Test cutting with vintage grain Sickle.

Music by Josh Daby.

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A video demonstrating how to "test cut" with a blunt training sword.

Sorry for the bad sound sync. I can't figure out what the problem is.

Music by Josh Daby

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Working through the first page of Mair's Wheat Sickle combat.

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Making sense of what Mair is saying in his Opus can be very frustrating. Here is an example of a recent attempt at interpreting the Flail.

Flail Two
One Upper Strike Against Abnemen (Taking-Off)

Note, when you travel together then position yourself thus in this technique: Stand with your Left foot forward, and hold your Flail with your Right hand above on your Staff, your Left by your lower point, simultaneously strike him with your Flegel to his head.

Ok. That wasn't too hard. But now let's take a look at the second paragraph...

If he strikes at you thus, and you also stand (in the same position) ... then step inside with your Right leg, and take him aside with your Staff onto your Right side, in this, pass forward with your Left leg, and strike him with your Flegel to the Right side of his body.

First Challenge:

The fighter on the Right is being attacked. He stands in a Hoch with the Flail over his Right shoulder. How does he deflect the Oberhaw to his Right side? Our first idea was to wave the Staff above one's head in a motion that would intercept the Oberhaw and take it to the Right. Here's how it would look against an opponent...

It fulfills the requirements of Mair's text, but it sure doesn't feel very safe. The Flegel can hit your own head as it swings over, and the motion leaves a large opportunity for your opponent to strike since you must pass his weapon on the Left before deflecting it to the Right.

Second Idea... As the fighter on the Left strikes an Oberhaw, the fighter on the
Right slides his Left hand away from the Back Point, up the Staff, and parries the attack to the Right with the 'Hinder Ort'. Here's how it would look against an opponent...

This actually works pretty well. But there are some problems. Nothing in Mair's eight pages of Flail combat mentions holding the weapon with both hands in the middle of the Staff. Although 'Flail One' includes directions to strike an opponent with the Back Point, none of the material mentions deflecting a strike with the Back Point. Also, the current stance of the fighter on the Right makes it hard to perform the next move in Mair's set of directions. More on that later... Although there were a few reasons for rejecting this exchange, it should be noted that the Right fighter ends in a stance very similar to Mair's confusing 'Double Mittelhaw'. But since Mair never mentions anything about the Double - Mittelhaw in his directions, we can be sure that this is not the correct interpretation.

Third Idea...

After some thinking and research we realized that changing into a
'Hanging Guard' with the Flail staff might be the best way to deflect an attacker's Oberhaw to the Right side.

Pictured, is a Hanging Guard in Mair's fourth plate on the common 'Bauren Stangen' or Peasant's Staff. The text says to "... take his strike aside with your Staff onto your Right side..." which sounds very similar to the Flail directions. So we decided to give it a try. But the Flails kept getting wrapped together. With just a little more tweaking we found that it was easier to move into a more forward, overhead guard (like Ochs) before dumping the opponent's Flail to the Right side and changing back over to strike.

Success! Let's try that a few more times for good measure.

Review in Slow-Motion...

Left Fighter strikes an Oberhaw. Right Fighter intercepts with an Ochs / Hanging guard, dumps the attack to the Right, swings around and strikes the opponent's Right side.

Third Paragraph

If he strikes at you thus, then step with your Left leg to the back, and take him aside with your Flail-Head onto your Right side, simultaneously step quickly in a triangle, and strike him with your Flail-Head to his Right side, step from him to withdraw.

Not too bad for a first try at understanding Mair's directions. But there is one challenge with the Third Paragraph that we could not find a solution to.

The text says:

"...take him aside with your
Flail-Head onto your Right
side..."

In other words; instead of using the Staff to deflect the attack like usual, Mair says to use the hinged Flail-Head instead. Deflecting a committed attack with just the Flail-Head seems like an unreliable tactic at best. Despite its weight and mass, it is doubtful that a rotating Flail-Head could successfully displace an opponent's entire weapon consistently. Without a real Threshing Flail available, nor any idea how to successfully deflect an attack with the Flegel; we decided to ignore Mair's directions and use the Staff instead.

