First, thank you for this series of videos on the great sword or long sword. Ive learned a lot from watching you. Im a knight in the Middle Kingdom and fight almost exclusively with greatsword, anywhere from a 6' in melee to smaller in tournaments. Im mostly self taught, but apparently ive picked up a lot from the treatise on great sword techniques. I guess when you find out what works, you find that other people before you have found the same thing. But to the point; is there any way you could do some advanced video training against shieldmen with a greatsword. We are stuck fighting against magic shields that will never break and therefore we have to create openings with feints, body or sword or both, lateral movement is key to that ability, something im working on, as well as slipping shots or just not being there when the shot comes. But as Im one of the only fighters out here dedicated solely to the great sword, its difficult to come up with new attacks/ defense after the initial shots are learned by my opponents. So im wondering what can I do to add to my arsenal against the shieldman, which is the overwhelming majority of fighters in the SCA. I am a fair hand with the great sword against others using the same, but against shields, with their wrap shots, especially round shields that they use to blind you, getting that center grip right in your face and then throwing wraps to your legs. They'll peak their sword out a bit, for instance, high and to the offside, and then throw a leg wrap to the onside. Its difficult not to bite on the feint because you cant see whats going on. In a large lyst its not that big of a deal. Get out of range. But i find myself in small lists with nowhere to go and end up getting nailed by that shot in particular. So any advice would be more than appreciated.
Hi Vargulf, I won my first two crown tournaments fighting longsword in open lists, so I know how tough it can be to face shields and other dissimilar weapon types. I'd go to my website www.scabastardsword.com, which has pictures, videos, etc. I also have several videos on this channel on set ups vs. mixed weapons. I'd start there. Remember that controlling range doesn't always mean going backwards. Getting forward and offline 45degress to either side can be a good way to address fighters that are trying to pin you to the side of a list. Also, it's important to be comfortable throwing while you step. if you have to "park" to throw shots, you'll get stuck pretty quick, and it diminishes your effective range and options. Is Gebhard Rauten in your neck of the woods? He and I have talked technique and strategy a bit.
@@markhollingshead5096 Thank you for the quick reply. Ill def. check out the website. Ive been adding a few of your shots to my arsenal over the past few months (getting them down one by one instead of trying to add a ton) and have been seriously working on staying in the fight but out of their lane. Im gaining success with it. For years my speed and strength and hand/ eye co-ordination got me far. I came in the final 14 at Candlemas, which is our biggest tournament in the Middle, with GS, and no one has ever done that. 14 may not seem high, but there were 130+ fighters. I won 36 bouts to make it that far against all shields. This is going to sound horribly arrogant, but its not even my words. They held a poll on FB for best of the best in each weapon form and I guess im considered one of, if not the best GS fighter in the middle. Ive fought Geb many, many times and win more often than not. There are issues though, which I will not get into on a public forum. My first and only crown I fought as an unbelt and made it to the final four. My loss was...questionable to say the least. There is video if your interested. Maybe if you took a look at some of the videos of me fighting, you could give me some pointers, if you have the time and the inclination. There are quite a few posted on my TH-cam channel. You just have to get past the Red Dead Redemption vids and you'll see them. Either way, the videos you've posted are a huge help and I cant tell you how much I appreciate them. I wish I lived closer to you so we could really get stuck in. I dont know if you attend Pennsic but its only an hour from me, so Ill be there. If you do, Id love to get together with you, and do some pick ups at the least. At best, id love to get an hour or so of training with you. My biggest issue is i fight instinctually. You fight like Duke Ragnvaldr except with a great sword. Which I didnt think was possible. He was my foster knight, and I have fought him....countless times. I beat him once, recently. Im at that 85% mark, yknow? Yeah, i can beat probably 85% of the fighters I meet, more if theyre fighting gs or pole, but I cant compete with people like Duke Quillem, or Duke Brannos, or Duke Ragnvaldr....fighters of that calibre who are using s/s. And I desperately want to. Im fairly sure if we fought you would best me but id love to give it a go even so. Ive learned a lot just watching your vids. I cant imagine how much more i could learn actually fighting you. Again, my thanks for the response, and I will head over to your site.
@@markhollingshead5096 Also, I should give you my proper name. People familiar with me call me Crow. But my full name is Corvus Aurelius Corvinus, Equites. Im Roman so instead of Sir I take Equites. I know, Romans and great swords...BUT...they did have access to the falx or rhomphea, which I actually made out of rattan. Its an interesting weapon to fight with. I also have a 14th C persona, Ritter Gregor Hellenbrecht, but theres a lot of armour involved with that one, so I only use it for like, the battle of the 30 and tourneys of that nature. Closed faced bascinet is a bitch compared to my Knotwolf Roman bar grill.
