Longsword drills: Cutting patterns and parrying
- HEMA 101 admin
- Jul 6
- 8 min read
This post is heavily inspired (stolen?) from Jeff Tsay of Forte Swordplay. Check out his videos on his YouTube channel (which I've embedded on this page). All credit is due to Jeff and colleagues. I've written this post to act as a reference and memory aid for myself and clubmates. It includes lots of diagrams showing different cutting patterns, and lots of variations of the drills with different cutting patterns and parries. There is no reason why these drills couldn't also be used for Messer and Dusak.
Contents
Introduction to the cutting patterns
For these drills, here are some cutting patterns to help you. The lines and arrows (attempt) to trace the general pattern that the tip of the sword is making during these cuts. Green shows the cut from one side, and red from the other. These cutting patterns make good drills in themselves, and also work well against a pell.
Straight cuts from above
The full cut traces an infinity pattern with the sword.
The half cult traces a wedge shape.
Running off traces a sort of 'Pacman' shape.
Pulling (also called taking off) traces a V shape.
Cuts from below
Sweeping (or Aufstreichen) traces a figure 8, with a cut down on one side and a cut up on the other.
Rising cuts (or unterhau) trace an infinity sign, similar to full cuts, but the cuts are being made from below (generally with the true edge).
Inverted cuts
Middle cuts or Zwerchaus trace a horizonal line or a very narrow infinity sign.
The Crooked cut (or Krumphau) arcs across the body, tracing a sort of Venn diagram.
The squinter (or Schielhau) is difficult to draw as a pattern, but it is basically a false edge cut from one side to the other. The blade twists during the cut.
Note that the exact angle of these cuts is not important - or rather is only important in relation to what your opponent/drilling partner is doing. For example, the half-cut is by default a diagonal cut, but if you perform it at a steeper angle so the cut is vertical, when paired with a pivot of your body this becomes Joachim Meyer's supressing cut.
Basic Zorn drill
This simple drill allows the player to practice cuts and parries.
Player 1 always cuts, alternating right and left.
Player 2 always parries.
Typically, footwork will be a box step or triangle step. You can also have forwards and backwards movement, but you will run out of space once Player 1 has driven Player 2 back a few steps. Treading 'in place' with more lateral footwork allows you to stay in place and keep the drill going indefinitely.
Player 1 | Player 2 |
Starting position: Tag or wrath | Starting position: Tag or wrath |
Attack: Right zorn | |
Parry left | |
Attack: Left zorn | |
Parry right |
This drill does NOT simulate combat. It is just a framework to allow you to get a lot of repetitions in to practice single techniques.
Players should be able to vary what attacks and what parries they do. Here are some variations. Of course, you can mix and match these variations.
Variation 1: Half cuts vs Kron
Player 1 performs half cuts: cut a Zorn to Longpoint with the true edge -> Once it's parried, cut back up the way you came with the false edge and cut around to the other side with the true edge.
Player 2 parries in Kron (crown): Parry with the strong of your blade, hands held at about shoulder level, elbow touching your chest.
Variation 1
Variation 2: Running off vs Plough
Player 1 runs off: cut a Zorn to longpoint with the true edge -> once it's parried, drop the point to the side you cut from and raise your hands -> use the momentum to cut around over your head to the other side with the true edge.
Player 2 parries in Plough: parry in Plough on the side your opponent is cutting. Your tip should be pointing into the incoming cut, not at the opponent. You may need to triangle step away from the cut.
Variation 2
Variation 3: Half cuts vs Ox
Player 1 performs half cuts
Player 2 parries in Ox or Unicorn: Player 2 performs Zwerchaus and parries in Ox (point at the opponent's face) or Unicorn (point facing higher).
Variation 3
Variation 4: Full cuts vs. supressing cut
Player 1 performs full cuts: For this exercise to work, you need to relax once the cut has been parried, don't fight against the parry. Cut a zorn -> once it has been parried, drop the blade down and over to the other side under their blade into the Change guard -> bring your blade up over your shoulder and cut a zorn from the other side. Without a partner, this cutting pattern creates an infinity sign; once the parry is introduced the shape is messier but still try to think about the infinity sign.
Player 2 parries with suppressing cut: this is basically a half cut, but the cut is more vertical (an Oberhau rather than a Zorn). Player 2 basically chops down on the strong of Player 1's blade aiming the tip just outside Player 1's shoulder. The parry needs to be made with a triangle or lateral step away from the cut, turning the body to face into the direction of the incoming cut (you will be in the guard of Eisenport, the Iron Gate). Like with a half cut, you then lift the blade to parry on the other side.
Variation 4
Variation 5: Full cuts vs. Slicing off
Player 1 performs full cuts: (see variation 4).
Player 2 parries with Slicing Off: this is basically the same pattern that Player 1 is performing, but the movement is tighter. From the Change Guard you lift your blade and make a small, sharp beat into the guard of Eisenport (Iron Gate). Add a little run off for extra 'oomph' and so that you are ready to do the same from the other side.