It was only later, after practice, that we realized Mair may have possibly meant for the fighter to steady the Flail-Head with his hand, like in this illustration. This new idea will be examined as soon as the weather permits. While certainly an incomplete interpretation of 'Flail Two', we are happy with the progress so far. Stay tuned for more...

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Introduction to Paulus Hector Mair's Flail.

Paulus Hector Mair's work on the Flail consists of eight plates. Each illustration is accompanied by captions in both Latin and German describing a series of combat exchanges. An excellent translation of PHM's Flail can be found in a book called..."Masters of Medieval and Renaissance Martial Arts". The author of the translation is Brian Hunt. Small segments of his work will be used in this video.

The Weapon

The type of flail illustrated in Mair's work is meant for combat. Mair refers to the entire weapon as the Druschel. This is German for "Thresher". Mair calls the head of the weapon the Flegel. In English it is known as the Swingle or Flail-Head. The German word for the staff is Stanngen. Meyer's term for the end of the staff is Hinder Ort. This can be translated as "Back Point".

Holding the Flail

Normal Grip

The 'normal' grip used to hold the Flail is very similar to the way a farmer holds it when threshing. The right hand holds the Flail near the center of the 'Stanngen'. The left hand grips the Flail near the 'Hinder Ort', or Back Point. In this way, the Flail can be swung in a circular motion, using one hand as a lever and the other as a fulcrum. The following video illustrates a traditional threshing method using Mair's normal grip. Notice the way the staff is rotated in a circular motion. Mair's Normal Grip almost never changes; regardless of what side of the body the staff is held on, what stance the fighter takes, or which foot is leading.

Long Grip

At times Mair says to place both hands by the 'Hinder Ort' and hold the Flail in a long grip. Like much of Mair's work on the Flail, he never gives this grip an actual name. Despite not having a name, it is clear this grip is held when one wishes to strike from a distance.

Crossed Grip

There are two instances where one of Mair's combatants are illustrated holding the Stanngen in a crossed grip with the left hand reversed. Although illustrated twice, there is no mention of this grip in Mair's actual text. After analyzing the illustrations in conjunction with Mair's text, the most plausible explanation is that this 'Crossed Grip' happens after throwing a Middle Strike from one's Right to Left side. It's also possible that the models' wrists became tired while posing, they switched to a more comfortable position and the artist never noticed the change before painting it.

Wide Grip

The last page of Flail combat includes a special 'wide grip', illustrated here. Mair says to keep the Left hand near the back point, and adjust the Right hand so that it holds the top of the staff near the flail-head. This 'wide grip' can be used to block a strike with the center area of the Stanngen. Although it does not seem practical, one can also attack with the flail-head while holding the weapon in a 'wide grip'.

Music: The Blue Tune/The Legless Lizard
By: Kallman Brimi

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Striking with the Flail

After looking at the various ways to hold a Flail, and the different Guard positions, it is important examine how to actually strike with the Flail. It should first be noted that the Flail is a Quarterstaff with the addition of a rotating cudgel on one end. This means the entire Flail can be used as a weapon; The Back Point, Middle Staff, and Tip of the Staff are all employed as weapons in addition to the Flail-Head. As an example, the illustration of two little people fighting with Flails in Joachim Meyer's Fechtbuch shows the Back Point being used to hook and trip an opponent's leg. Likewise, the War Flail located at the top of this picture has metal spikes driven into the area around the Tip of the Staff. Contrary to popular opinion, the Flail-Head is not kept in constant motion or rotation when fighting. Mair teaches to stand in a ready guard and strike to the appropriate opening when it becomes available. There is no need to 'wind up' the Flail before striking due the particular construction of the weapon. The middle band connecting the two parts of Mair's Flail is noticeably short. This short band produces a tight response to any movement produced by the Stanngen. Thus, the Flail can be wielded in a way very similar to other staff weapons.

