Training
Longsword according to Ringeck
We teach students according to Ringeck's system, as set down in his fencing treatise. The instructors at the School have made their own translation of the original manual and use this as the basis for their on-going interpretation and teaching. This means that the system of fencing taught at STMF is not necessarily identical to that presented at other schools, or in some recently published books. The instructors believe that their interpretation is valid, but they stress that other schools' interpretations may be equally true to Ringeck's system.
The school syllabus is taken from Ringeck's own words:
Here are the pieces of the manual
Zorn haw, krump, zwerch, hat schiller, mitt schaittler, alber; versetzt, nachreisen überlauff, haw setzet, durch wechsel, zuck, durchlauff, abschnie, hende druck, heng, vnd mitt blössen, schlach, vach streych, stich, mitt stossen.
Take note, here are the true essentials of the art of fencing with the long sword and how each is named so that you can better understand them. They are 17 in number and they begin with the five blows:
Note these:
- the first strike: the zorn haw (the strike of wrath)
- the second: the krump haw (the crooked strike)
- the third: the zwer haw (the traverse strike)
- the fourth: the schill haw (the squinting strike)
- the fifth: the schaitel haw (the skull strike)
- the sixth: the 4 hütten, (the 4 guards)
- the seventh the 4 versetzen (the 4 breakings of the guards)
- the eighth: the nachraysen (the traveling after)
- the ninth the überlauffen (the reaching over)
- the tenth : the absetzen (the setting aside)
- the eleventh: the durchwechßlen (changing through)
- the twelfth: daß zucken (twiching)
- the thirteenth: the durchläuffen, (the running through and wrestling at the sword)
- the fourteenth the abschnyden(the slicing)
- the fifteenth: the hend trucken (the pressing of the hand)
- the sixteenth: the hengen (the 4 hangings of the point)
- the seventeenth: the winden (the 8 windings)
And how you are to release yourself with the hengen and winden and how you are to perform all the actions above mentioned, that you will find hereafter written.