Military Sabre

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Cumann Bhata Dayton

Military Saber Self-Training Manual

by

Mark Rainey

Copyright 2008

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Table of Contents

FORWARD.....................................................................................................4BASIC TERMINOLOGY.................................................................................5BASIC STANCE AND FOOTWORK..............................................................7

Stance........................................................................................................7Advance.....................................................................................................7Retreat.......................................................................................................7Side Step...................................................................................................7Changing Direction....................................................................................7Passing Step..............................................................................................7The Lunge..................................................................................................7

DEFENSE.......................................................................................................9THE EN GUARDE:....................................................................................9THE HANGING GUARD:.........................................................................11THE PARRIES:........................................................................................12

Parry 1................................................................................................13Parry 2................................................................................................14Parry 3................................................................................................15Parry 4................................................................................................15Parry 5................................................................................................16Parry 6................................................................................................17

OFFENSE.....................................................................................................18THE MOULINET:.....................................................................................18THE ANGLES OF ATTACK:....................................................................20THE THRUST:.........................................................................................21

BEYOND THE BASICS................................................................................22TEMPO:...................................................................................................22MEASURE:..............................................................................................22SPARRING:.............................................................................................22

HOME PRACTICE........................................................................................23SOLO PRACTISE:...................................................................................23PRACTICE WITH A PARTNER:.............................................................23

TOURNAMENTS AND ETIQUETTE............................................................25

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Illustration Index

Illustration 1: grip.............................................................................................9Illustration 2: en guarde................................................................................10Illustration 3: hanging guard.........................................................................11Illustration 4: parry 1.....................................................................................13Illustration 5: parry 2.....................................................................................14Illustration 6: parry 4.....................................................................................15Illustration 7: parry 5.....................................................................................16Illustration 8: parry 6.....................................................................................17Illustration 9: moulinet - action 1...................................................................18Illustration 10: moulinet - action 2.................................................................18

Illustration 11: moulinet - action 3.................................................................19Illustration 12: moulinet - action 4.................................................................19Illustration 13: moulinet - action 5.................................................................19Illustration 14: angles of attack.....................................................................20Illustration 15: thrust on a lunge...................................................................21

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FORWARD

This booklet has been designed for students of Cumann Bhata Dayton touse as a study aid. It draws from the many historic manuals and drill books

that our club has incorporated into practice and is not based on any onespecific body of work. We practice 19th century Anglo-American militarysaber specifically and, because of that distinction, our philosophy is moresuited to the historic battlefield than it is to a duel.

Anyone who is not a member of our club is welcome to use this booklet as atraining aid. I encourage anyone who is trying to learn from this or anymanual to do everything you can to find a teacher. A book is a poorsubstitute for learning from an experienced practitioner. Another excellent

source I recommend is the Cateran Societys video curriculum, available at:http://www.cateransociety.com/videos.html

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BASIC TERMINOLOGY

Agent- during a 2-person drill, this is the person who attacks first.

Back cut- a cut made with the sharpened back 1/4 of the blade. It is usuallya snap cut delivered after your first cut fails to end the fight.

Beat- beating your opponents blade in an attempt to knock it off line; thusleaving your opponent open for an attack.

Draw cut- if the edge of your blade lands upon your enemy without sufficientforce to do damage, you may have time to draw the blade back towardyourself, slicing your enemy as your go.

Inside/Outside- these terms refer to the position of your body in relationshipto your sword arm. Assuming you are right handed, the outside is to yourright and the inside to your left.

Feeble- meaning weak, this is the upper half of the sword blade. Use thisportion of the blade to make an attack.

Forte- meaning strong, this is the lower half of the sword blade. Use thisportion of the blade to parry an attack

Line- the direction that an attack can come from. Every parry you executecloses one line while opening another.

Slip- quickly moving your front foot back to avoid an incoming attack.

Snap cut- an attack made by simply snapping the tip of your blade forwardwith the wrist. Very little power is generated by this action and this shouldnot be thought of as something that will cause a fight-stopping injury. It is,however, extremely useful in a duel, a tournament situation where the goal

is to score points or cause bleeding, or when a quick, light cut might besufficient to cause a debilitating or disarming injury such as a cut to thecarotids or to the inside of the opponents weapon wrist (bearing in mindthat these are less certain fight stoppers).

Stop cut- an attack against the hand or arm of your opponent, executedwhen your opponent is in the process of attacking. It must be done fast, asits purpose is to injure your opponents arm to prevent his attack from beingcompleted. This is a risky maneuver but sometimes very beneficial.

Patient Agent- during a 2-person drill, this is the person who reacts to theAgents attack.