Variation 5
Variation 6: Full cuts or Running off vs. Krumphau (Crooked Cut)
Player 1 cuts a full cut or runs off: Following the parry, do whatever feels most natural to cut to the other side.
Player 2 parries with the Krumphau: From the Change Guard, Barrier Guard, or Tag/Wrath, cut a Krumphau and as the blade meet run off a little so you are ready to cut to the other side.
Variation 6
Variation 7: Half cuts vs. Pulling
Player 1 cuts a half cut: (Do whatever feels natural to cut around to the other side after the parry.)
Player 2 parries by cutting using the pulling V pattern: the parry is performed with the pulling back motion, not the Zorn.
Variation 7
Variation 8: Half-cuts vs. Squinter
Player 1 cuts a half cut: (Do whatever feels natural to cut around to the other side after the parry.)
Player 2 parries with a Squinter (Schielhau).
There is a way to merge this drill with variation 6. Player 2 will use the Krumphau to parry, but Player 1 will sometimes cut twice from the same side. This will turn Player 2's krumphau into a Schielhau.
Variation 8
Variation 9: Middle cuts
Player 1 cuts with middle cuts (mittelhaus) or Zwerchaus.
Player 2 parries using Kron, Plough, Krumphau, Supressing cut or Slicing off.
Variation 10: Rising cuts
Player 1 cuts with rising cuts (unterhaus).
Player 2 parries using Krumphau, supressing cut, Slicing off or Unterhaus.
Variation 11: Mix it up!
Player 1 cuts different types of cut and patterns (e.g. sometimes a full cut, sometimes running off, sometimes a middle cut, sometimes a rising cut), and can even cut from the same side twice or more in a row. The cutting pattern chosen can be done in reaction to the type of parry player 2 performs.
Player 2 parries with different parries. This may be in reaction to the type of cut being made, the previous parry just done (i.e. what feels natural) or just consciously varying the techniques used.
Zorn parry-riposte drill
This is a variation of the basic zorn drill. Instead of Player 1 always attacking and Player 2 always defending, the Players alternate roles. Player 2 performs a riposte at a pre-agreed number of parries. Try the following:
Swap roles after 4 parries.
Swap roles after 3 parries.
Swap roles after 2 parries.
Swap roles after 1 parry.
Swap randomly.
You can make this easier by announcing the swap in advance, or harder by not announcing the swap.
Sweeping drill
This drill is, by default, a parry-riposte drill, meaning the Players swap roles in attacking and defending after every parry. It uses the Sweeping (aufstreichen) pattern.
Player 1 | Player 2 |
Starting position: Tag or wrath | Starting position: Change guard or fool, blade pointing to the side the drilling partner's sword is on. |
Attack with a Right Zorn | |
Parry with a sweep behind their blade | |
Attack with Right zorn | |
Parry with a sweep behind their blade | |
Attack with a Right Zorn |
Of course, the drill can be done from both right and left sides.
There are three main variations of this drill. Each variation changes the parry that is performed with the sweep:
Variation 1: Parry with the flat, blade hanging. The blade hangs down on the side you are being attacks so that you parry in a hanging guard.
Variation 2: Parry with the true edge. The blade is held more vertically (tip up) so that the cut is knocked in the same direction the cut is made. When parrying your left side, your hands will be crossed.
Variation 3: Parry with the false edge. This is like variation 2, but the hands are not crossed.
There is another variation where the parry is made in front of the attack, not behind it. This results in a parry in Ox or a parry similar to the Pulling parry in variation 7 of the basic Zorn drill, but the parry originated from the Change guard.
Combined drill
This combines the Zorn parry-riposte and Sweeping drills together. For this to work, Player 1 and Player 2 need to be working from the opposite sides to each other.
Player 1 | Player 2 |
Starting position: Tag or wrath | Starting position: Change guard or fool, blade pointing to the side the drilling partner's sword is on. |
Attack with a Right Zorn | |
Parry with a sweep behind their blade | |
Attack with Left Zorn | |
Parry with a Krumphau (or any parry from above) to the right | |
Attack with a Right Zorn | |
Parry with a Krumphau (or any parry from above) to the left | |
Attack with Left Zorn | |
Parry with a sweep behind their blade | |
Attack with a Right Zorn |
This drill can be varied by change the parry used in the coloured steps. For example, for the sweep up you can use a hanging, a false edge or true edge sweep. For the Krumphau you can replace this with any parry from above (e.g. the Pulling, Supressing cut, etc.).
You can also change the cuts that you perform: instead of Zorns, what about a middle cut or rising cut? This will change the drill into more of a 'free play' exercise.
You could also alternate sides, so after the sweeping parry, cut Left or Right. This will alter the drill significantly.
Staying in the bind
So far, these drills assume that, once the parry is made, one or both Players will pull away from the bind. However, another way to vary these drills is to stay in the bind. In effect, the person who has been parried chases the sword of the other Player and attempts to stay in the bind. This creates some interesting variations: