Hank Reinhardt's The Book of the Sword (39 page)

Consider this. Archery is a sport that I dearly love. (Regrettably, I am also lousy at it.) In my youth I shot a heavy bow, an 86-pound Kodiac Magnum from Bear. I was the only one I knew who could pull it. Today many shoot "heavy" bows, compound bows with draw weights of 90 and 100 pounds, yet with
holding
weights of only 45–50 pounds.

Consider the bows taken from the
Mary Rose
(a ship of Henry VIII that was sunk in 1545, and recovered several years ago). Experts went over the bows, and while there were a few that drew only about 80 pounds, many had draw weights of about 125 pounds, and one or two whose estimated draw weights were about 160 pounds. The Mongol bows are believed to have draw weights quite similar to these. Certainly the recurve will outshoot a longbow pound for pound in draw weights. Some scientific tests done about twenty years ago showed that a recurved composite bow of the type used by the horse archers of Central Asia can discharge an arrow roughly 20 percent faster than a longbow of the same draw weight. The recurve also has a slight mechanical advantage due to the angle of the string to the nock. This makes it somewhat easier to draw.

Antique German stiletto circa 1600, 15 inches overall length. HRC35.

Now, I am aware that these archers learned their craft from an early age. But it also reflects the fact that in their society they were merely archers, and not noted strong men.

But now back to combat with swords and other hand weapons.

As has been stated elsewhere in this book, the Icelandic sagas are an excellent source of information for fighting with sword and shield and combat in general. One thing that I found interesting is the number of encounters between groups of men. More often than not they talk of several people fighting, with men from the opposing sides merely looking on. Then suddenly one will start to fight, while another, having severely wounded or even killed his opponent will take a break. Rarely do we hear of everyone fighting at one time. I found this curious until a TV documentary on gang fights in various parts of the country reminded me of my own youth, when I witnessed several fights between groups. They were the same as was shown on TV, and the same as many of the fights described in the sagas.

Several guys would be fighting, while others looked on. Then one would jump in, beat on someone, then jump back out of the fight, posture a bit, and sometimes go back in, and others just wait. It also looked a great deal like chimps involved in a raid, particularly the posturing.

In
Njal's Saga
—there were lots of fights recorded in
Njal's Saga—
Gunnar, Hjort and Kolskegg are involved in such a melee. They are attacked by a group of men led by Starkad. Gunnar defends himself with his bow and kills several from a distance when Starkad decides that if they stay within range of that bow they are in deep trouble, so they press the attack quickly. Then Gunnar drops his bow, and grabs a sword and halberd. Kolskegg was armed with sword and shield. Bork and Thorkel ran toward them. Bork swung at Gunnar, who parried so hard with his halberd that the sword flew from Bork's grasp. Then Gunnar pivoted and cut Thorkel on the neck with his sword so hard that he cut Thorkel's head off. Kol Egilsson said, "Let's attack Kolskegg," and lunged at him with a spear. Kolskegg had just killed somebody and was caught off guard. The spear hit the outside of Kolskegg's thigh and cut it deeply. Kolskegg whirled, swung his sword and cut off Kol's leg. "Did that one handed?" asked Kol. "That's what I get for not having my shield with me," he continued, as he stood on one leg, looking down at the stump. "It's just like you think, the leg's off," was the reply from Kolskegg.

When Egil, Kol's father, saw his son die, he then attacked Gunnar. Gunnar countered with his halberd, stuck it through Egil's stomach and threw him into the river. Thorir, an Easterner (i.e. Norwegian), had been standing somewhat idly by and Starkad called him a coward. This angered him. He jumped up and attacked Hjort (who had already killed two men), stabbing him in the chest, which killed him instantly. Gunnar saw this and attacked the Easterner. With one swipe of his halberd Gunnar cut him in two at the waist. Then Gunnar threw the halberd at Bork, sending it right through him and pinning him to the ground. Kolskegg cut off Egilsson's head and then Gunnar sliced off Ottar Egilsson's forearm. All in all, not a good fight to even be standing around near.

Reproduction spetum. HRC253.

Although I have no way of proving this, I feel that in many battles much the same thing took place. You would fight in the line, then slip back and take a break before continuing the conflict. This is provided that your line is holding; once it broke, most ran like hell. Wasn't a question of cowardice, more like running from a dam that has broken.

Single combat is where skill is the most important. And we will deal with the physical requirement first. Specific conditioning is something that must be left up to the individuals and to their choice of weapons. What I have heard from the many people I have talked to over the years is that most want to be proficient with many types of swords, daggers, staff weapons and spears. Obviously sparring and practicing with these weapons is a necessity, and this will also help somewhat in the cardio conditioning, and a small amount in the muscle conditioning. But more is needed in both aerobic and anaerobic conditioning.