First, thank you for this series of videos on the great sword or long sword. Ive learned a lot from watching you. Im a knight in the Middle Kingdom and fight almost exclusively with greatsword, anywhere from a 6' in melee to smaller in tournaments. Im mostly self taught, but apparently ive picked up a lot from the treatise on great sword techniques. I guess when you find out what works, you find that other people before you have found the same thing. But to the point; is there any way you could do some advanced video training against shieldmen with a greatsword. We are stuck fighting against magic shields that will never break and therefore we have to create openings with feints, body or sword or both, lateral movement is key to that ability, something im working on, as well as slipping shots or just not being there when the shot comes. But as Im one of the only fighters out here dedicated solely to the great sword, its difficult to come up with new attacks/ defense after the initial shots are learned by my opponents. So im wondering what can I do to add to my arsenal against the shieldman, which is the overwhelming majority of fighters in the SCA. I am a fair hand with the great sword against others using the same, but against shields, with their wrap shots, especially round shields that they use to blind you, getting that center grip right in your face and then throwing wraps to your legs. They'll peak their sword out a bit, for instance, high and to the offside, and then throw a leg wrap to the onside. Its difficult not to bite on the feint because you cant see whats going on. In a large lyst its not that big of a deal. Get out of range. But i find myself in small lists with nowhere to go and end up getting nailed by that shot in particular. So any advice would be more than appreciated.
Hi Vargulf,
I won my first two crown tournaments fighting longsword in open lists, so I know how tough it can be to face shields and other dissimilar weapon types.
I'd go to my website www.scabastardsword.com, which has pictures, videos, etc.
I also have several videos on this channel on set ups vs. mixed weapons.
I'd start there. Remember that controlling range doesn't always mean going backwards.
Getting forward and offline 45degress to either side can be a good way to address fighters that are trying to pin you to the side of a list.
Also, it's important to be comfortable throwing while you step. if you have to "park" to throw shots, you'll get stuck pretty quick, and it diminishes your effective range and options.
Is Gebhard Rauten in your neck of the woods? He and I have talked technique and strategy a bit.
@@markhollingshead5096 Thank you for the quick reply. Ill def. check out the website. Ive been adding a few of your shots to my arsenal over the past few months (getting them down one by one instead of trying to add a ton) and have been seriously working on staying in the fight but out of their lane. Im gaining success with it. For years my speed and strength and hand/ eye co-ordination got me far. I came in the final 14 at Candlemas, which is our biggest tournament in the Middle, with GS, and no one has ever done that. 14 may not seem high, but there were 130+ fighters. I won 36 bouts to make it that far against all shields. This is going to sound horribly arrogant, but its not even my words. They held a poll on FB for best of the best in each weapon form and I guess im considered one of, if not the best GS fighter in the middle.
Ive fought Geb many, many times and win more often than not. There are issues though, which I will not get into on a public forum.
My first and only crown I fought as an unbelt and made it to the final four. My loss was...questionable to say the least. There is video if your interested. Maybe if you took a look at some of the videos of me fighting, you could give me some pointers, if you have the time and the inclination. There are quite a few posted on my TH-cam channel. You just have to get past the Red Dead Redemption vids and you'll see them.
Either way, the videos you've posted are a huge help and I cant tell you how much I appreciate them. I wish I lived closer to you so we could really get stuck in. I dont know if you attend Pennsic but its only an hour from me, so Ill be there. If you do, Id love to get together with you, and do some pick ups at the least. At best, id love to get an hour or so of training with you. My biggest issue is i fight instinctually. You fight like Duke Ragnvaldr except with a great sword. Which I didnt think was possible. He was my foster knight, and I have fought him....countless times. I beat him once, recently.
Im at that 85% mark, yknow? Yeah, i can beat probably 85% of the fighters I meet, more if theyre fighting gs or pole, but I cant compete with people like Duke Quillem, or Duke Brannos, or Duke Ragnvaldr....fighters of that calibre who are using s/s. And I desperately want to. Im fairly sure if we fought you would best me but id love to give it a go even so. Ive learned a lot just watching your vids. I cant imagine how much more i could learn actually fighting you.
Again, my thanks for the response, and I will head over to your site.
@@markhollingshead5096 Also, I should give you my proper name. People familiar with me call me Crow. But my full name is Corvus Aurelius Corvinus, Equites. Im Roman so instead of Sir I take Equites. I know, Romans and great swords...BUT...they did have access to the falx or rhomphea, which I actually made out of rattan. Its an interesting weapon to fight with. I also have a 14th C persona, Ritter Gregor Hellenbrecht, but theres a lot of armour involved with that one, so I only use it for like, the battle of the 30 and tourneys of that nature. Closed faced bascinet is a bitch compared to my Knotwolf Roman bar grill.