This lesson was a two-part series focused on the bind (anbinden) and the handworks to strike your opponent safely.

Part 1: Binding Strongly

A bind is whenever the blades come together and make contact. This tends to happen when one fencer Provokes using a point-forward, threatening position or use a Vorschlag (initiating cut with threat). The other fencer uses the concept of Taker to cut at the exposed and threatening blade or parry (or use Nachschlag – responding cut) the incoming strike. The bind can last only an instant or for an extended amount of time if the fencers use bleiben and fuhlen (staying and feeling) to gain an advantageous position in the bind. Gaining advantage in the bind is complex but generally can mean you have a strong structure, inside, over-bind with your opponent’s weak on your strong. This offers you an opportunity to strike your opponent while controlling their blade. When trying to gain an inside strong structured bind we tend to find ourselves using the four hangers. These are left/right pflug and left/right ochs. These four positions create a window where most of your targets are. You want to control the inside of this window using winding and the four hangers. You can think of them as the four quadrants of Meyer’s square. In each of these four quadrants, you can have an over-bind or under-bind. This leads to the concept of the 8 Windings. Each of the 8 Windings, or positions, you can end up in, have three wounders (slice, cut or thrust). This gives you 24 Windings according to the Liechtenauer teaching. That means you can use the bind to defend and control your opponent’s blade while also working into 24 possible ways to strike your opponent while staying in the bind.

We are given many techniques that counter the bind as well. If we are put into a bind that we do not want to be in for any reason, we can use durchwechsel (changing-through), zucken (pulling), ablauffen (running-off), ausreissen (wrenching), durchgehen (going-through), umbschlagen (striking-around)..etc to leave the bind. If we want to avoid a bind we use deceiving techniques like fehlen (failing), zucken (pulling), verfliegen (flitting) etc. There are different reasons why you might want to use one technique over the other.

Part 2: Anbinden Schlagen (binding strikes) – not an actual technique

Meyer presents us with primary cuts, master cuts, secondary cuts and many handworks. Many of the secondary cuts and handworks are related, at least half, to the bind. Whether assuming you are already in the bind, about to enter a bind, avoid a bind or want to leave a bind. As mentioned above, this is generally done using Meyer’s concept of Provoker/Taker or in a more Liechtenauer way, could be thought of as using Vorschlag/Nachschlag. You can provoke a bind by using a point-forward posture to threaten a thrust and present your blade to your opponent to bind onto or in a more direct way strike at them to force a parry. You can also expose an opening to entice your opponent to strike but have a prepared parry or cut. You should have a plan going into the bind. You should control your opponent’s blade before you strike at their opening. Many people say they dont know what to do in the bind. You can break it down to the basic components of just winding to advantage to control your opponent and then striking. You can also look back at the bind related techniques, in particular the secondary cuts and strikes from the handworks. Meyer presents us with the Kurtzhau, Blendhau, Kronhau, Glutzhau, Kneichelhau, Wendhau, etc. all these are assuming or can be assumed to be in the bind and cutting. The intent is to use it as a Provoker or Taker to enter the bind, gain a strong position and end with a cut. This is essentially the same thing as winding into these same positions with the intention to cut. Take the Kurtzhau, Kronhau, Kneichelhau, Shielhau and Douplieren, what is the ending position? All of these end in the Ochs posture with an inside strong position. Use the Blendhau or Glutzhau and you end in Pflug. However, Blendhau you are in an outside position and Glutzhau you end in an inside position. If you look at parrying with a slice, you enter the bind and draw back into pflug with a strong inside position. If your opponent raises their sword up to Tag you can follow and slice underneath to their arms. You end in Ochs, inside strong position but binding against their arms. Look at each of the different cuts and techniques that relate to the bind and analyze them to understand if they end in Ochs or Pflug, inside/outside and upper/lower quadrants. Meyer presents these as specific cuts or techniques but you have to remember these ultimately come from concepts around Provoker/Taker, Binding, and the 24 Windings. So when you dont know what to do in a bind, cut to the different postures, wind to strong positions (hangers) and use the intention of one of the three strikes (thrust, cut, slice).

 

Drills Used through-out the two lessons:

1.) Bleiben/Fuhlen (Staying/Feeling) – Start in Sprechfenster, binding in long-point neutral position, front-foot planted and cannot move. You should be at a distance such that your point should not hit your opponent’s mask without a hip hinge forward. Both fencers should remain in the bind, moving around to feel strong vs weak, hard vs soft, under-bind vs over-bind in the different quadrants, long-edge vs short-edge etc. Just move the blades around and feel the differences.

 

2.) Bind Defense – Start in Sprechfenster again, Fencer A uses the bind to try to get into a strong inside position, usually wanting an over-bind. Fencer B, is providing resistance by trying to present the point at Fencer A.

 

3.) Strengthening by Weakening – Start at same distance as before, Fencer A, provokes using a point-forward threatening posture or strike at Fencer B. Fencer B, should try to cut, parry or bind against Fencer A’s threat. Fencer A, then uses a technique to avoid the bind or leave the bind. Fencer A, can rebind in an over-bind.

 

4.) Capture the Strong Bind (stationary) – Start at same distance, with no moving of the front foot and in Sprechfenster as before. Both fencers try to gain the strong position using techniques discussed. Once a strong position is gained, try to immediately move to Hitter and strike your opponent.

 

5.) Capture the Strong Bind (dynamic) – Fencer A is defending in a point-forward posture, most likely long-point. Fencer B can move forward and back, enters by over-binding onto Fencer A’s blade. Fencer A can move back only while using a technique to regain the over-bind. Once the over-bind is captured, reset.

 

6.) Anbinden Schlagen (Binding Strikes – not an actual thing) – Fencer A uses a Vorschlag to provoke Fencer B to parry/bind. Fencer B must use winding to get a strong inside position in the bind or at least provide resistance. Fencer A, works to gain control of Fencer B, before moving to hitter/striking. Play with condensing Provoker/Taker/Binding/Winding/Hitter into a secondary cut or technique that is related to the bind that Meyer presents to us.

 

7.) Anbinden Kreig (Binding War – also not an actual thing) – Fencer A, uses a Vorschlag to provoke Fencer B to parry/bind. Once the bind occurs, both fencers should have a Plan A when entering the bind. Work your techniques and windings to gain the advantage in the bind. When the advantage is gained and the other fencer’s blade is momentarily controlled, move to Hitter and strike your opponent. If you do not control your opponent’s blade before trying to strike you have a good chance of being countered or doubling. The goal is the control your opponent by properly winding in the bind before striking.