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Phrase- (pronounced fraws) This word refers to a group of actions that allhappen together. For example, the agent attacks, patient agent parries andripostes, agent parries and retreats; that is one phrase.

Riposte- (pronounced re-post) a counter attack, delivered after you haveparried.

Zone- this word is typically understood in our club to mean side-stepping togain an advantage during an attack. Zoning inside would, for example, placeyou slightly farther from your enemys sword and may mean your enemyhas to move his sword farther to parry your attack; this is a slower actionand he might not be able to do it in time.

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BASIC STANCE AND FOOTWORK

Stand with your feet approximately shoulder-width apart. The foot on thesame side as your weapon hand shall be your front foot and your big toe

should be pointed directly at your opponent. Your rear foot should be at anangle of between 90 and 45 degrees relative to your front foot. Your kneesshould be bent so that you are in a crouching position. Square yourshoulders so that you are facing your opponent. Your unarmed hand shouldbe held in front of you in a comfortable position, normally this would be atthe bottom of your rib cage but other locations may work better for you. Yourunarmed hand must be ready to strike your opponent or to engage ingrappling if the opportunities present themselves.

To advance forward, move your front foot first and bring your back foot upbehind it. The step its self should not cause your foot to come very far offthe ground, since that movement would take longer and is more easilynoticed by your opponent; your foot should hover just above the groundwhen you step. Once the movement is done, your feet should be the samedistance from each other as before. Do not stand up during the movement,retain your crouch as you move.

To retreat backward, reverse the above directions, stepping first with yourback foot and then with your front.

To side step, follow the same pattern; step first with the foot closest to thedirection you want to move, then with the other, maintaining your crouch.

If you want to change the direction you are facing, you simply side step atan angle, stepping first with the back foot if you are turning to face theoutside and with the front foot if you are turning to face the inside.

If you find you need to cover a longer distance more quickly, you can use apassing step. To advance, step with your back foot first, passing your front

foot, then move your front foot forward. To retreat, step with the front footfirst. The passing step should only be used for forward and backwardmovements, not for side stepping.

The Lunge-The lunge is the body movement that is associated with an attack. It is adeep step, which covers the distance between you and your target, allowingyou to get into range quickly. To execute a lunge, your arm should movefirst, extending but not locking the elbow; next your front foot shoots forward

as far as it can go. Your back boot stays in place, pivoting on the ball. Donot allow your back foot to roll onto its side as this is a good way to tear aligament. You may lean forward with your body if you wish, but do not tilt

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your head down; it should remain upright to allow you to see what ishappening around you.

Aim with the big toe of your front foot. If you are executing a thrust as part of

this lunge and your toe ends up facing away from your target, your bladeprobably will too.

After your lunge is complete, you will most commonly recover back to theen guarde position by moving your front foot back. You may also choose torecover forward by moving your back foot up.

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DEFENSE

THE EN GUARDE:

The en guarde (on guard) is your ready position, the stance you take at thebeginning of the fight. Hold your right hand at approximately navel-heightand over your right knee (assuming you are right-handed). Grip the swordwith your thumb facing upward along the back of the handle, pointingupward. The blade shall be mostly upright, but angled slightly forward andinward. The tip of your blade should be on the imaginary line between youreyes and your enemys eyes. Your shoulders should be squared. Yourunarmed hand should be somewhere in the front of your body, perhaps atyour midsection or raised as if to protect the inside of the head. It must be

ready to grapple or punch if the opportunity presents its self.

In this position, the outside of your body is safe from attack, this means youare forcing your enemy to attack the other side of your body, thus narrowingdown the number of things you may have to do to defend yourself.

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Illustration 1: grip


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Illustration 2: en guarde


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THE HANGING GUARD:

A different en guarde that you may choose to use is the hanging guard.Though less commonly used, it has been taught for centuries. Hold your

hand above and slightly in front of your head, in the center of your body.Your sword is pointed down and toward your enemy. The strength of thehanging guard is that it keeps your enemy at a greater distance and givesyou a stronger defense, making parrying faster and easier. One weaknessof this guard is the limitations it puts on your offense; you are put in aposition that is ready for a lunge or a cut 1 but you have few immediateoptions other than these 2. Another weakness of this guard is that, sinceyour sword is centered with your body, you are not forcing your enemy toattack to one specific line; this gives you less control over the fight.

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Illustration 3: hanging guard


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THE PARRIES:

The parries (sometimes called guards or wards) are your defense againstan attack. When you parry, you do so with the strong part of the blade (the

forte), turning the edge to meet the incoming attack directly; this ismechanically the strongest position your body can be in to oppose a force.

