This article was originally posted on Encased in Steel on 21st October 2016.

It has been edited and

improved for posting here.

If you spend time working on your skills in between your regular weekly sessions, your skill
will develop more swiftly, and you will find yourself better able to learn from your regular
lessons.

Here are some solo practice drills that you can do at home to help improve your basic
skills.

1) Move between guards

Liechtenauer writes that there are “only four guards”: Vom Tag (sword above the head or
at the shoulder); Ochs (point forwards, hands above and in front of the head); Pflug (point
forwards and slightly raised, hands near the hips); and Alber (point to the floor).

However, there are several variations, such as Zornhut, Einhorn, Hangenort, Schrankhut,
Lang Ort, Eisen Port, Nebenhut, etc. Each variation differs from one of the core four
guards in some particular fashion. If you would like to know more about the differences
between these positions, the AHA German Longsword Study Guide is a popular and well-
received book that describes these positions.

Take one of the guard positions, and take a step forwards, changing into the next guard
position. Step forward again, and change to the next guard position. Make yourself a
sequence that you can repeat several times, to work on improving the fluency with which
you move between these positions. Make several different sequences and work on all of
them!

You can also perform the sequence with steps backward, or by keeping only one leg
forward, then keeping only the other leg forward, or by standing perfectly still and twisting
at the hips, or while moving in a circular fashion first to the left, then to the right.

2) Practise the Oberhaw from each of your guard positions

You should be able to perform a functional Oberhaw from the vast majority of your guard
positions. At the very least, work on performing this strike from Vom Tag above the head,
from Vom Tag at the shoulder, from both left and right Ochs positions, and from both left
and right Pflug positions.

Practise the cuts slowly and smoothly, prioritising fluency, good mechanics and proper
coordination over swinging hard and fast.

3) Practise an entry strike and a follow-up strike

If you are sparring with a partner, and you throw a single strike before stopping in
confusion, then you are likely to receive a hit for your trouble. It is much more effective to
enter with a chain of strikes, to keep the opponent on the defensive, and to give you a
better chance to land at least one hit.
Take a starting guard position, move around a little bit (don’t be static, the purpose here is
to prepare for sparring), make an Oberhaw from the dominant side and take a passing step
forwards. Now, take a passing step directly to the other side (so if you stepped forward
with your right foot, step out at around 45º to the left with your left foot) while ensuring
that your body is still aligned with the target, and make a second strike: something like a
Zwerhaw or a Flugelhaw.

Work with different opening strikes and different follow-up strikes. Give yourself plenty of
different options, and try not to fall into a single predictable pattern.

Of course, you should be thinking about making a safe and successful Abzug after making
your attacks, so finish each repetition by moving your sword into a defensive position and
step backward away from the target.

4) Take a sequence from the treatises

Ask your instructor what the main source is for your club, and find it on the Wiktenauer.
Take a sequence and try to work through it by yourself, treating each action first as if it
hits, then moving your sword away from the target a little to simulate a parry.

For example, the Zornhaw Ort with Abnehmen can be described as follows:

1) he attacks with an Oberhaw.

2) you defend with an Oberhaw to displace his blade.

3) your displacement has won you the centre-line, so thrust straight at his face (without
winding).

4) he perceives the threat and pushes your point a little to the side before it can hit him.

5) lift your sword upward to disengage from him, then cut down to the other side of his
head.

So, to turn this into an exercise:

1) move around, but at some point, imagine that your opponent attacks you.

2) make a counter-cut Oberhaw in the fashion your instructor has taught you.

3) after finishing this cut, push the point straight forward into the thrust. Do not turn the
Oberhaw into a thrust before the cut completes; you must practise the entirety of each
motion if you want to learn control of your sword.

4) let your thrust go to completion. Then, move your point to the side, to mimic the result
of having been parried.

5) finally, lift your sword straight up, and cut back down on the other side.
5) Practise slowly

Whatever sequence or exercise you give yourself for training, do it slowly. You do yourself
no favours if you rush through each repetition and do everything wrong; in fact, this
teaches you to do everything incorrectly when you are fencing, and it defeats the purpose
of doing any training at all to become better. Take your time, focus on your precision and
coordination, your balance, and making sure you can control the sword so that it goes
exactly where you want it to go.

Then, finally, once you can perform an exercise perfectly by going through it slowly and
carefully, increase the speed. Only ever practising slowly will not be so very helpful if you
then have to spar at something approaching full speed, so you do need to ensure that you
start working at a greater pace. But take care to lay your foundations properly by practising
slowly and carefully, before speeding up.

For further reading, Guy Windsor has written an article specifically on the subject of
practising slowly in order to learn speed: http://guywindsor.net/blog/2012/10/i-am-slow/

Bonus exercise: Meyer’s square

Joachim Meyer describes an excellent set of exercises within the simple parameters of a
single square diagram. I have written some thoughts about it previously, so try
adding Meyer’s four openings drill to your personal practice repertoire!
Keith Farrell
Keith Farrell teaches HEMA professionally, often at international events (why not hire me to teach at your
event?), and has an interest in coaching instructors to become better teachers.
I have authored Scottish Broadsword and British Singlestick and the award-winning AHA German Longsword
Study Guide, and maintain a blog at www.keithfarrell.net where I post regularly.