Some techniques from Hans Czynners treatise

Here are some interpretations of Hans Czynners treatise on harness fencing from 1538. The techniques were recorded in early 2007 by Alexander Neppl and Thomas Howe from Blossfechter.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• harness
• Hans
• Czynner
• longsword
• historical
• euopean
• martial
• arts

[rezitiert]

sorry folks, this comment of mine shouldnt stand here, but under another video! donk drink and drive ;) im so ashame and confused!

[MikkoKuusirati]

Yeah, it's called "half-swording" in English. Basically, armour plates are plain impervious to 99.999% of everything you could do to them with a sword, so instead you get up close and grab the blade with your off-hand to provide increased leverage and point control, and try to stick the point in through the visor slits and the mail-covered joints, groin and gaps BETWEEN the plates.

After that, it gets kinda nasty. :D

[Magni56]

@Punishthefalse

Given the protection a full palte harness gives, it's not surprising. One of the most reliable ways to kill and opponent in plate was to wrestle him down and then stab a dagger through the weak points like joints or the eye-slit. The Stiletto was a common secondary weapon for knights exactly for that reason.

[Punishthefalse]

I never knew a knight is also a good wrestler.

[tenspeedscarab]

question for the fighters: what kind of equipment are you using to simulate armor? It looks really good and effective!

[pochazet]

is there a way to get a book on him and fechtbucher?

[Noahandtheark7]

Well, I have finally found another fine example of Full-Harness style combat! Thank you for posting this fine sirs! :D

There are not many examples of full harness combat on YouTube. So far I have only managed to find four. :-\

[Tehinke]

@UnclePutte Actually, you don't have to be extremely fit to use these techniques, although it helps. What you need is the knowledge of the mechanics behind the techniques. A medieval swordsman would have been reasonably strong and well trained, but most were probably not in the same league as a UFC fighter.  A suit of armour weighed between 17 and 25 kilos and a longsword about 1.4 to 1.8

[Canaustrians]

@Meshelsidek It reads very much like some of the marial art's treatises from asia, actually. It is esentially a play by play list of moves, like a chess game. For example, the first bit instructs you to make a move, wherein he will too. You are to scrape off that pass (I think that means you are supposed to slide off of hist parry in this case), wherein you (having feinted at his face once to force said parry) you are to hit him in the face.

[Meshelsidek]

@Canaustrians

Thanks for the reply. The directness of the text is unsurprising.

[Canaustrians]

@Meshelsidek

It's middle german, and hard as hell to read because of the spelling. I understood it though, and it is literally and play by play instruction to what they are acting out. It's an illuminating read, actually. A lot of the instructions amount to "Hit him in the face" with little bits like "when he blocks, stab him in the throat" and so on. It's really cool.

[UnclePutte]

Hmm. Some of these techniques are a certain testament to the notion that the medieval warrior must have been physically frightfully strong, judging from the piledriver part. If they truly were widely capable of doing that to a grown man in full armor, then... well, I don't even want to imagine what they were like too closely.