The sword and the apocalypse.

Cavalry sword developed by George Patton when he was a Leutnant.

     There is a great deal of fantasy attached to the sword. He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword, for you mercenaries out there. For the rest of us, we are warned that we must carry a blade by Jesus after he is no longer with us. It is wise, and holy to defend yourself, your duty to do so, and a lot of fun to practice. Sword as an exercise form is one of the most relevant forms of working out. High cardio, very committal; when I fence, I think about nothing else, all time disappears. Most importantly you learn a skill, a western martial art that hopefully you will never need to use.
     Let me start by saying that Olympic fencing is a waste of time, except that it does raise your cardio. The people are stodgy and set in their ways, and their way of fencing has little or no martial value. There is a group called ARMA, which has developed an approach to medieval fense, and Hammaborg.de, an historical fencing group, both with lots on youtube. Some people are developing the moves in the Codex Wallerstein which include a combination of grappling and long sword moves which is fun to practice and seems practical, also shown on YouTube.
     For regular practice we do a German dueling style, used by a few people in the U.S.A., and in limited circles in Europe. It is a basic 10 block, 10 cut system, which takes into consideration points of entry, along with punching and kicking, blade grabs, double knife, double sword, sword and dagger, and grappling.
     Basic blocks are 3rd position = right hand gaurd from hip, point to head, 4th; sword comes to center left to block upper body left, Over head with guard on right side of head 5th position, 6th is sword overhead guard on left side of head, lower right block guard at hip hand covered point down is the 2nd position, lower body guard in front and left with hand guard (waist level, but forward) facing opponents sword point down is the 1st position (point to floor). The 7th is sword blocking upper left with hand/guard slightly over and in front of the head on the left (Point covering down to the left lower abs),  8th is sword on left for upper body rear block with guard/hand level with the top of the head but left of the head to block the upper left from head to waist (torso twists to the left, guard behind head) which is followed by an overhand strike to opponents 5th position. the 9th position is guard to the shoulder on right with sword extended  horizontally ahead (elbow pulled back, pommel nearly touching right shoulder.) used in a block/lunge movement, and finally the 10th position which covers the lower left with the guard faced in, made by swinging down from the 3rd for a quick block, usually followed with an overhead strike to the opponents 5th position.
    The goal is constant fluid movement, every block leading to a strike, every strike followed by a quick block. If you make a point and are yourself hit in so doing, you lose a point instead. All attacks must be made with a solid defense. Blind lunges are avoided, even though they give you a point in Olympic fencing, it is a good way to receive a point against you.  As in all cases rehearsed movements are not the same as in the actual fight where the duel can be over in seconds. We go through the moves in practice drilling so the body can act instinctively in using them. The goal is practical application. In actual combat you often only use a few strikes and blocks as being set up for some of the more arcane ones does not always happen. There are numerous sources to add technique and ideas for exploitation.
     There is a horsewoman tied to Hammeborg on youtube, who is doing dismounts, grappling and I believe takeaways in mounted sword, which can also be seen on youtube. Above you can see Pattons sword design and can obtain (free internet access) his book on the sword for horse, called 'Sabre exercise'. He is an interesting character, having studied in Austria, Germany, and France, back when they were still teaching cavalry techniques ( he was master of the sword at a fort in Kansas.). He gives the old Napoleonic technique of point, point, point; Head to the left of the horses neck, point forward with right hand guard up, using the sword as a short lance. Patton believed that the slash was ineffective even against unarmored people, saying that it was difficult to do much damage through a jacket and some padding though he did believe that the slash had a shock value and could break bones.
     The problem is that peasant armies often did not have the luxury of time to train, and the subtle use of the sword and horse was lost upon most conscripts from Napoleon on. From experience the front slash to opponents arm or face followed immediately by a blow to the back of the neck  in a quick quarter time double cut, is quite effect. It makes a deep gash in bamboo and watermelons. I assume it would have some effect upon a living soul. You have the force of the horse to carry the first blow and a quick flick of the wrist with an aggressive cut to the back can be quite effective at the right meter. Another is chest turn blade up to strike under chin and carry across throat as with the horses forward motion and a quick back slash. I don't know if George S. Patton ever used his techniques, few people in the twentieth century have had the opportunity in to fight on horseback, although the White Russian 'Bloody Baron' had his share of cavalry experience.
     In ground combat it is often better to have two short swords, plow into your opponent and tie up his swords with yours while getting inside. This works well in melees where in a line of a hundred men you can move along the line with short swords, moving in between the swordsmen who act like pike men while you get up close to the opposing line. In a one on one, long and dagger seem a wise choice, but I know from experience that two 18 to 24 inch blades, work well against even 36 to 48 inch blades. Even a short sword with a marine knife for the left hand, makes a nice combination. Which leads us to the next suggested line of thought for many of us.
