you is an opportunity for your opponent to strike when you are not protected. The outcomes of sword fights could come down to the literal second within the action economy. There are faster cuts from guards like long point, but they lack in sufficient force and may not get through the protection of a gambeson. Vom tag cuts are an equal balance of quick and powerful which opens the user's second intention options even further within the bind. 

    I am a simple-minded man and a simple-minded fighter. The art of sword play relies more on instinct over computing a master strategy. Often playing it safe can become a major handicap in the long run against a variety of opponents. I am not so worried about a fighter who has baseline knowledge of over a dozen different guards as I am the fighter who has mastered two or three guards and can employ them effortlessly. Vom tag may not be the sexiest of the guards, but it is by far the most reliable in practice and competition. 

 The Armor of Blossfechten

  A major grievance I have participating in clubs that practice the art and sport of Kundst des Fechtens is the little regard they have for the equipment of a medieval fencer. Historical Fencing guilds I have put great care in studying their swordcraft and mastery of the blade. On the other hand. I notice many historical fencers I've come across have little-to-no knowledge of the effectiveness of the protective equipment they wear in context to their medieval counterparts. In this post I will discuss the protective equipment of "unarmored"medieval fencing known as Blossfechten. 

  The idea of "blossfechten" has more depth to it than the simple expression of sword fighting without armor. The first key to this understanding is that medieval clothing was armor, or at least was designed with some level of protection in mind. The medieval outfit was multi-layered. Typical outfits had 2-3 layers depending on the season with extra layering to places like the arms. These items of clothing weren't impenetrable,  but it did provide a level of protection against slashes from swords which could have varied in levels of sharpness. 

  Aside from their regular attire, the medieval fighters of the Holy Roman Empire are depicted wearing gambesons in the manuscripts. A gambeson is a heavily padded jacket fighters wore to protect them from sword strikes. These gambesons were mostly effective against cuts but provided slight protection from well-powered thrusting attacks. The fighters in training knew the risk of thrusting attacks even within a controlled environment, and discouraged fighters from applying such techniques in non-lethal duels. Of course all was fair in war, or when only one combatant may walk away from the duel. 

  A picture of me in a modern sport styled gambeson is above. This Axel Patterson gambeson from SPES is made to a level of quality and thickness the medieval fighters would have worked with. The jacket has modern design additions such as a convenient zipper but most importantly it it thick in the front. The thickness allows my jacket to resist a direct thrust upwards to 350 newtons of power. This is the standard jacket for any kind of sword fighting in the modern era- therefore thrusting attacks are fair game unlike in the old days. 

  My main issue with how we practice these days is that we have forgotten the protective capability of gambesons. The cause of why we are ignorant of gambesons is unknown to me but I have theories. Firstly, the blossfechten scene as it stands today has become highly sportsman-like and competitive. Most sport rules halt a bout at first touch anywhere on the body. Because all that is needed to score a point is a simple tap of the sword, many sport fencers rely on the tactic of staying out of the way of danger and simply touching the jacket with either edge of the sword. If the understanding is to be truly "unarmored", then these light hits would certainly end a duel, however in my opinion it is not true blossfechten. 

  My goal is to immerse myself in the art while I fence- to fight how they did, with the equipment they used. I build all of my techniques around the requirement of doing damage through the opponent's gambeson. This is a staple in most martial arts which is missing in many Historical Fencing rings. Kickboxing coaches teach their trainees to strike through their opponent and not just simply at him. Our swordfighters should be expected to have the same level of discipline in order to truly understand their swords. 

 Many techniques in the manuscripts focus on damaging the opponent's jacket. It is recommended that strikes which land on the opponent's jacket should be followed up with a slice. The slice is done by pushing or pulling your sword upon contact with their jacket. The cut's level of severity will depend on several factors such as speed, sharpness, and structural integrity of the target area. In sparring this can only be simulated and not experienced. The equipment does not take much damage from these strikes as the swords sparred with should always be unsharpened. The demonstration of slicing an opponent's jacket is enough for me to consider a point be granted to the attacker. 

  Due to my focus being on striking through an opponent's armor as opposed to merely tapping them with my sword, I disregard the light taps I make on my opponent. This is mostly a stylistic choice and I understand that my method is not the expectation from most fencers. Since I am fluid I don't put up a fuss when I'm out training. If you wish to experience blossfechten I encourage to also adopt this mindset shift and be mindful of your gambeson and how it protects you and your opponent.  Know its strengths and weaknesses- and fight like the old masters.

Introduction: The Way of Pen and Sword

   

The Way of Pen and Sword

     Thank you for visiting my blog! My name is Joel (aka soul of shields) and I walk the twofold way of pen and sword. The way of pen and sword involve two activities- that of writng and swordsmanship. For a large portion of my life these two journeys were divoced from each other. When I wasn't practicing with my swords, I was working on a new fantasy short story. Switching between the two ways split my heart and fractured my soul and my progress halted in both endeavors.  

  Before making this blog the words of legendary swordsman and writer Miyamoto Musashi came to mind- "The way of the warrior is the twofold way of pen and sword,". In the moment I realized that in order to become whole in my soul I need to make these two paths into one, and harmonize them. 

  This blog is a manifestation of my journey. It is an archive of articles written by me on both of these topics. I do not claim the title of master on either persuit but I am well on the path to that realization. 

  My swordsmanship is made of three different pillars. The first is the study of the physical martial art. I base my style on the historical Kundst des Fechtens. It is a style created by the famous German sword master Johannes Liechtenauer- author of the Zettel. The Zettel is a collection of poems written by Liechtenauer which described his philosophy and technique around both the one handed and two handed swords which reigned in the 15th century. 

  Master Liechentauer's poems are esoteric in nature as a design choice. Liechentauer made his living travelling across Europe training squires in the way of the sword. The poems were something of a teacher's aide to him, and were only meant to be understood by himself alone. Beyond the difficulty in decoding the poem's meanings in the time period, we have the extra burden of living in the modern age. It is a time where the medieval world is chronicled but forgotten. We no longer express ourselves in the same way nor do we speak their dialect. Modern translations come from translating the medieval german dialect into modern german and then into modern English before my eyes ever look upon the master's words. This leaves a necessary window of interpretation which falls on the hands of KdF practicioners. We must also keep in mind our personal knowledge and experience of combat from studying other martial arts (in my case, kickboxing + wrestling ). 

 The KdF historical texts I gloss over primarily are commentaries of Master Liechtenauer's Zettel written by fighters connected to his teachings. This gathering of swordsmen are known in retrospect as the Liechtenauer Fellowship. I've studied a handful of these manuscripts over the years of my swordsmanship. My understanding of KdF comes from the writings of Sigmund Ringeck, Peter Danzig, Peter Faulkner, Jorg Wilhalm, and Andre Paurenfeyndt. 

  From the teaching of the old masters I now explore my own style of swordplay by means of writing, study, exercise, content creation, and live sword fencing with other swordsmen across the world. I am happy to work with what is best for me (as all great martial arts masters recommend), although I still see myself as a KdF styled fighter simply because I love Liechentauer's art. 

 Studying the German way of the sword helps connect with my German ancestry in ways that feel intimate to me. I know very little of my ancestry but I keep the idea of perhaps I had ancestors who were great fighters and knights of the medieval era and that they walk beside me on this journey. 

  On this blog I will be postibg articles all about my martial arts and writing journey. If you are interested in my other works of expression I enourage you to follow me on tiktok @soul_of_shields and youtube (@the_fighters_guild).