With the weather as warm as it’s been lately, today’s session (Jun 22, 2025) was spent focusing on some “Mental Exercise” instead of having people gear up and get sweat soaked on an already muggy and miserable day. We did this by analyzing and breaking down a few of Meyer’s longsword Stücke from Chapter 11 in his 1570 book.

We used Dr. Jeffrey Forgeng’s translation of the 1570 for the passages, and the ICe-IT method and worksheets (which can be found here: https://stpaulff.com/stucke-analysis/).

Class was split into 3 groups of 3, and each team randomly drew one stuck from a selected list. Thier instructions were as follows:

1. Read the passage and interpret Meyer’s writing into action for both fencers (because “what’s the other person doing?” is a very important thing to know..)

2. Write down how they would explain the actions of each fencer.

3. Go through their interpretation and identify as many of the different techniques (postures, cuts, handwork, footwork, etc) that they could.

Once completed, each group would take turns presenting their stuck, explaining what’s going on in it, and identifying all the different techniques they found. Afterwards, the other groups would point out anything else they may have identified in the stuck during the presentation..

Group 1 – “Eisenport 1”, Forgeng p84, 1.40r.1

If your opponent cuts at you from above, then go up with crossed hands and catch his cut on the stercke (strong) of your blade. When he takes his sword away from your blade after his cut, then cut powerfully at his arms with Low Cuts while he is pulling his arms upward. As soon as he falls downward, then attack at his head.

Group 2 – “Wechsel 2”, Forgeng p86, p1.42v.1

if you observe that your opponent is inclined to go up in the air, and then slash up again forcefully before him, and as soon as you perceive that he goes up, then cut across from your right at his left arm while he is still pulling upward. As soon as it hits, at once strike opposite to it with the inside flat at his right ear in a very deep arc.

Group 3 – “Vom Tag 3”, Forgeng pgs76-77, 1.32r.1

Now if he cuts to your right, when you have thus come into the High Guard, then quickly step out from his cut with your left foot toward his right, and at the same time let your long edge fall on top of his stercke (strong). And when you fall thus on his sword, then push your pommel through under your right arm, so that you strike at his head with crossed hands with the short edge right over or beside his sword. Now if he goes up with his sword toward his right, then let the short edge run off by that side, and meanwhile step out to the side well toward his left, and cut with the long edge straight from above at his head. And pull quickly back up and strike with a Thwart from below at his left ear with a back-step on your left foot; at once cut away from him, etc.