NEW Translation of MS I.33

I haven’t posted much for a long time, and life had me very busy with non-HEMA things, but I have completed something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time: A new translation of MS I.33. I will copy from the foreword of my work:

Ms. I.33 – Langort vs Halpschilt?

This is an article that really should have been written a long time ago.

It’s a basic concept in I.33, and really illustrates the depth of the binding mechanics as well as the tactics used to enter a fight. I will discuss how Halfshield and Longpoint are both similar in their use as Sieges, they are crucially different in one specific way, and it’s an important distinction to be aware of when using Halfshield yourself to ensure it is effective.

Fake It ’til You Make It

I thought of this in the car yesterday, and it’s something I’ve noticed for a long time. It has to do with how new practitioners are able to mimic what their instructor is showing them, even down to the finest detail. It’s something that I’ve never heard anyone else point out or mention or advise to new practitioners, yet I found it was extremely helpful to myself when I first picked up a sword.

Integrity When Interpreting Sources

Inspired by Grauenwolf’s blog post here: https://grauenwolf.wordpress.com/2016/02/19/trusting-the-images/

I’ve decided to post about my approach to interpreting the sources, and some basic principles I try to follow. I’ll break it down into some simple rules to follow

Priest’s Special Langort and Schutzen vs 4th Ward

A short video filmed this past Saturday finally showing my interpretation of the Schutzen done from Priest’s Special Langort against 4th Ward, and the ensuing binding actions.

More work will hopefully be done with this. Thanks to Sam Nankivell for his help showing the interpretation on video as well as for contributing heavily to this interpretation, particularly to the final “aha” moment when it clicked.

 

The Final Series of Plays of I.33

The final plays of I.33 have represented a conundrum to me for a while now. While superficially simple, we are shown the various things that happen when Priest’s Special Langort besieged 4th Ward. But then we see the extremely strange anomaly of 4th Ward using an Obsessio (Halfshield) against another Obsessio (PSL). Throughout the rest of the manual, the constant format of the plays is we see one fencer in a Ward, the opponent uses an Obsessio, and then we see either one fencer get struck, or a bind occurs. We don’t ever see this case of Obsessios being used to counter each other elsewhere in the manual. Often, this example is used to support the idea of moving from Ward to Ward in a fight.

Some thoughts on the Schutzen

Some thoughts on the various Schutzen:

Remember, in I.33 we are shown one fencer attacking from a Ward, the other entering with a Schutzen. The one in the Ward is then typically shown doing the correct thing which is to not carry out his strike but to bind against the Schutzen.