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“OMG! Snowwwww!!!” [source]

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one rational braincell: there can be more than one task done during the day

all other braincells: you know what, now it’s zero

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today you, tomorrow me.

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Arthur and Hazel.

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Researchers have used Easter Island Moai replicas to show how they might have been “walked” to where they are displayed.

VIDEO

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Keep your pups safe! Each reblog could save a dog’s life ❤️❤️❤️

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i just feel like you guys should see this thread about foxes

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The most valuable chart…

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I notice while drilling that people pretty commonly form the hangings incorrectly, or at least, they could form them better.

They are the most important guards in the German tradition, or in the words of the masters in the MS.3227a, “All techniques start and end with the Ort, thus the Hängen and Winden are the begin and the turnings around the centre and many good fencing techniques stem from this.”

The hangings are, of course, the Ochs and Pflug guards. Here are some points about them:

They present a threat and are thus the safest guards.

And however you fence, always turn the point against the face or the chest of the adversary, so he has always to watch out that you do not move prior to him. - MS.3227a

The hangings place the point such that it threatens the opponent. If they wish to “snipe” you or rush in and overwhelm you, they must deal with the point of your sword first. Otherwhise, they will impale themselves.

You can make attacks quickly from them.

Just like as a string would be attached to the point which would pull and turn his point to the nearest opening, as to achieve the thrust. - MS.3227a

The thrust is the fastest way to attack with a sword. When you are in one of the hangings, no time is wasted “setting up” the attack and indeed, if the opponent closes the distance, the guard itself is a threat. If the hanging is properly formed, one need only move their arms forward to drive a thrust.

They are the position from which you make windings.

Who correctly hangs well, And brings therewith Winding, -The Zettel

The windings in their most essential form are nothing more than transitions between the hangings while maintaining sword contact. The mechanics of hanging and thrusting remain the same - keep their sword away from you while you “seek” with the point for the opportunity to cause trouble. Forming hangings well while winding gives you more opportunities to exploit openings by ensuring the point passes over the target while transitioning and performing techniques, and reduces the “set-up” time to deliver a thrust when the moment comes.

They are the end-point of attacks.

And from the same strikes come the four displacements from both sides, with these you break and defeat all strikes thrusts or guards and these also lead to the hangings which can be very well be used for artful techniques as you will hear later. - MS.3227a

Ending an attack in a hanging is a fairly fundamental characteristic of Liechtenauer’s longsword. If you read through the plays you will notice that the first and second intent almost always flow together in this way (cut and thrust, cut and wind, cut and mutate, etc) In addition to this, they afford you protection against counter-attack - for more detail on that I have a post about versetzen.

And here are some things I see people not getting down-pat:

The point should be online.

Our sources tell us to aim at the face or breast with the point when we drive a thrust. If we stay online in a hanging, we don’t need to do any extra work to line the point up for thrusts. It also creates an immediate threat to the opponent. As for where exactly to aim the point - I usually find the breast to be a safe bet. The target area is of greater mass than the face and has a lesser range of motion making it harder to void attacks against. The face of course has the advantage of being a higher target and thus easier to reach. It’s fairly contextual and you’ll have to figure that out yourself.

The hilt should be offline.

People often don’t commit to defending an opening and opt to leave their hands (and the hilt) in the centre-line. Since the hangings are shortened, this endangers the torso to “sniping” attacks. It is better to commit to an opening and place the hilt out into that opening. This creates a “wedge” facing the opponent which will deflect incoming blows away from your body.

The crossbar should be in front of your body.

This is espescially important when forming an ochs. The cross is the last line of defense against incoming attack, and in a hanging, it’s usually where the opponent’s attack is going to end. You want their attack to end before it hits you.

Angulation of the crossbar.

This isn’t really detailed in sources, but is a pretty big deal. Your crossbar needs to be positioned such that you can “catch” attacks with it. The best way to hedge your bets seems to be placing the cross on a 45 degree angle with one of the quillons pointing towards your chest. This is again super contextual. If you are planning to scoop an oberhau up and sweep it away you might form a pflug with the crossbar flat. If you are in ochs expecting a zwerchau you might place the cross vertical.

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A continuation of this.  Anyone who owns a cat knows there’s a 50/50 chance that they’ll eat it, or just stare at it like the little assholes they are. 

Bonus:

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First time for everything.

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Dwayne’s Gaston

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Phew, it’s been forever since I’ve drawn a comic right? Hope you guys like it! Happy holidays and Merry Christmas from a small and grateful artist <3 ———————————————————————————— Patreon ¦ Commissions ¦ Donate ¦ Shop¦ Twitter ¦ Facebook

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Lifesaver PotG.