Introduction:
The following is meant as a way to organize the material and jog one's memory of what a particular technique consists of. It is not meant to be a detailed description of the techniques nor a replacement for the original source manuals. It is a supplement and guide only. As such, it is subject to continuing evolution and change. It draws primarily on the 15th century works of Hans Talhoffer and uses his method as the basis or foundation for the rest. Hence the use of his terminology…."dolchfechten." It is supplemented with input from the Solothurner Fechtbuch of 1423 and the dagger section from Achille Marrozo's "Opera Nova" of 1536. It should be noted that this method of dagger fighting was likely meant to be employed against someone wearing armor (whether mail or plate), and at the very least against someone wearing the relatively heavy clothing of the period. Therefore the offensive techniques center around strong thrusts and stabs. The method is generally forceful and powerful with the intent of being able to pierce mail armor. Cutting and slashing would be of little to no benefit except when delivered to the hands or face. Even then, the opponent may be wearing gloves or a closed helm. As a consequence, the daggers employed did not have very sharp edges, relatively speaking. This also allowed the practitioner to grasp either his own or the opponent's blade. This is not to say that their daggers had no edges. One of Talhoffer's illustrations shows a practitioner using his dagger to cut a leather belt in half. Clearly it had an edge with some degree of cutting ability.
A Note On The References:
The main source for this work is Mark Rector's translation of Talhoffer's 1467
text published as "Medieval Combat." References cited in the form
of "P176" refer to the plates from this work. The other major source
is Talhoffer's text of 1459 as made available on-line by the Royal Library Denmark.
References cited in the form of "66R" or "65V" refer to
this source (R for "recto" and V for "verso", or the front
and back of the original page). It is supplemented with Marrozzo's work as translated
and interpreted by Pete Kautz in his book "Mani Contra il Coltillo: Hands
Against the Knife." References cited in the form of "M3" refer
to this source. Pete Kautz also included the dagger section from the Solothurner
Fechtbuch in his work, and references cited in the form of "SF3" refer
to this source.
Here are some good webpages to see some of the techniques performed or explained:
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Pagoda/8187/Degen.htm
http://www.geocities.com/ulfberth/Marozzo.htm
http://www.alliancemartialarts.com/techniques4.html
http://www.hemasite.homepage.com
The original manuals can be seen at:
http://www.aemma.org/onlineResources/library_H.htm
I can be reached for questions or feedback at:
myers4321@aol.com
Illustrations of ready positions are rather sparse. Whether because it would take up too much room to illustrate them before each technique, they were considered so basic everyone would know them, or they just weren't formalized and left more up to the individual is unclear. A few are illustrated, the rest can be implied.
1. Low Reverse Grip: (69R)
Stand with Rt side forward, dagger held low in reverse grip in front of your
lower abdomen
2. Middle Guard: (implied)
Stand with Rt side forward, dagger held in forward grip at about sternum level.
3. High Reverse Grip: (69R)
Stand with Lft side forward, dagger held in reverse grip at head level, left
forearm shielding abdomen.
This seems like a vulnerable position, but it is the logical posture assumed
if you start from a natural stance and step forward to defend with your left
hand as you draw your dagger and prepare to counter.
4. Half-sword Stance/Halbschwert: (P187)
Stand with Lft side forward, dagger in forward grip and blade held in left hand
at about waist level.
5. Knife-fighter's Stance: (implied from above)
Stand with Lft side forward, dagger in forward grip, left arm forward shielding
abdomen or blocking your dagger from the opponent's view.
6. Concealed Stance: (P187)
Stand with Lft side forward, dagger held in forward grip with both hands on
hilt, BEHIND your back!
7. Natural Stance: (implied)
Stand straight up in a normal conversational position with arms at your sides
or crossed at your chest, dagger either held in hand at your side or sheathed
at your belt.
