Embedded Files
Hallowed Hippology - Equos toto orbe terrarum
English Translation (Wiktennauer)
English Translation (Wiktennauer)
Thrust to the visor against a parry.
Thrust to the visor against a parry.
In this device, you attack your opponent with the sword and direct a thrust to his visor. If your opponent attacks you in the same way, by thrusting towards your visor, then raise the sword and bind with his, and lift it up. That way you have parried his attack, and at the same time you may cut or thrust him in the neck or visor. If your opponent attacks you with cuts or thrusts in the same manner, you parry while riding past him. Then you turn your horse around and strike or thrust him in the back of his neck. Then you ride away.
Munich II Transcription (1540s) by Per Magnus Haaland
Munich II Transcription (1540s) by Per Magnus Haaland
Habitus pungendi buculam contra aversionem.
Habitus pungendi buculam contra aversionem.
In hac dimicatione equestri cursu veloci contra hostem progreditor utens gladio contra ipsius buculam dextra manu. At si tu fueris similiter ab hoste praeventus in occursu, nec non is buculam galeae tuae impugnet, tum ensem sursum directum ab inferne adversarii gladio iungas, inde si ipsum sustuleris, irritus fiet impetus hostilis, nec non postea ferire et pungere hostis collum vel buculam poteris. Sin autem is pari modo fuerit adgressus cum feriundo, tum etiam pungendo, in praeteritione eum impetum removeas. Inde autem rursus equum in latus dextrum flectas, et atque collum ipsius retrorsum ferias vel pungas, postea discedas.
Marc's Comments
Marc's Comments
The start of this play is a thrust at the visor, which shows the emphasis on attacking vulnerable points on an armored opponent.
The “bind” in the play is a core concept of the KdF tradition, being a crossing of the sword that occurs from attacks or parries. This crossing keeps you safe, and a great deal of emphasis is placed on gaining, controlling and leaving the bind safely, in order to injure one’s opponent.
The hanging parry shown in the plates is not described in the early KdF tradition, but is shown in the later KdF and Fencing guild manuals, such as Mair and Meyer.
The counter blow is also described against a weak spot in the armor.
The finishing sequence would be accomplished with the triangle step described above along with the hanging parry to get offline if this was foot combat, but again relies on the horse movement,
Else's Comments
Else's Comments
The sword work in this play is clear, but impacted by horse movement.
Impact One: The canter stride has a wave like motion (see plate 39). The attacker is at the stride's apex. The defender is traveling upward/traveling forward. This relative difference simplifies the defensive parry from below. The attack travels up to down and the defender rides forward the parry catches the attack as if the horse performed a fencing lunge.
Impact Two: The key to completing the play as written is a horse that will turn readily. Grissone (1550) teaches two types of turns. The first are simple circles, too slow for the motion described. The other are very tight turns where the horse brings his shoulders rapidly around his haunches and “crosses his forelegs”. These tighter turns are "volte sempie" (180 degree half turns) performed at different gaits and speeds (Tobey ed, 2014). A rider on a horse spinning his shoulders rapidly around the haunches will have time to complete the play with the cut or stab almost as a single motion within the volte sempie.
Demonstration of the Technique
Video by Marc
Videos from Applying Grisone
Training a half turn/"volte sempie" on a circle. In all three videos, the motion is much slower than combat speed.
First - Rider's eye view of a canter-180 degree turn-canter.
Second - Same exercise slowed down and viewed from the side. The second direction includes some additional training (stepping backwards to encourage weight carriage) for the horse.
Third - Video showing teaching the exercise with an emphasis on the crossing of the front limbs. Sometimes the horses movement is correct. Other times less so.
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