How to Win a Sword Fight

Content

Steps
Tips
Warnings

According to many popular post-apocalyptic films, such as The Last Samurai, one day you will run out of ammo. How are you going to survive when Hollywood Arnold Schwarzenegger or Tom Cruise are not around? Read on.

Please Note: Reading this article will not make you an expert in swordsmanship.While we are trying to summarize the basics of sword fighting in this article, many of the intricacies of sword handling cannot be conveyed on paper (or computer screen). Thus, constant practice is the key to acquiring the skills necessary to survive (let alone win) a sword fight. If you are really interested in learning, find a local master or (http://www.sca.org SCA) supervisor (whatever comes your way) and put yourself in the hands of an expert. Remember that teaching will differ from style to style, school to school and sword to sword, and some of the points in this article will not apply to you. Be sure to only fight people who use swords compatible with yours. Never mix a broadsword and a samurai sword in combat. If you are faced with the prospect of fighting someone with an incompatible sword type, either run away or shoot Indiana Jones style.

Steps

1 Learn to first pull the sword out of its scabbard before practicing. It will take longer than getting hit. On the other hand, if your sheathed sword is suitable for a quick draw, this can be a great chance for a surprise attack. Note that this mainly applies to Japanese swords, which have styles of attacking people while drawing with a blade called iaido and butto-jitsu.
2 Relax! It is understandable that you will have to strain in a fight, but you must do your best to stay calm, keep your muscles free and regulate your breathing. If you are tense, you will not be able to act quickly and this can be fatal.
3 Keep your body balanced so that you can strike or parry without getting hit. Always keep your feet shoulder-width apart and move so that your legs are apart when moving. Never put your feet close to each other. Hold the sword so that you can handle it with ease. Watch your opponent's movements to see when he is going to attack and deliver a pre-emptive strike (counter). Be quick. When you parry a blow, keep the sword close to you so that you don't have to reach, block and always try to resist the opponent's attack. Your support and proper foot placement are key to balance. The more the soles of your feet touch the ground, the stronger your attacks will be. To maintain balance, try to move them quickly, and then lift them up and activate. Leaning forward and raising your heel will also decrease your grounding, so be careful with how your feet are positioned and used during each hit because you give your opponent a greater chance to knock you down. Stay straight, chest and torso forward. This will keep you from losing your balance during your swing and will easily avoid any bumps with a simple twist. Then rotate your torso sideways, blocking yourself. This is the only way you can avoid an attack in one direction.
4 Assess the situation. Crafty fighters always strive to be aware of the assets and liabilities of their own and their opponent. Ideally, you should take note of the terrain and environment in advance, such as where the sun will shine in your eyes, and try to stand so that it shines in your opponent's eyes, trying to get an idea of how your opponent is beating. Is he bold or careful? Skilled or Newbie? Each person has weaknesses, for example, a low opponent can often be oppressed, a tall one has longer strikes, but he often leaves his legs exposed, etc. But you just might not have time to come up with a plan, so try to get it done as quickly as possible.
5 Enter the battle with caution. If you start out recklessly, especially against a trained fighter, he may just wait for you to bump into his sword yourself. By entering combat carefully, you can maintain control and focus.It will also allow you to defend better, because most of the time, simply bypassing (sideways) your attacking opponent will potentially save your life and open up to a winning hit. Dodging works really well in an open space or, if you're quick, in an indoor hall.
6 You must have strong protection. Missing one block or parry can be fatal, so defend yourself well. Support your sword in a position that goes from your lower torso to the top of your head. This middle position is suitable for all skill levels, allowing you to respond to attacks at a reasonable speed and also gives you plenty of angles to hit yourself.
7 Keep your weapon ready. Typically, your sword should be at a comfortable distance from your body and pointed towards your opponent's throat, or possibly their eyes. This is called putting it "on the point". It serves as a ward against the enemy (who must, after all, get through your sword first) and can be quite intimidating, especially for an inexperienced fighter.
8 Keep your elbows bent and closer to your body. An inexperienced fighter tends to reach out to keep his opponent away from him, but this will damage your ability to quickly push and parry. Pull your sword towards your opponent, not your hands.
9 Measure twice, cut once. Historically, in the vast majority of cases, real sword fighting is all about quick decision making and can end with a first strike, which often takes less than 30 seconds. Be confident in your attack, it is likely that if you miss the first hit, your opponent will take advantage of it, and you yourself will receive a fatal blow as a result.
10 Find and maintain a distance based on the balance of your sword and his. If you have a shorter sword, get in close contact and stay within the range of your sword. If you are using a longer sword, keep your distance. You must be one large step away from your opponent. Keep your distance to be able to hit your opponent. Your distances will be very individual, because your height, sword length, style and fighting style will all affect the proper distance.
11 Remain calm and confident. Poise can decide the outcome of a fight much like a sword fight, and is an effective ruse. If you are nervous or frightened, your opponent may try to take advantage of your insecurity and force you to make a fatal mistake. Calm warriors tend to make others wary or even unstable. You can also show aggression and intimidate your opponent or pretend that you are afraid in the hope of lulling the enemy's vigilance and forcing him to make a fatal mistake.
12 The most important thing, as soon as the fight begins, is to find the flow of the fight and try to control it. This is just an unusual way to summarize everything else in this article in one sentence, but it is very important. If you succeed in finding the flow and being able to control it, you have a very good chance to almost directly influence the entire fight directly through your actions. This is a difficult concept to grasp, but try to get a feel for it as you practice. Find patterns and flow from one movement to another, trying to control your opponent. It will take many years and a lot of practice to achieve this goal, but if you do this, then the battle is already half yours.
13 Never use unnecessary effects just for word of mouth, for example, do not spin in a circle, as this leaves your back open to punches. If you're new to dueling, these steps serve no practical purpose. Against a beginner, such effects can only be used at a distance to intimidate.

