Longsword, Chapter 10: The Four Openings

[1] How one should fence at the four openings.

Chapter 10

Because, dear reader, all components that support sword fencing have been explained previously to such an extent that any serious person who assesses such things (in addition to diligent practice) will have sufficient instruction for understanding all subsequent sequences, I now want to describe, using one stance after the other, how one should hold oneself therein and how one should fence with another from each.

Prior to this, and because all of your cuts and techniques should be directed at or toward the four parts of the opponent, you must also be attentive to the same four previously-mentioned parts. At the beginning of fencing from the stances, it is therefore necessary that I actually describe these parts, which I want to present and set down using the following example. And firstly:

[2] In the Onset, when you approach within one Klafter of your opponent, strike up from your right in front of them through their face—once, twice, three times—so that in the third strike upwards in front of them (when you have your left foot in front) you arrive in Longpoint. From there, let the front part of your blade drop downward toward your left and, in that moment in which your blade has just dropped downward, pull your hilt upward while this is happening, step and cut the first from your right side toward their left ear. As soon as this strike has hit, quickly pull back in one sweeping motion and cut the second obliquely from below and toward their right arm. With regards to this cut, retain your crossguard high over your head. Simultaneously with this Low Cut, step with your left foot slightly toward their right outward to the side toward them. As soon as this has also hit, you should quickly pull your sword back upward and toward your right, and cut from your right at their left lower opening. Before that has correctly touched or hit, pull back around your head again and cut the fourth slantwise toward their right ear. From there, cut a Crosswise Cut around and withdraw. These first four cuts should be completed quickly and swiftly, from one opening to the other, including all of their steps.

[3] Additionally, your sword or swordblade can hit and touch in three ways when forming the cuts properly: firstly with the long edge thereof (as was just taught), then with the short edge, and finally with the flat. Therefore, it will also be necessary that you can nimbly guide the short edge to all four openings (just as well as previously with the long edge), then also finally to hit with the flat (just as was mentioned here previously with the half edge), flying freely from one opening to the next—namely, with the inward flat to the right and with the outward (which is the reversed or inverted flat) to their left.

[4] In order that you become more practiced in the same, you should always change around with the first strike. Thus, if one time you have cut your first strike at the upper left opening and the second to their lower right opening, then continue as taught above, (as the outermost numbers in this small illustration indicate here). You should afterwards cut the first at their lower left, the second at their upper right, and continue as the second number shows you in the small image mentioned previously. Afterwards, cut the first at their lower right, the second at their upper left, and continue as the third numbers indicate. Finally, you cut your first toward their right, and continue as the inner number indicates.

And learn all of that first with the long edge as mentioned, then with the half edge, and finally direct yourself in the work with the flat. When you can do this well, then the second part follows: namely, that you know to protect the four openings from these cuts as taught, and either hold them off with your swordblade or you rebuff them from you with counter cuts (which is better). These are the two principal parts in fencing and the origin of all, from which all other aspects flow.

Furthermore, a chance aspect follows as the third, which is actually called the practical application. The practical application is this: that you can now guide your cuts well from the stances to all parts of the opponent, which is the first principal part in fighting and must be brought into the work in the Before. If your counterfencer is equally and quickly finished with the second principal part—the counteraction to remove or to hold up your cut in the After so that you cannot reach your intended goal with these cuts—then the third aspect, which is called the practical application, comes into play. This is the cunning knowledge and teaches you how—when you perceive your strike as being unsuccessful or unproductive at one point—you quickly and immediately pull back from that point before this strike hits or you allow it to pass over as an intentional miss, and then guide it to another opening. If they also want to counteract that, then pull the same back and then let fly vigorously from one opening to the other, as long and as many as needed until you can overwhelm and hit.

In order that this may be better recalled and understood by those learning, I will provide and set forth a few good examples of the same which, in my opinion, easily and clearly teach this. From this, the benevolent reader can receive sufficient report to understand all types of favorable and demonstrated techniques (as discussed previously in the Middle work) like this:

[5] When you have struck upward into the Onset (as taught previously) and have recovered to strike, let the first and the second hit hard (as above), but do not let the third hit. Instead, quickly pull that one back in one sweeping motion before it hits, so that you can hit with the fourth faster and earlier.

[6] Item, if the first hits, quickly pull the second and the third back in one fast sweeping motion, and let the fourth hit. Likewise, threaten with the first and the second up to the opening and pull the same back, and guide another in to the second closest opening. When you use pulling [of cuts], you can and should attack with the first, but changing or cycling through (as taught previously with regard to the numbers), namely that you now pull this one back and then the other, and you allow [your] strikes to miss. While doing this, you have the same concerns and pay the same attention as if they were to attack you at any opening so that you would soon be on their sword with a bind from this outward pulling. The dropping down and missing and the like now flow from these pulled cuts.

That is, when you guide a cut at these above-mentioned parts of the opponent, and in that moment in which you perceive that they would counteract such a strike: don’t pull back immediately, but instead—depending on whether they do not perceive your observation—allow [the strike] to drop down past on this same side as a complete miss. Cut quickly at another opening before they correctly conceive of what you have planned. Example:

[7] When you have recovered to strike using the upward strikes (as taught above): step and cut in from your right, high and toward their left ear. As soon as they swipe at that, let your blade drop quickly downward next to their left with the half edge, and use this to jerk your pommel and hilt upward. Cut quickly with the short edge at their right ear so that your hands cross in this cut.

[8] Item: let the first [strike] at their left ear hit hard. Let the second run quickly past as an intentional miss on their right (as above). Strike deeply at their left ear. You can also—if you have cut in hard with the first—let it drop down quickly on both sides afterwards and still attack the closest opening (if it is open). You can do all of this obliquely and cross-wise (as taught previously) and can also direct [the strikes] singly and doubly on opposite sides in the work, according to your desire and opportunity.

Furthermore, also learn to quickly guide your entire blade in the work, firstly with the long edge, then also with the half edge, and also with the flat toward their sides at the upper and lower openings, together in one complete sweeping motion, as follows.

[9] In the first attack, cut a High Cut long at their left ear. In that moment in which it glances off, pull both hands upward so that your pommel is shoved through under your right arm while moving upward and cut quickly with the long edge from below also at their left. Step Indesly toward them with your left foot behind your right and lift your hilt over your head in these cuts. Conversely to this: first cut a Low Cut at their lower opening with the long edge with a step forward of your right foot. Pull quickly back upward to your right and cut the second from above, also at their left, with a step backwards of your left foot behind your right toward them like before, so that you stand protected behind your blade.

[10] Item: pull a High Strike from the right at their left with the half edge, crossing your hands in the air to hit at their left ear with the half edge (as you can see in the two upper portraits on the left in the Figure designated with C). Pull your crossed hands back upward and hit again with a Crosswise Cut from below at their left ear. Or also conversely: cut the Crosswise Cut from below at their left with a step forward. Pull quickly upward next to your right and thrust your pommel through under your right arm during this pull upward. Flick back at their left with crossed hands from high on your right. In this way, you will hit with the flat below and above on one side; this works on both sides. And take note: when you hit at the lower right opening, whether with the flat, long, or short, your hands will cross. However, when you hit at their upper right opening, your hands do not always cross. Take note of this in the following example:

[11] In the Onset, shoot through in front of them and strike from your left at their right ear with the half edge without crossed hands (instead, your pommel projects out toward your left). Pull quickly back upward toward your right and cross your hands in the air. Hit them with crossed hands at their lower right opening from your left. In that moment in which all of this [occurs], ensure that you have stepped out twice to their right with your head well behind your blade.

You can also hit with the flat and long edge from below and above toward their right (as I just taught you previously) so that you should threaten and wrench the cuts from one opening to the other. That is, you should pull and threaten here at one side and at the lower and upper opening in parallel.

Namely, when you guide a cut at the upper opening, and you take note that they are not cutting, but instead are moving to counter your sword, don’t allow your cut to hit. Instead guide your blade to the lower opening. If they come under the cut, continue to move with your cut against the Strong of their blade.

The twistings on the sword arise from this work, namely: when you have bound on their sword from your right toward their left, remain strongly on their blade. Thrust your pommel unexpectedly through under your right arm yet continue to remain on their sword. Jerk your pommel back out and twist the short edge at their head from outside. Thus, you have found three options for the edges and flat (and this on both sides): namely, the outward and inward long edge; Item, outward and inward short edge; likewise inward and outward flat.

[12] You now understand that the third aspect in fencing (as mentioned above) is nothing other than a correct practical application of the two first principal parts in fencing, through which practical application you are taught how—that is, in the first principal part—you allow the stances and cuts to transform, drop downward, change through, fly away, and miss, according to chance opportunity, in order to steal such cuts from the one who would counteract and remove [them].

Likewise, in the second principal part of the counteraction, the practical application teaches you how you suddenly withdraw your counteraction back from them, pursue them, slice them, press them, etc., executing these around their cuts such that they end ineffectually, or at least that they cannot complete them nor end them at their intended target. And that is the sum total of all practical applications: namely and firstly, that you attack your counterfencer in a virile way with cuts through the stances to their disadvantage and without injury [to yourself], using whatever cunning knowledge and quick execution as can occur. After you have then attacked them, you drive them farther away with Handwork that is simultaneous or gains the upper hand, so that you subsequently either safely withdraw at your pleasure as the third aspect or, if they have to yield to you, that you follow them carefully. The extent of these types of practical application and the variety of ways in which the two are used in naming and in fencing were described in greater detail previously in the chapter about Handwork (as you will find). Therefore, I will continue on to describe fencing from the stances.