The beginning student will invariably make exaggerated movements whenpracticing the parries, this is a natural reaction that the student must learn toovercome. An exaggerated parry places your sword far from your body andis dangerous for two important reasons. First, it means that when youropponent makes a second attack to the other side of your body, your swordhas to travel farther to parry this attack; this is a slower movement and youmight not make it in time. Second, your sword is now farther away from your

opponent, so when you attack him, it takes longer and he will have moretime to execute a parry.

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Parry 1, ("prime, inside half-hanger)To execute parry 1 from en guarde, move your hand across your body andup, turning the blade to face downwards. Your forearm should be atproximately chin-height. This parry protects your inside flank against a cut. It

is completely acceptable for your hand to be higher (high prime) or lower(low prime) if necessary to protect against the incoming cut; this is also trueof parries 2, 3 and 4.

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Illustration 4: parry 1


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Parry 2, (seconde outside half hanger)From en guarde, rotate your hand so that the blade points down whileraising your arm. Your sword should be slightly outside your body,protecting your flank.

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Parry 3, (tierce outside flank)From the en guarde, simply move your hand to the outside just far enoughto protect your flank.

Parry 4, (quarte inside flank)This is the same as parry 3, but on the opposite side of your body.

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Parry 5, (quince St Georges Guard)To execute parry 5 from en guarde, move your hand directly upwards androtate your sword so that it is parallel to the ground. The blade should beslightly above and in front of your head, protecting you from a downward

cut. The tip of your blade will be pointing to the inside of your body.

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Parry 6, (sexte")To execute parry 6 from parry 4, move your hand directly upwards androtate your sword so that it is parallel to the ground. The blade should beslightly above and in front of your head, protecting you from a downward

cut. The tip of your blade will be pointing to the outside of your body.

Notice that none of these parries protect your legs. If you find it necessary toguard against a cut to your leg, you can always use a low parry 1 or 2. You

will find once you begin sparring against another person, however, that thebest thing to do is move your threatened leg back out of range while cuttingto their head.

You may be asking yourself which parry should be used against whichattack. The answer is simply it depends. You should choose your parrybased on where your sword is when you begin the movement, and youshould choose the fastest movement available.

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OFFENSE

THE MOULINET:

When you attempt to cut your opponent, you do so using a moulinet(pronounced moo-li-nay). It is typical for 19th century Anglo/Americanmilitary saber manuals to teach this as the only form of cut you should use.A moulinet is a circular motion executed from the wrist. It can be a verticalcircle or a horizontal circle. To execute the moulinet, extend your arm (butdo not lock your elbow), then swing the weapon in a circle using your wristonly. In real life, your elbow will probably bend also; remember that thisleaves your arm open to a stop cut, so be sure to keep your arm as straightas possible. During the moulinet action, your only defense against your

opponent is the hand guard of your sword.

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Illustration 9: moulinet - action 1



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THE ANGLES OF ATTACK:There are 7 cuts to be practiced with the moulinet.

Cut 1- downward angle from enemys inside to outside

Cut 2- downward angle from outside to insideCut 3- horizontal angle from inside to outsideCut 4- horizontal angle from outside to insideCut 5- upward angle from inside to outsideCut 6- upward angle from outside to insideCut 7- straight downward angle (some manuals omit this cut, considering itto be no different than cuts 1 and 2)

Any of these cuts can be delivered at any elevation against any target;though cuts 1, 2 & 7 generally target the head, cuts 3 & 4 generally target

the torso and cuts 5 & 6 generally target the arms or torso.

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Illustration 14: angles of attack


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THE THRUST:

The thrust is an important, fast, and often overlooked attack. A thrust to thetorso will create a wound that your enemy is very likely to die from, though

probably not immediately. To thrust, you extend your arm (not locking theelbow) and turn the blade of your weapon so that it is pointing directly atyour target and your knuckles are facing upward. Then you lunge.

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Illustration 15: thrust on a lunge


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BEYOND THE BASICS

TEMPO:

Meaning time, this word generally is used when describing how long ittakes to complete an action and may be expressed in abstract units calledcounts. A one-count action takes less time than a two-count action.

MEASURE:This is the distance between you and your target. Our club uses GeorgeSilvers descriptive terms of time of the hand (you only need to move yourhand to hit your opponent), time of the hand and body and time of the

hand, body and foot. The farther you are from your enemy, the safer youareand the safer your enemy is. You can learn to attack and parry in justa few weeks; you will spend the rest of your career as a martial artistperfecting tempo and measure.

SPARRING:

To learn tempo and measure is nearly impossible without sparring. Weencourage you to engage in sparring as much as possible, but caution younever to assume it is all you need to learn. In our club, we generally call

each hit against ourselves (on the honor system) and do not pause aftereach hit. We may pause after a phrase or after one person received woundthat would obviously end a persons ability to fight.

