Testing "Fencing from the Sweeps"
The manuscript which has been the focus of my research recently is the longsword manual "Fencing from the Sweeps". It is something of an addition to Master Liechtenauer's Zettel- his compilation of poems written on the art of sword play in the 15th century. The author of the manuscript is unknown but he is believed to have been a practioner of Liechentauer's style of fencing in the early 16th century.
Liechentauer's Kundst des Fechtens was still widely practiced in the early Renaissance era after his passing. The new era of German sword masters felt as if later generations have lost touch on the Zettel's teachings and sought to write a new Zettel for the new era of sword fighters. The New Art is mostly attributed to the work of Renaissance sword master Andre Paurenfeyndt, who includes "Fencing from the Sweeps" as an appendix to his broader fight book "On the Chivalric Art of Sword Play". The plays in the manuscript were not written Liechentauer, but by those who inherited his art.
"when you lay in the side-guard to your left side and someone cleaves-in to you downward from above" -Anonymous Sword Master
The manuscript contains plays which branch from the first actions made by both fighters in a lightly armored sword duel named Blossfechten ("Fencing with Openings" in German). There is an offensive fighter who begins in the guard of the Day, an aggressive sword guard where the sword rests on its wielder's right shoulder. The second fighter is a defensive one, and begins in the guard of the Fool- leading with his right foot and pointing his sword forwards towards the ground.
The guard of the Fool leaves the upper body completley vulnerable to a downward strike. Most importantly, the Fool's head is completley open for cleaving. The guard makes the Fool's head an attractive target. The Fool knows this, and has prepared a counter for when his opponent's head strike manifests.
The manuscripts describes the Fool's counter to meet the opponent's sword with short edge whilst stepping off-line towars his left side. Simply put, its starting from Fool's/Iron Gate and moving to the guard of the Day (Vom Tag) on your right shoulder. Within that movement, your short edge will contact the enemy's blade, thus countering the strike to your head.
In essence the manual encourages you to sacrifice the Before in your first intention (Zufechten), so that you have the advantage to take the Before from an advantageous position within second intention (Krieg). Now that you have the Before in Krieg, you can make a direct cut to their head with a wrath cut, or you could choose to also capture their sword by performing a right-side squinter cut (schielhau). Your opponent must work twice as hard to out-time you or retreat. There are even opportunities to grab onto the opponent's blade and wrestle them.
But does this actually work? My fencing style used to be focused on always holding the Before at all costs. Not to mention how awkward the idea of allowing the enemy to strike my most vital area felt to me when I first gleamed the manuscript. However if these plays were useless, why were they written so extensively about? Eager to explore these plays for myself I took them to the local fencing guilds for the trial by sparring.
The results in sparring were enlightening. I first began by drilling through the plays with my mentor and allowed his wisdom to add to my understanding of the text. I found the sweep to be easier to execute than how it seemed on the paper. It was effective in parrying wrath cuts from both long and short range and felt quite safe after my body calibrated to the technique. My initial issue was executing the sweep too early and out of measure which was corrected as I went on to understand the sweep further.
I sparred with a handful of partners after a water break who had no knowledge of the manuscript. I had no issue using the technique in live sparring and scored many hits with both the one-handed and two-handed swords. I fell in favor for the squinting cut as my follow-up from the sweep and scored 5 hits in a row on the opponent's shoulder. That play gave me a confidence in Krieg that I couldn't find anywhere else should I lose the Before.
Eventually my partners caught on to what I was doing, and came up with responses to the sweep in sparring. What I commoly witnessed was a feint from the wrath cut to an under cut. I got pointed a few times in this movement. I began to play more safe with my sweeps by checking a little past long point for a feint, and swiftly drawing back to plow on my right side to counter the feint. After capturing the Feint, the thrust to the chest was an open target.
I changed from skepticism to full adoption of the technique after resting on my discoveries. The sweep is now my plan B tactic in my style. Capturing and holding the Before is still my prime rule of engagement, however I am confident in safely falling to Fool's for the sweep should my opponent beat me to the Before. This manual is an essential read for all medieval fencers and will be part of the core of my coaching lessons. Stay tuned as I will continue to write about the wonders of Fencing from the Sweeps.