Angles of Attack

The 'Codex Wallerstein' is a German Fechtbuch that contains a diagram of various striking angles. According to Codex Wallerstein, and much of the rest of the German Martial Arts tradition; there are Three general openings available to strike to. The first and most common attack is an overhead strike either diagonally or directly down toward the opponent. The German term is 'Oberhaw'. This can be translated as 'Overhead Strike'. The Oberhaw can be thrown from a Hoch Guard, the Zornhut and even the Middle Guard. Any horizontal attack to the middle of an opponent's body is called a 'Mittelhaw'. The 'Middle Strike' can be thrown from a Hoch Guard, a Middle Guard, or the Scales. Finally, the 'Unterhaw' is a rising strike from below that attacks the body or leg. Die Wag, or 'The Scales' is clearly the most obvious guard to launch an Unterhaw from. But the Middle Guard and even the Hoch are also capable throwing an Unterhaw.

Music: Dansereyen
By: Saltarello

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Pflug: The Plow, a Middle Guard.

Of the Sixteen total figures illustrated in Mair's Flail section, Five of them are holding the weapon in some kind of middle guard. That's almost One Third of the entire Flail section dedicated to the concept of Middle Guards. Like most of Mair's staff weapons, few formal names are given to the various guard positions he uses with the Flail. The Middle Guard is no exception. Despite not having a formal name, the basic position of a Middle Guard is very clear. The fighter holds the back point of the weapon near the hip. The front point of the weapon is directed towards the opponent's face. The length of the weapon is held at an angle, guarding one entire side of the body. Students of German Longsword will recognize this position as being virtually identical to the sword guard, Pflug. An interesting difference between Pflug and the Flail's Middle Guard should be noted; when holding Pflug, the leading leg is always the opposite leg of where the pommel or back point is held. E.G. If the pommel is held at the Right hip, the Left leg is leading, and vice versa. This is not the rule with the Flail. Here in Plate 3 we find a Middle Guard being held with the back point near the Left hip. If it was a Longsword, the Right leg should be leading to be in a proper Pflug guard.

Although they are not direct Western Martial Arts sources, it is helpful to examine artwork depicting the Flail being used as a weapon. Pictured is a painting entitled "Gamblers Quarreling" by Pieter Bruegel the Younger. Painted in 1619, the work was made 79 years after Mair published his Opus c. 1540. A Grain Flail is used as a weapon by a gambler to strike another man who is attempting to attack with a pitch fork. Two things should be noted about the gambler who is holding the Flail. He is holding the Flail using the 'Normal Grip'. And he is standing in something similar to a Middle Guard; with the Flail on his Left side and Left leg leading. It is possible that Mair's work on the Flail as a weapon draws from a tradition of peasant sources instead of being directly influenced by the Noble Longsword tradition.

Zornhut: The Wrath Guard.

In 1754 William Hogarth painted a work titled "Chairing the Member" that depicts a man ready to strike with a Flail. Once again, the flail is held in Mair's 'Normal Grip'. What's more interesting is that this man's ready stance looks almost exactly like a guard called the Zornhut, or Wrath Guard. The Zornhut is a guard position that shows up in the later years of the German Longsword tradition. It is the natural position that is held when one is preparing to throw a forceful strike with full commitment. Such a devastating attack itself is called the Zornhau, or 'Strike of Wrath'. One of the early Longsword masters calls the Zornhau "Nothing else but a poor peasant's strike." The Zornhut is not directly referred to in Paulus Hector Mair's work on the Flail. It is only a speculation that such a common striking guard like the 'Zornhut' would be used by a peasant when fighting with a Flail.

Music: Heroes
By: Maire Brennan

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Guard Positions

Die Wag: The Scales or The Balance

There is a guard position referred to multiple times in Mair's Flail text, but never illustrated. 'The Scales' or 'Balance Guard'. 'Die Wag' in German. 'Libra' in Latin. Pictured is an illustration of The Scales Guard found in Mair's Short Staff section. The general position of the Scales Guard is to place the front of the staff on the ground and hold the back point near the face, creating a vertical stance. Keeping the 'Normal Grip' in mind, the Scales guard pictured here would need to have the hands switched if holding a Flail. The closest thing that comes to an illustration of the Scales in Mair's Flail section is this picture, showing the victim of an overhead strike who was standing in Die Wag. Although he has been struck by his opponent's Flail, this fighter still maintains the 'Normal Grip' on his weapon. This supports the idea that a true Scales guard would also be held the same way.