Tips

A common mistake - positioning your feet as an easy target - should never be missed.If one of the opponents goes down, then the fight, as a rule, ends.
Learning is vital. If you train really hard, maybe 10% of what you know will be available to you during the fight. You should be able to act instinctively without thinking. Basic methods lend themselves well to learning and that is why they are called “Basics”. Be sure to return to them all the time as you accustom yourself to these movements. It will take you about two months to learn all the techniques completely, but it will only take you one month to lose this knowledge.
Save your energy. We know from the watchman that fighting to the death requires incredible effort, so don't waste your time on fancy maneuvers or unnecessary movements. Your survival may depend on it.
Choose your weapons carefully, and, if possible, more than one. There may be a wrong bend in the weapon, a rupture, or the wrong choice of steel. Be sure to have a combination of weapons with you that can help in multiple situations and complement each other, as well as your strength. Don't mix things like two broadswords and a bastard sword, try the rapier and bastard sword to complement each other.
Be mindful of the terrain around you and use it to your advantage. Tipping the opponent back onto an obstacle behind him / her will certainly help. Additionally, placing your back to the sun can cause an enemy to be momentarily blinded, giving you the opportunity to land a fatal blow.
If it is possible to know your opponent's weapon in advance, find out. If you go for an opponent with a smaller sword, don't let its appearance fool you. The weapon is likely to have a moderate bend and specializes in compression between holes. On the other hand, if your opponent is using a large heavy sword, he / she is probably planning to end the fight with one or two hits. Stay as far away from your opponent as possible and wait for him / her to get tired.
Use weapons and familiar techniques that you succeed with special force. Trying to apply something new during combat is a good way to get killed.
Accuracy can be more important than strength.
Where you stand is not worth dying. If you always move in a linear fashion or just stop, you are limiting yourself, and the cunning enemy can use this to their advantage. Be prepared to make full use of the terrain and use the movement that the situation calls for.
Remember that every part of your sword is a weapon, including the blade, each edge on the forend and the hilt. Along with this, your body is a weapon and everything around you can also be a weapon. There is no reason why you would only use a blade. Use your best to win.
If at all possible, avoid fighting more than one person. If you have to deal with many opponents, try to maneuver in such a way that they interfere with each other, so that you can deal with each of them individually.
Never dodge like a maniac. Look where your opponent is aiming and move as little as possible. If he rushes into battle and you retreat, most likely it will be a successful attack. Fight it off. And don't be afraid to move your sword by hand. This is not cheating, just practical.
Body positioning is essential. Keep your body perpendicular and with the shoulder of the hand in which the sword is located, point to your opponent (as a swordsman does). This makes your torso less of a target and will protect many of your vital organs.
Take care of your clothes. In good condition, weapons and armor will provide you less damage, and it is unlikely that your opponent will hit you in vital places.
Watch the enemy closely. Pay attention to where he / she is looking - this may be the area where he / she is preparing to strike.When an opponent is about to attack, his / her fists and shoulders can tighten in a second.
Maintain your balance. Keep your weight evenly balanced on both legs; just stand on one leg occasionally. Never cross your legs, as this will throw you off balance; the slightest force can knock you down. Almost all martial arts are based on balance (with the exception of the odd one or two, where you constantly fall and get up), this gives you more room to move.
You must know your sword and its style, what it is designed for and what it is capable of. The sword is a tool and is intended for a specific purpose. The sword is not magical and will not exceed the ability of its design. Plan ahead based on this knowledge. Is your sword light and nimble, designed to thrust? Or heavy, capable of chopping through a body, but potentially slower? Or is the blade made for trimming? Each of them has strengths and weaknesses, as well as the styles that accompany them. Knowing your limits and capabilities and the limits and capabilities of your enemy is the key to victory.
If you don’t need to block, don’t do it - it’s much easier to get out than to use brute force. Your opponent (s) may be stronger than you, but they cannot harm you if you are not there. However, a proper form of reflection is also necessary, as you cannot avoid all attacks. Learn to fend off by putting as few life goals as possible on your body. You should also know what your sword is for. Some swords cannot effectively block without destruction (Katana), and some mainly for blocking (Chinese sword catcher). For this reason, there are small blocks that combine Chinese and European sword fighting styles. Also, remember that moving out of the line of attack and then pulling the enemy's weapon to the side is not only effective defense, but also allows you to open up well for attack.
Eyewitness research indicates that many fights were won by inflicted slashes in the opponent's arm or thigh. After that, it remains only to wait until the loss of blood makes them weak and at that moment they will be completely in the hands of the attacker. Arms and legs are legal and useful targets that are easier to hit than the torso or head.
Friends can be a big help or a big hindrance. If you can train with others, then work together as a group. Also, try to choose allies, weapons, and techniques that complement each other, such as using spears, shields, and swords.
