Quote:
Originally Posted by Fred Brackin
I can only plead distraction due to my beliefs about what a stupid idea this technique is. :)
|
Demonstrating why this is not a stupid idea for a technique may be a bit off topic, but it is my thread, so here goes:
I know it seems like an odd technique, but it really is commonly depicted in the manuals, usually without gloves of any kind. These are manuals which were used for real, life or death techniques made by recognized masters. But beyond this, many HEMA martial arts practitioners have demonstrated that even with a paper-cutting sharp blade you can do this without cutting your hand--you just need to make sure your hand does not slip. Here is one video that demonstrates this conclusively (I have done this with a moderately sharp blade as well):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwuQPfvSSlo
In this video he starts really demonstrating the blade sharpness and technique at about 2:00.
Here is a link to another video where the founder of ARMA demonstrates the effectiveness of this technique on a sparing partner in period accurate Gothic plate:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi757-7XD94
They start the actual sparing a little after 2:00 minutes in this video, and in this one the guy in armor gets stunned and knocked down by a few blows from a murder stroke and his helmet even gets dented.
This really is an effective technique with minimal danger to one's hands and it is very useful against armored opponents due to the ineffectiveness of cutting and stabbing against an active opponent in full plate.