Archives October 2023

Half swording with a baseball bat using a pommel grip

Recon Terminology: Stance: Therium (Elasmotherium) Thrust: Battering ram thrust Based on: Stance/Guard: Posta di Bicorno Trust: Half-sword handling » The stance/guard and thrust with the baseball bat is partially inspired by the Posta di Bicorno (Two Horned Guard), which is locked so that the point is always in the middle of the line.

✅ Short interpretation Posta di Bicorno: Posta di Bicorno is undoubtedly one of the most misunderstood postas in all of armizare. The textual description is not particularly clear, as the posta only appears once, and the illustrations from different manuscripts show different grips. The pommel grip:

✅ The grip is the main point of contention with this posta. The Getty, Florius, and Morgan manuscripts depict the left hand with the thumb facing back or even cupped over the sword’s pommel. This provides a solid blade that is highly effective in engagements.

✅ To maintain contact with your palm, rotate your hand around the pommel. Keep your elbows in tight, your hands close to your chest, and your forearms braced against each other.

✅This stance creates a strong line, enabling your weapon to penetrate your opponent’s defenses. It offers stability, precision, and a powerful thrust suitable for confined spaces and close-range combat. Although you won’t be able to fully extend your arms, you can compensate for the distance by using your legs and stepping into your opponent.

✅ Disclaimer for the HEMA purist: It is important to know that at Recon Sparring, we take building blocks from historical sources. It can be a grip, leg position, angle, whole sequences, etc. and sometimes this leads to a partial connection. The connection with the Posta di Bicorno is mainly observed in the positioning of the point and the cupping of the pommel (which is also a subject of debate), while the remaining aspects can be interpreted as half-swording. Half-swording can be performed from various guards using different grips. We modify and adapt tools from the past for self-defense purposes of today.

by RealKnowledge Infantry Melee Combatives

Baseball bat fighting | Zwerchhau Liechtenauer 

Some basic strikes with the baseball bat + the use of a typical Hema technique from Liechtenauer -> the “Zwerchhau”.

This is the standard execution of the Zwerchhau (with a little difference) to make a clear comparison with the source, but there are several variations/applications to distinguish within in the use of blunt weapons (Recon Sparring).

The technique is ideal for hitting the target from a shorter distance, around a defense, or from a non-regular position. I will show/explain this more in a future post. This is just a little demo.

 

by RealKnowledge Infantry Melee Combatives

Fighting with a spade | Infantry melee weapon fighting

The shovel (short + long) is an excellent environmental weapon that can be found in an everyday household (gardening).

This tool has proven its effectiveness during the world wars already.
The spade had many uses back in the day, especially during the trench warfare of WWI and in close-quarters combat between German and Soviet forces, notably in the brutal hand-to-hand fighting during the Battle of Stalingrad.

The thick edges are strong and sharp enough to cut through flesh and bone. The small shovel is suitable for using it with one hand, almost similar to an axe/machete. It’s also a great tool for thrusting/stabbing in various ways. Bottom line = you don’t want to get hit with a shovel!

In this video, some basic techniques with a short shovel. A few names are specifically used by our organization because of missing elements in existent historical sources.
1- Rhino stab
2- Howitzer from all weird angles
3- Master strikes in all main directions
4- Curved stabs
5- Scythe strikes
6- Bridge strikes
7- Shield blocks
8- Several efficient ripostes (1-fire)

A little context: one thing we do = study various HEMA sources for today’s self-defense purposes. Also, we use concrete historical weapons techniques and modified these for all kinds of weapons of opportunities.

by RealKnowledge Infantry Melee Combatives