My longsword fights from Brisia Pro Challenge-17

A compilation of most of my exchanges from Brisisa Pro HEMA challenge in Brescia, Italy in December-17, my first competition in one and a half years.

Being rusty I fall back to flinch responses alot; the left Zwerchau counter is great and all but I do it too often, and I should vary the target (elbows are often more difficult to defend than the head). I also use the upper Hengen too often, a Kron or lower Hengen parry leaves your sword on top of the opponent and defends better in general. My old low line attack just feels just that, old, It works but I want to do other things.

My footwork kept up pretty good though if a bit too linear. I pulled off two mutieren, one duplieren, a half sword entry, a nice krumphau-schielhau combo and some nice combinations and thrusts, and I have not lost my ability to read opponents and set up situations, but I should be more relaxed and not launch the counter as soon as I bind. You can see my shoulders being tense when I do the left cut counter, embarassing..

I do like my low line parries, they saved me alot of times against Moreno Ricci and Jacopo Penso. You will see who they are by their agile footwork, long sweeping attacks from the Bolognese Spadone sources and their use of the Guardia di Croce. I really had alot of difficulties dealing with those powerful cuts, they blew through my Hengen several times.

I really am a parry/riposte kind of fencer, to the detriment of all my years working with the Liechtenauer school of fencing.

Its a philosophical thing, I think, or maybe more accurately a reflection of character, the way we fence. I think more of keeping myself safe than hitting the opponent, more foil than epee. And with that said I am not virtue signaling here, the Liechtenauer school and epee both advocate an assertive tactical approach of taking initiative and with few parries, "offence is the best defence" is true in alot of martial practices, and I wish i was better at it.

I simply really love a good parry though, it is so artful. You never see a lion fight on Animal Planet where the lions dodge and parry, no they strike. Striking is the natural thing to do, parrying the unnatural that has to be learnt, which makes performing it so enjoyable. Clean fencing is what gives me the absolute most joy, even though I might make it a bit difficult for myself by going on the defensive, "nach" more than I should.

But I am in a phase in my competitive career where I have nothing left to prove so screw it.

I do wish I was better at taking initiative and rely less on my parrying though, just to have the skillset.