Hoch: The High Guard

The term 'Hoch' is frequently used by Mair to describe a high guard. There is no actual guard called the 'Hoch'. It is more of a generic term meant to describe any type of high position. According to Mair, both of these men would be standing in a 'Hoch' guard. Of the many Hoch guards depicted, the two shown here are of particular importance. Both men are holding the flail-head and staff with their right hands. But each hand position is noticeably different. Hardly any information is given as to why one would hold both the Flegel and Stanngen at the same time. In fact, the text is exactly the same for both positions. It simply says to hold the staff and flail-head with the right hand. In this first example, the fighter holds the Stanngen with his hand and opens his grip slightly to steady the Flegel with his thumb. There are some Eastern Martial Art traditions that hold the flail in a similar fashion when striking or blocking with the front of the Flail staff. This is most likely a similar situation. The fighter stands in a Hoch, able to strike from various angles, but can also deflect a strike to the side with the Flail and Staff held together.

In this second 'special' Hoch guard, the fighter holds the Flegel with an open hand position. It is hard to tell from the illustration whether he is also holding the staff with his open hand as well. A similar hand position can be found in the Pollaxe segment of a Fechtbuch by Paulus Kal. In Kal's case, the open palm Hoch guard provides the option of throwing an overhead strike that ends with either a forward or backhand grip. Considering that there is no evidence in Mair's work suggesting the Flail being held backhand like a Pollaxe, there must be another reason to stand in the Hoch with an open palm grip. One possibility is that the open palm allows the fighter to easily transition to either a Long Grip or a Wide Grip by sliding one's palm up or down the length of the staff.

Students of German Longsword will notice that Mair's 'Hoch' is virtually identical to the Longsword guard of 'Vom Tag'. Although Paulus Hector Mair references the Vom Tag Guard extensively in his Longsword section, all similar high positions in his various polearm segments use the term Hoch.

Here is the final page of a small Fechtbuch by Jakob Suttor. The text for this image describes how to capture an opponent's flail when both weapons are tangled. Despite no mention of guard positions, it is important to note that Suttor's small segment on the Flail shows two stances common to Medieval German Martial Arts; a High Guard like The Hoch or Vom Tag, and a Middle Guard, which is commonly called Pflug.

Music: Dr. Satans Echo Chamber / DJ Spooky Vs the Dub Pistols Peace in Zaire Mix [Dub Pistols Inna NYC]
By: DJ Spooky

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My brothers and I put together some training flails and tested them in the back yard. Very little actual martial arts here, mostly sillyness.

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How to clean a carbon steel blade that has become a little rusty.

Music: "Repli" by Ray Lema

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-VIEW IN HIGH QUALITY-
Music: 'Trotto' by Saltarello

Weapon Forms: Scythe, Sickle, Flail, Cudgel, Duelling Shield.

-From Wikipedia-
Paulus Hector Mair (1517--1579) was an Augsburg civil servant, and active in the martial arts of his time. He collected Fechtbücher and undertook to compile all knowledge of the art of fencing in a compendium surpassing all earlier books. For this, he engaged the painter Jörg Breu the Younger, as well as two experienced fencers, whom he charged with perfecting the techniques before they were painted. The project was very costly, taking full four years, and according to Mair, consumed most of his family's income and property. Three versions of his compilation, and one later, less extensive manuscript, have been preserved.

Not only did Mair spend huge sums on his collections and on his projects, he also had a very expensive lifestyle, frequently hosting receptions for the more important burghers of Augsburg. His own income was not sufficient for this, and during many years, he misappropriated funds from the city treasury, with the supervision of which he had been entrusted since 1541. His embezzlements were discovered in 1579, and Mair was hanged as a thief at the age of 62.

VOLUMES ONLINE!!!

1) http://mdz10.bib-bvb.de/~db/bs b00006570/images/index.html

2) http://mdz10.bib-bvb.de/~db/bs b00007894/images/index.html

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