     The sword and the apocalypse. Einstein said world war IV would be fought with clubs, implying that civilization would be reduced to the stone age. I tend to think that after ammo runs out it may be swords and knives, mostly knives, possibly clubs, but I am sure that ingenuity will have us greatly surprised. Though I am not expecting world war IV, I am expecting apocalyptic conditions which may set us back to the Edwardian era, and maybe not even that bad.
Here is an example of a main gauche, which if made with a thicker blade and something more like a sabre guard might be very effective for a right hand weapon in say a 24 to 36" length, if you are not used to a long blade. The fact is you must choose your weapons wisely, based upon what you know or can find out, your body type and your disposition. The first defense is to avoid conflict. What you must realize is that it is not the movies, and a fight can be lost. If you've ever read Heinlein's Farnums Freehold, the author paints a picture of what an apocalypse could be like, and through the novels characters, he paints a picture of what to, and not to do. One thing that is evident from the story and life, is that if someone is going shopping for pork, and the distribution network is gone, they may be hunting long pig, and that could be you. I recommend reading the story, you will glean much from it. Heinlein is far more optimistic than the author of Oryx and Crake, the which of is based on a great deal of science and the possible effect of mans manipulation of the environment and that environments breakdown, depressing, but a good read.
     So, I look at defense from this personal perspective; I am not trying to become a warlord, just survive, keep what I have, and preserve the well being of those with me. What I recommend when in bladed combat is to go for the opponents hands first, that is if you have no choice and cannot avoid the fight in the first place. Go for the hands first with the blades up, adding length to your arms. If that does not dissuade further confrontation, go for the tendons above the wrists. Try to talk your way out of a conflict, and walk away. If you have no choice but to fight, keep all strikes fluid and moving like drum beats, and make use of sensitive body points. A regular drill for us with sword was; strike tendons above wrist - then strike between the elbow and shoulder (bicep cut) turning the blade upward for a temple strike; a good disable which gives you time to disengage from combat and leave the bad situation if possible. It was to be done in eight time, or as they would say, boom boom boom! Done fluidly it is three moves performed as one.
     You would be amazed at how easy it is to be overpowered, so keep your distance moving with your opponent, try to get them to back off, and keep far enough from them so that they cannot overpower you. You don't want to hurt anyone or be hurt yourself if possible. I am not suggesting that if you do any of the things mentioned in this blog, that you will be successful at them, or that it is wise for you to defend yourself, or that your discretion will be wise, or legal. I am only mentioning what is the approach of a bladed martial artist, and that it is common sense to defend oneself. Most in our present time do not believe the apocalypse to even be a possibility. They think there are no threats to our civilization, and that the bible is either nonsense or pertains to the past, so if their line of perspective appeals to you (and might be correct), then you can just practice these things for fun, exercise and skill, with unedged (practice is always done with dull blades that cannot give harm) blades. That is the approach that most of us take. Practice as a sport, be prepared for the possibility of the worst, but hope for the best.
     Aggression must be met with aggression, but realize that probably both sides need to live to fight another day, shock and leave, and try not to lose your humanity. Mercy is a good quality. If an intruder is in your place of residence it then may become a different matter. It is a good idea to decide how far you would go with an aggressor, especially one that is in your home, having that already thought out makes you concise in your response to an opponent. A moment of doubt can cost you your life. You should also know the legal issues involved, and whether or not you want to risk problems with the authorities. If society does not break down it is rare that one must resort to violence, and it is usually a cause of legal problems. The sword and the apocalypse is referring to a possible future where there are no authorities to protect you. Otherwise the art of the sword is a martial form of athletic exercise.
     We could hope that the authorities will be around to settle all conflicts: in Italy there were no pigs to be found, but plenty of pork sausage being sold on street corners during the chaos at wars end. When Rome fell, the barbarians had lots of fun raping and pillaging. The 'authorities' were no where to be found; in New Orleans after Katrina, once dark, it was every man for himself, hence the reasoning behind the curfew. Believe me, you don't want to get in a fight, but there are times when men are confronted by an evil which gives them no choice but to defend themselves.
     Of course there is that old funny adage, don't bring a knife to a gun fight, but guns with no ammunition are not very useful. Know your weapons or learn them. Try and choose those which will work for you. I like the modern specialty finished blades and would like to design protective guards around some of them. If you have the time and the inclination, you might be surprised at what you'll find out there. Keep your fighting techniques as simple and to the point as possible, all your moves very tight and close together, remember economy of motion is a prime rule of the bladed artist, and have fun, approaching martial arts as a sport with possibly practical uses.