For the modern practitioner of swordplay, a strong heart and lungs is a must. Being able to move quickly on your feet is also a plus, and these can both be attained by various exercises. Doing the type of swordplay you enjoy is certainly one of the ways you can increase your endurance. However, this should be supplemented by running, stair climbing, duck walks or even the old football exercise of high stepping through squares. Cardiovascular conditioning has another advantage—it's also healthy.

Strong wrists and forearms are also needed. The ability to snap the sword forward quickly is valuable. While this does not require great physical strength, snapping the sword forward and then losing it because your hands are not strong enough to hold it is downright embarrassing. In the old days it could get you killed, today it will only get you snickers that are ineffectively hidden.

Obviously shoulder muscles are important, but you don't need to be Mr. Universe to have shoulders strong enough to wield a sword. Most of the power in a sword stroke is generated by triceps and forearms, with only the initial movement started by the deltoids. In some blows the hips and back play a role, but only in massive cuts where there is no necessity of being prepared to recover and guard.

Arm wielding a sword, with musculature shown.

Still, the basis of all individual power lies in the back and abdomen. This is the center of the human body, and both arms and legs depend on this section for support. No matter how strong the legs and arms, without a strong back and stomach, they are essentially weak. Before Man developed the luxuries of modern civilization, normal everyday activities, such as walking, running, and lifting, kept these parts of the body strong. Now we have to make a conscious effort in order to attain this.

Basic reflexes cannot be changed. While it is not possible to change slow twitch fibers into fast twitch, the actual movement can be improved in speed and accuracy. This is achieved by practice. Practice of individual movements can be noticeably improved with repetitive practice of each movement. This helps not only in the individual movement, but in the body's overall reaction time. If, as an example, you learn to throw and pull back a straight punch, and you practice so that you become faster than when you started, you will find that the ability to throw the arm up to block a punch will also be improved.

Footwork is also quite important. It is surprising how many people can manage to fall over their own feet. Kendo has a definite style of footwork. This consists of lifting the feet only slightly from the floor and almost gliding. It is surprisingly fast and effective in closing with your opponent. Fencing, on the other hand, advances with strong forward steps, almost kicking the front leg forward. This is also quite effective in quick closing. Although it may seem strange at first glance to have two different methods of advancing, it is due to the weapons. With the rapier the body is turned sideways, and with the katana the body is full face.

Sparring is a necessity for learning to use the sword. Free-form sparring is probably best, specific practice moves being second, with katas
^[1]
being third. While katas are an important training device, too heavy a reliance on them can be detrimental. The problem with doing only katas is that it is all too easy to train the body to move in a specific way. If the opponent realizes this, then he can take advantage of it.

Care must also be taken in the use of the practice weapon. As of this writing there are no satisfactory sparring weapons on the market other than fencing blades such as the double wide epee blade. Wooden wasters are dangerous, and so are blunted steel or aluminum swords. Each can be quite harmful and even deadly if improperly used. Although there are a couple of practice swords being worked on, so far they have not been released to the public.

I would very strongly suggest that anyone reading this (whether interested in actually sparring or not) who smokes, to quit. I smoked, and had convinced myself that I was one of the lucky ones who was not affected by smoking. I was running two miles a night wearing a 28-pound mail shirt, and could be on the field all day with no problem. So we delude ourselves. I came down with emphysema in my early fifties. Had I quit before, I could still go out and spar most of the day. I move pretty well for an older guy, but I have one problem, I just can't breathe. So quit.

Alright, I'm done with preaching, on your own head be it. Now let us get back to the use of the sword.

The mental aspects of swordplay must not be overlooked. While it may be of supreme importance to the competitors to win a backyard match, a national title, or even an Olympic gold metal, it is not the same as using real weapons where people are going to die. I do not think it is possible to define the type of outlook one should have when involved in a real life or death struggle. The feelings are personal and they will be dictated by the circumstances of the encounter, and the culture in which the individual was raised. Certainly a life and death struggle was not that unusual to a Viking or a samurai. It is also certain that there were both cowards and heroes in all lands and times. It is also a fact that many went out deliberately seeking violent encounters for the sheer adrenaline thrill, for money or for reputation.

There are certain abilities that I feel were necessary for these individuals to succeed, and they are also abilities that will win bloodless contests as well.

Awareness.
This covers not only the area and landscape of the contest, but the intentions of your opponent as well. With practice anyone can learn to observe his surroundings in a quick glance. If you can quickly place in your mind the location of obstacles you can avoid being forced into them, and you may be able to force your opponent into one. You must also be aware of your opponent's intentions. Obviously his primary goal is to win, but you must be aware of the methods he will try to use in order to achieve that goal. You see the blow aimed at your head, but is he going to suddenly drop his arm and hit for the leg? The thrust is coming straight at you, but when you parry will he let his blade drop and rise on the other side of your blade and complete the thrust? These are things that must be learned, but cannot really be taught. This is instinct and experience. It
is
possible to develop a feel for this sort of thing. It never works one hundred percent of the time; nothing does. But if it happens frequently, then you will be a winner.