These are shown in almost every illustration, so no specific references are cited. As noted above, cuts and slashes were seldom illustrated. The exception is in the Solothurner Fechtbuch that seems to show cuts to the hand (SF1 & SF2). By far the most commonly illustrated attack in Talhoffer's manuals is the downward forehand stab with the dagger held in reverse grip. Whether this was the most common attack encountered, or just made a good starting point for the illustrations is unclear. Certainly many of the defenses shown against this attack can be modified and applied against several of the others as well. For ease of understanding, a "stab" refers to an attack delivered with the dagger in a reverse or "ice pick" grip and a "thrust" refers to an attack delivered with the dagger in a forward or "hammer" grip. A forehand strike travels from the deliverer's right to left, a backhand from left to right.
1. Forehand Overhead Stab
2. Backhand Overhead Stab
3. Backhand Upward Stab to Abdomen
4. Upward Thrust to Abdomen
5. Straight Thrust to Chest
6. Straight Thrust to Face
7. Arcing Downward Forehand Thrust (implied but never illustrated)
Again, some are formally illustrated in the sources, while others are implied by the positions that the fighters end up in when techniques are shown.
1. Left Forearm Block or Grip: (61R, P172)
Rises upward and outward to contact his wrist with your forearm or to directly
grab his wrist with your left hand. Primarily defends against the Forehand Overhead
Stab.
2. Right Forearm Block: (66V, P174, P187)
Same as previous, but you are holding your dagger. The dagger ends up pointing
skyward. Used as a set-up for several techniques.
3. Outward Blade Block: (64R)
Reverse grip, moving from inside to outside so that your blade points to your
left or inward, catches his wrist or hand against your blade. Defends against
either downward stab.
4. Inward Blade Block: (implied)
Opposite of above: reverse grip, moving from outside to inside so that your
blade points to your right.
5. Upper Shield/Der Ober Schild: (64V, P171, M6)
Forward grip, point of blade inward to your left, grip the blade itself with
your left hand to reinforce, lifts upward. Defends against either downward stab
when they are obviously being delivered with lots of force. When delivered forcefully
can be a very effective strike in its own right.
6. Lower Shield/Der Unter Schild: (70R, P171)
Same as above but dropping downward. Defends against an upward stab or a straight
thrust.
7. Double Downward Grab: (Empty hand: 63R, Holding dagger: P181)
Defends against a straight thrust to the abdomen. Hike your body back and grab
downward onto his wrist/forearm with both hands, or with the left hand while
striking his forearm with the pommel of your dagger held in forward grip in
your right hand.
8. Hand Hacks: (SF3)
Defends against a straight thrust to the abdomen. "Slap" or "hack"
downward and outward with the back of your left hand to deflect his thrust,
then counter with your own straight thrust. As Pete Kautz explains, this simple
movement can be extrapolated into a very useful drill. You and your partner
trade hacks and thrusts back and forth. It can be taken further by assuming
that if you can do a hand hack against a straight thrust, you can do a hand
hack against an upward thrust, a downward stab, etc. It can go in to out with
the back of the hand, or out to in with the palm. So now the drill evolves in
that you and your partner are taking turns trading random attacks form any angle
countered by a simple hand hack. Whether or not this is what was intended in
the fechtbuch or was something done in the medieval era, it does make a useful
and valuable drill to develop required reaction and skills. Talhoffer often
uses the phrase "set aside" or ansetzen when referring to a defensive
motion. This is simply the motion of knocking aside the attack from the side
as described here.
9. Strikes/Cuts to the Opponent's Weapon Hand: (SF1, SF2)
Even without much of an edge, a solid rap to an exposed hand is going to do
some damage. You have your dagger in a forward grip. The first illustration
shows a downward strike/cut to the opponents hand while he is in what appears
to be middle guard. It likely represents a preemptive strike that catches the
opponent off guard. The second illustration shows a backhand strike/cut to the
opponent's hand while defending against his backhand downward stab.
10. Simultaneous Attack & Defense: (68R, 68V, P180)
Being able to avoid the opponent's attack completely while hitting with your
own is the best. Being able to intercept and deflect his attack with the same
motion that delivers your own is next best. The first illustration shows a straight
thrust to the chest that intercepts from above an upward backhand stab at the
same time. The second and third illustrations show a straight or upward thrust
to the abdomen that intercepts the attacker's thrust from the outside and strikes
beneath it. This is a basic principle that can be applied from various angles
and against numerous attacks. Play with it and figure them out!