We follow the edict that dieing aint dead. That is to say, just because youhave wounded your enemy does not mean that your enemy is unable to killyou. It is a pragmatic approach that forces you to understand that scoring ahit against your opponent is meaningless if you get hit also. Because, letsface it, theres nothing more important to you than not getting killed.

In general, anything you have learned is fair game during sparring.Grappling and striking can be incorporated into whatever you are doing. Thegoal is to create the most realistic experience that is possible under thecircumstances.

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HOME PRACTICE

SOLO PRACTISE:

Practicing footwork should be easy enough for you, simply practice steppingin every direction, you can establish a set pattern if you wish or just let itflow.

If you can, stand in front of a mirror when your practice. Start by executingeach of the 7 moulinets, followed by the thrust. Do them one at a time,returning to the en guarde after each attack. Take care not to bend yourelbow any more than necessary. Repeat a few times; then go through thecuts again, this time without pausing between them. Execute cut 1 and let

the sword flow through and around to become cut 2, etc. Repeat a fewtimes. This has the added bonus of looking cool.

Now practice each parry; starting from en guarde, move to parry 1, then toparry 2, and on through the list. Pause after each motion and look atyourself in the mirror. Ask yourself if your sword moved farther than itneeded to; ask yourself if your sword moved far enough to protect againstan attack. Solo practice is the best time to develop technical accuracy andprecision. In sparring you will find that this precision is only half useful andyou will develop the ability to adapt to your opponent, which is the other half

of a good defense.

To practice thrusting, create a small target no larger than an index card. Thetarget should be sturdy or flexible enough to resist being destroyed by thesaber you are using. I recommend a tennis ball hanging from a string. Fromen guarde, practice lunging at the target.

Once you have a good handle on this, switch hands and learn it again.Learning to use your off-hand effectively is theoretically useful in a fight, asyou could continue to defend yourself if your primary hand is disabled. More

importantly, however, it forces you to think about the actions from a differentperspective, utilizes new parts of your brain and reinforces the pure forms ofthe movements.

PRACTICE WITH A PARTNER:

If you have another person to train with, you can practice what we call 3-count drills. This is a low-speed drill in which the agent attacks, the patientagent parries and ripostes, then the agent parries and ripostes, then the

patient agent parries. The name refers to the tempo of the drill, the phraseoccupies 3 counts of time.

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You make these up as you go. Agent attacks, patient agent looks at theattack and decides what the best parry would be. Then patient agentdecides what would be an intelligent counter attack from this position. Itbuilds from there, allowing both partners to think about the incoming attack,

how to meet it and what to do next. Once the drill has been built, practice it10 times then switch roles and do it 10 more times. Do it slow at first andspeed up when you are comfortable. Then think up a new one, or continueto build on the current one; you dont have to stop at 3 counts if you dontwant to.

In addition to teaching attacks and parries, this is invaluable practice inlearning tempo. You can see how long it takes you to execute a parry andyou can think about whether a different motion would have been faster.

This is also a good time to be cognizant of measure. Be sure that you arestanding in range of each other when you do these drills; if you miss theparry, you should get hit (thats why you go slowly).

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TOURNAMENTS AND ETIQUETTE

To grow as a martial artist, it will be necessary to engage as many otherpeople as possible in sparring. A good way to do that is to enter

tournaments and other competitive bouts. If you do that, you will come intocontact with rules and etiquettes not normally used in our club.

A tournament will commonly use 4 judges and a president to determine whois hit. There will be 2 judges standing behind you whos job it is to watchyour sword hitting you opponent; the other 2 will be doing the opposite. Thepresidents job is to call a halt when a hit might have been scored; thepresident then asks the judges what happened. Depending on the rules, thepresident may get to vote concerning the validity of the hits. Points are

scored AGAINST the person who is hit; there are some rule sets where it ispossible to win all your matches but lose the tournament due to having beenhit more often than another contestant. The number of points needed to wina match varies, but 3 is most common.

Alternatively, you may be engaged in a competition where you are expectedto call each touch against you, on the honor system. In this case, there maynot be a pause after each touch; these types of rule sets are less commonand less standardized.

Each match will begin with saluting. You will salute your opponent, thepresident, the judges and perhaps the audience. The president usually tellsyou who to salute and in what order. The president will then tell you to takeyour guard, ask if you are ready, and tell you to begin. He may give youadditional instructions, such as when I say begin, you must take one stepback before engaging.

Hopefully you will not be forced to follow a rule called right of way. Putsimply, this rule says that if one person attacks, the other must parry beforecounterattacking. If a double touch is scored, the person who acted first will

win the point. This is an integral part of modern sport fencing.

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