Remember, if you are aiming your sword, be prepared to tilt it and block the attack or dodge to avoid becoming vulnerable.
On the defensive, when that's enough, only move your wrist. When the wrist is missing, move your elbow. When the elbow is missing, move your shoulder. When all of this is not enough, back off.
Always remember that any of these tricks can be used against you.
When facing any opponent, even if he / she is a weaker fighter, try to reach any of his sides. This includes the mental side as well. Use sand in the eyes or insult or anything else that will make him / her weaker. Don't get cocky because he / she is weaker as you can still get hit by him / her or get killed. Accumulating many of these small advantages is the hallmark of a good fighter. Also, know that your opponent will try to do the same. Instead of worrying about it, think about how to counter and remove its benefits, and try to prevent them from the beginning.
Combo strikes are more effective than single strikes. In extended combat, a good fighter will attack with more than one attack. This will give you a much better chance of success than just one hit.Keeping an opponent under pressure increases the possibility of error on his / her side.
While this may not be 100% effective, use smaller and lighter swords. Bastard swords and claymores are heavy and not very mobile. They will tire you out faster than if you were using tachis or short swords, which are lighter and much more maneuverable. Sword flexibility is everything. Having a big sword will just tire you out and doesn't make sense if you can't hit with it. Remember that these are swords, not clubs: they cut, not crush, so having a large, heavy sword is not necessary (keep in mind that although large swords are heavier than one-handed swords, one-and-a-half and two-handed swords, they weigh at least 3, 6 kg. Real two-handed swords are made for a reason, but because their weight and balance are impressive: they are specialized weapons. See ARMA's essay on the two-handed greatsword in the sources for more information)
Most fighters tend to separate defense from attacks, which greatly limits their technique. The best warriors combine them so that blocking or parrying turns into a natural counterattack. Their fight becomes smooth and flows in a progressive movement.
Practice exactly the way you will fight, because you will fight the way you were trained. If you impose restrictions that usually do not exist in combat, you risk developing a bad habit that can ultimately prove fatal.
If you use both hands to grab a sword (bastard or hand and bastard swords), keep your strong hand directly under the hilt and your other hand (out of hand) straight to strike. Keep your arms bent at the elbows (but not rigidly), with a strong fist in front of the solar plexus and sword, as described above. When defending, your strong hand should not move far from this position.
Have your opponent jump and run around. If you do the same, you will quickly get tired, which can be fatal.
You must know the length of your sword. If both fighters know the length of their swords, only then will it be possible to better hit the target, 15 cm or so. Keep an eye on your sword and your opponent's sword constantly. However, it is not recommended to focus only on the opponent's sword, as you can be misled. A qualified wrestler must be able to guess the direction of the opponent's next blow by examining his / her posture.
Never jump or lift both feet off the ground. Try to stand on both of them all the time. While jumping can look cool, it will lead to defeat as you cannot change direction in the air and you will lose your balance. You are using a sword and therefore you need extra stability and balance. Feet on the ground is very important. Also, slide your feet instead of lifting them as you advance, so you can change direction or land quickly.
If you need to practice with swords or are new to it, wrestling with sticks, wooden swords or metal rods will help. You can also host friendly competitions with your friends.
Wear armor if possible. Anything that will save your life from the first cut is a good investment. Rest assured that the garment is well-fitting and durable. Know that while light armor gives you more freedom to maneuver and is easier to fight, heavier armor can protect against serious damage. Know that heavy armor like steel plates changes everything: how you move, how you look, and even how you need to hold your weapon.
Do not look. This may be intuitive, but looking too intense can "tell" the opponent what you are going to do. This can make you focus heavily on something and miss shots as a result.
When parrying, use the planes of the blade so as not to damage the blade.
The sword is a weapon.Kenjutsu (sword art) is the art of killing. This is the true nature of kenjutsu, even if you use beautiful words to describe it. (Rurouni Kenshin) The art of the sword is this: kill or incapacitate your opponent in the shortest possible time, with the least amount of effort. Once you have entered the battle, you fight for victory. Compassion, chivalry, and good athletic behavior are wonderful concepts, but if it's a choice between you or your enemy, the choice is clear. Often, the fighter who is more ruthless stays alive. Sad but true.
In sword fighting (fighting with a sword designed for thrusting rather than cutting), always hold the edge of the sword directly at their opponent. If you parry (block) exactly to the end of the side of your body, he will not be able to hit you. Overstraining (parrying past this point) makes you vulnerable.
Usually your sword is thin and light. You should only use one hand unless it is designed for both.
If your sword is properly balanced, it will act as a lever. Use your left hand to guide him and your strong hand will give strength to attack or parry.
Never intimidate your opponents with constant strides and swings. I call this a "death step" when the opponent has more strength and sways frighteningly fast, forcing you to take a step back. Always remember, no matter how hard it sways, you can always block and defend. Even if his weapon is bigger or stronger (like some kind of giant ax), you can use that and step forward to deliver the killing blow.

