German swordmanship video

[Risto Rautiainen]

I don't know if this has been posted already. This is a video clip by a group called Zornhau and it displays some european longsword techniques of the Lichtenauer tradition. This is one of the best videos out there IMO.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Thanks for posting it!

 

[SFC JeffJ]

Thanks for posting this!

For me at least, it brings back some good memories!

Jeff

 

[arnisador]

Neat! They move that big sword much faster than I would have thought.

 

[Bigshadow]

Awesome video! Some good stuff there! I really enjoyed watching it!

 

[Flying Crane]

Very interesting video.

Do any of you remember the documentary film Budo, probably made in the 1970s about Japanese martial arts? I saw a few techniques in the mix here that seemed very very similar to some of the Japanese sword techniques shown on Budo.

I wouldn't be surprised if sword methods around the world contained a lot of similar techniques.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

What I am curious about this particular video (which I liked) is if the sword techniques from it are newly formed or if they have a lineage back to feudal Germany?

 

[SFC JeffJ]

What I am curious about this particular video (which I liked) is if the sword techniques from it are newly formed or if they have a lineage back to feudal Germany?

There are plenty of period texts on swordfighting in German, so it wouldn't surprise me at all if they came from them.

Jeff

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

There are plenty of period texts on swordfighting in German, so it wouldn't surprise me at all if they came from them.

Jeff

I was thinking along the same line Jeff!

 

[SFC JeffJ]

Very interesting video.

Do any of you remember the documentary film Budo, probably made in the 1970s about Japanese martial arts? I saw a few techniques in the mix here that seemed very very similar to some of the Japanese sword techniques shown on Budo.

I wouldn't be surprised if sword methods around the world contained a lot of similar techniques.

A lot of longsword techniques do look like katana ones. Similar weapon, so the funtion follows the form.

 

[Bigshadow]

I wouldn't be surprised if sword methods around the world contained a lot of similar techniques.

I saw stuff that looked familiar to me. I am not surprised though, afterall we are all human.

 

[Risto Rautiainen]

You're right, there is no living tradition and all of those techniques are recreated from medieval texts, known as fechtbuch. You could call this experimental archeology. The only living sword traditions in Europe I know of are of classical fencing, which is the more martial cousin of sports fencing.

Any sword style which has two hands on the weapon would have similarities. There are different biases, but still a lot in common.

Arnisador: I have to say that I don't think they're going as fast as they could. Even I can go faster and I'm a lot smaller, weaker and inexperienced. Afterall that is a demonstration about techniques. Although if I had to go faster, I would like to wear a fencing mask for safety's sake.

 

[SFC JeffJ]

Neat! They move that big sword much faster than I would have thought.

Those big swords don't weigh as much as most people think.

Jeff

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Those big swords down weigh as much as most people think.

Jeff

That is absolutely true!

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Other than classical fencing it really is too bad that the European swordsmanship skills faded out. It would have been really cool to have the ability to compare and contrast the skills with the more preserved eastern ones.

Having said that I am happy that people are pioneering efforts to recreate them from manuscripts. That definately is a cool thing to do and it is also neat to see a video like the one above.

 

[SFC JeffJ]

I was with a small group about oh, 8 years ago and we were working on George Silvers sword and buckler stuff. But then some of em graduated from Purdue and I moved so it fell apart, but what a lot of fun it was.

Jeff

 

[HKphooey]

Some cool stuff! Thanks for sharing.

 

[arnisador]

Arnisador: I have to say that I don't think they're going as fast as they could. Even I can go faster and I'm a lot smaller, weaker and inexperienced. Afterall that is a demonstration about techniques.

I'm sure that's so! But as JeffJ suggests, I imagine them to be pretty heavy and hard to maneuver. I guess I'd have to pick one up to see how bulky it is.

 

[Bigshadow]

Other than classical fencing it really is too bad that the European swordsmanship skills faded out. It would have been really cool to have the ability to compare and contrast the skills with the more preserved eastern ones.

Having said that I am happy that people are pioneering efforts to recreate them from manuscripts. That definately is a cool thing to do and it is also neat to see a video like the one above.

I definitely agree!

 

[JoshLittle]

I'm sure that's so! But as JeffJ suggests, I imagine them to be pretty heavy and hard to maneuver. I guess I'd have to pick one up to see how bulky it is.

The swords being used are neither. If they are anything like those we use (same lineage), they wiegh between 2 and 3 pounds and are as manueverable as is needed. The speed used in the video varies between about half and 3/4 quarter desired speed. In truth, the longsword is one of the fastest weapons available.