Medieval German Longsword: The Hauptstucke of Johannes Liechtenauer

Learn Jessica Finley's interpretation of the Hauptstucke of Johannes Liechtenauer. In this course we cover all twelve of the Hauptstucke, as well as additional material, to give you a complete grounding in medieval German longsword.

The Hauptstucke are the "Chief Pieces" of the art, and each section includes the theory, and practical applications. All techniques are shown for both right handed fencers, and a left-hander paired with a right hander.

Vier Leger: the four primary guards: vom tag, alber, ochs, and pflug. We also cover the secondary guards schranckhut, nebenhut, and langenort.

Vier Versetzen: the four displacements: krumphau, twerchau, shielhau, and scheitelhau. We also cover zornhau.

Nachreisen: chasing. When your opponent moves away from you, chase them.

Überlauffen: over-running. The high line is better than the low line.

Absetzen: setting aside. How to "artfully hinder both cuts and thrusts".

Durchwechseln: changing through. This is similar to a disengage.

Zucken: pulling. A way to get your point from one side to the other, when you're up close.

Durchlauffen: running through. Not running your sword through your opponent! that's a given. It's about when and how to charge in to wrestle.

Abschneiden: slicing off. This is a way to get your sword from one side of your opponent's, to the other. And also to slice bits of your opponent off.

Hende trucken: pressing the hands. When you press your opponent's hands with the edge of your sword, good things happen for you. Bad things for them.

Hangen, and Sprechtfenster: hanging, and the "speaking window". This is a way to cover yourself with a hanging position, and also includes a discussion of the use of blade engagement to stay safe.

Winden: winding. This is a way to bind and control your opponent's sword, while leaving yours free to strike. There are eight windings, and we cover all of them.

We also cover the Five Words: Vor, Nach, Strong, Weak, and Indes.

Every section also includes a discussion of how Fiore dei Liberi treats the same concepts (or leaves them out), with Guy Windsor explaining the Fiorean point of view.

This is a complete overview of Jessica's interpretation, and will provide a foundation for your own interpretation as well as developing your fencing skill.

Jessica Finley is a world-renowned instructor of German medieval combat, who has taught at all the major HEMA events, and runs her own school in Lawrence, Kansas. She is also the author of the book Medieval Wrestling.