Warnings

When fighting with swords (for fun, like children with sticks), the # 1 mistake most people make is trying to hit the sword, not the person. Keep this in mind, hitting a person (arm, body, or head) is not a sword. You can easily defeat someone who attacks your sword (or stick) - get cut or worse. A warrior worried about his own skin usually dies in the middle of a fight.
When using the two-handed clinic, do not cross your arms. You lose a lot of your agility, which can be disastrous. Use the clutch "lever" described above.
It is said that the greatest warrior is the one who never draws his sword. This can mean that the fighter can decide for himself with whom he needs to test himself. More practically, if you are in a real sword fight, seriously consider escaping. A combat sword is a good way to get killed and it is very difficult to explain to the authorities (hence, this is why fights are illegal). A seven-centimeter incision in the neck / face area is fatal or fatal in 80% of cases. This means that the most likely outcome of a real sword fight will be the quick death of the "loser" and the slow death of the winner. If you survived a sword fight without injury, consider yourself lucky and try to avoid such things in the future. If misfortune occurs, see a doctor immediately.
Being on the defensive is only partially effective. In the historical German style of combat, keeping your opponent in a defensive position is the best way to keep him from attacking. Use this with care.
In a real combat situation, these rules do not apply. There are no stops or timeouts and there is no code of honor other than personal addictions. This is the case when you can take advantage of the enemy, knowing what kind of person he is, and play a personal code of honor or his ego.
It's a cliché, but always expect surprises. There have never been any clearly defined rules for sword fighting other than survival. Your opponent can kick you, throw dirt in your face, or do anything to distract you. Remember, this is a tactic and you can use it too.
The most important thing is to remember that sword fighting is not a "game". This is a very serious matter.Swords were meant for killing and nothing else. Treat a sword with the same respect as a firearm and others will treat you with respect.
Swinging the sword is generally only used in ceremonial bands. In combat, spinning the sword can cause you to lose control of it, and also leave you out of attack. However, making a "windmill" with a two-handed blade can intimidate a less experienced fighter, although this is tedious and not recommended against a more experienced opponent.
Remember that there is no 2nd place reward in sword fighting. 1st place means that you are still standing when the battle is over. 2nd place - you are dead. This means that once you get into a sword fight, your ultimate goal is survival, not a prize.
Never, never let go of your sword. One hit will leave you defenseless. If you don't have more than one sword, keep it in your hands.
Never turn around. While it's luxurious and cool, it's mostly inefficient and doesn't work. Standing with your back to the enemy, even for a second, can run into fatal consequences, so don't do it!