http://www.thortrains.com .One of the more interesting weapons of Medieval and Renaissance Europe is the two-handed sword. Heroic fantasy movies love these weapons. Medieval and Renaissance fighters loved them, too. The big swords were strong enough to break armor, but light enough to be quick. Many of the old combat manuals from the 15th to the 17th Centuries devote plenty of space to them.
The old fighting manuals illustrate many cunning tricks. Though fascinating, they are a small part of combat. Painted in the stylized manner of their time, they can be difficult to translate to real-world body movement. For our purposes, it is better to have clear illustrations than obtuse Medieval technical drawings. Fortunately, a few of the books use woodcuts which are easier for us to use.
Jakob Sutor to the rescue. Sutor's manual, written in 1612, has a compact selection of clear line drawings. His work is devoted mostly to basic techniques, though he includes a few very cunning tricks. The clarity of his drawing leave little room for error, as to real poses of fighters.
An important thing to note is that larger swords were not sharpened, except for the first few inches from the tip. The edge was more like the tip of a thin screwdriver. They were thick enough to avoid chips in the blade, but thin enough to cut when used with sufficient force. Soldiers trained with these weapons constantly. They had the skill and means to deliver fast and forceful blows. Be aware of the fact that the techniques shown below are not for sport. They were intended for real combat.
There are some blocking techniques. The preferred way to block a strike was not to block, but to avoid it. Ducking, dodging and sidestepping were all part of a Medieval and Renaissance fight. If blocking was done, the ideal was to block is such a way that it also became a counterattack. Medieval fighters had techniques to block and strike at the same time.
Our goal is to illustrate the way men fought, not give a course in fighting with ancient weapons. You would need to study under the direct supervision of a qualified instructor.
Medieval fighters had plenty of technique. Their methods were neither awkward nor boorish. Instead of slugging it out, Medieval fighters artfully ducked, dodged, parried and trapped. They used graceful footwork combined with equally graceful techniques. Fighting styles differed because of the weapons and nature of combat. Modern style fencing would have been folly in the 15th Century, just as Medieval fencing was inadvisable for 17th Century duels.
Many a miniature knight and Viking has suffered because of ignorance. Unrealistic poses abound! Knowledge of Medieval technique can only help miniaturists make better and more exciting figures. Here is a place where the reality is more appealing than the fantasy. A set of Medieval figures based on real techniques from the Middle Ages would be far more wonderful than the sword-clubbing lumps based on pure fiction.
There are primary sources of Medieval fighting techniques. They are called "Fechtbuchs" (German for "fight book") by aficionados of the art. The books illustrate a host of weapons and tricks. Among them are several manuals of unarmed combat, as well. The stylized Medieval drawings look crude at first, but once you decipher the style you can perceive the technique.
My personal study of military close combat led me to recognize the techniques. In the Army, I learned bayonet and riot baton. A few years later, I had been schooled in the methods of Fairbairn and O'Neill, and the knifework of Biddle and Styers. Since then, I have done limited research on Military close combat. There is no surprise that on looking at fechtbuchs, I recognized some of the techniques. They were very similar to things I knew. A more thorough investigation was in order. Using primary sources, my own knowledge, and the information of others who have researched these arts, I got a good feel for Medieval fighting.
Medieval man-to-man combat is a brutal science. It uses techniques which are efficient and ruthless. The goal it to put the opponent down quickly. A Medieval fight would be brief. I doubt a combat between individuals would last more than 20 to 30 seconds, and that only if both were equally skilled fighters. A fight between a trained man and a semi-skilled one would rarely last ten seconds, and likely be over in five.
Medieval fighters strive for powerful attacks. They do not use light techniques. Every strike is made to do damage. The power is needed for two reasons. First, power puts a man down fast. Light techniques may hurt, but they also waste time. Second, a soldier would often have to attack an armored opponent. Whether the armor was a leather jack, chain mail or plate armor, it took added strength to cause harm to the man inside the suit.
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