You'll have to bear with me now. A series of movements are much harder to describe in writing than the simpler actions that have preceded. Again, these brief descriptions are meant as a way to help organize the material and as a quick reference to help jog your memory after working through techniques while viewing the original illustrations.
1. The Scissors Hold: (66V, P174, SF5)
Defend against his forehand stab with a right forearm block; reach from below
and grab your blade with your left hand in a reverse grip as you circle his
arm down with your right; bring it down to waist level so that you have him
off-balanced with his arm trapped between yours directly in front of you. As
a variation, you could have intercepted his attack with your left hand from
the outside and guided it into your right forearm block.
2. Turning Back the Dagger #1: (P170)
Defend against his forehand stab with an inward blade block; circle the point
of your dagger inward and down to the outside of his forearm; lever forward
against his arm to trap his blade against his own forearm.
3. Turning Back the Dagger #2: (implied)
Defend against his forehand stab with an outward blade block; circle the point
of your dagger outward and down to the inside of his forearm; lever forward
against his arm to trap his blade against yours.
4. Turning Back the Dagger #3: (P182)
Defend against his forehand stab with an upper shield; circle the hilt of your
dagger inward and down across his wrist; lever forward and inward against his
blade.
5. Downward Bent Armbar /Elbow Lever Throw #1: (65R, P173)
Dagger in forward grip; set aside his downward stab from the outside with your
dagger hand; circle the point of your dagger outward and down to cross the crook
of his elbow; grab the blade of your dagger with your other hand as you pivot
clockwise 180 degrees and lever throw him forward across your left leg.
6. Downward Bent Armbar/Elbow Lever Throw #2: (62R, P179, M9, M11)
Empty hand (62R), or with dagger in reverse grip (P179); set aside his downward
stab from the outside with your right hand or meet it with a right forearm block
; grab his wrist with your right hand or hook across it with the crook of your
dagger as you begin to roll his arm forward; pivot as before as you press against
the back of his elbow with your left hand to lever throw him forward across
your left leg. Marozzo shows it as a simple armbar without the pivot and throw
(M9). He also shows it applied to the free arm rather than the weapon arm (M11).
7. Downward Bent Armbar #3: (63V, P172)
Empty hand (63V), or with dagger in forward grip (P172); set aside his downward
stab from the outside with your left hand; grab his wrist and guide his arm
inward and down; pass your right arm through the crook of his elbow; lift and
pull towards you with your right while pressing down and out with your left
to apply leverage across his elbow. Talhoffer shows it as a simple armbar, but
you could also pivot and throw just as in the variations above.
8. Upward Bent Armbar #1: (61V, P178, M5 )
Empty hand (61V & M5), or with dagger in forward grip (P178); defend against
his forehand downward stab with a left forearm block; grab his wrist with your
left as you step forward and begin to force his arm backwards; reach around
from the outside of his arm with your right to either grab his forearm near
your left hand, or hook against his forearm with the pommel of your dagger;
continue your forward momentum to carry him backwards onto his back. Marozzo
shows stepping with your right leg behind the attacker's right leg in order
to combine the technique with a rear-leg takedown.
9. Upward Bent Armbar #2: (M22)
Empty hand; same as before, but rather than reaching all the way around and
grabbing his forearm with your right hand, catch his elbow in the palm of your
right hand and lift to apply leverage. By implication, the same thing could
be done with your dagger in forward/hammer grip and hooking behind his elbow
with the crook of your dagger in order to lift and pull to apply leverage. This
is suggested in SF4, though it is shown with the arm in a straight armbar (elbow
extended) rather than a bent armbar.
10. The Scooping Throw #1: (66R, P173, M3)
Dagger in reverse grip; defend against his forehand downward stab with a left
forearm block and grab his wrist; insert your dagger between his legs and hook
behind his left thigh with the crook of your dagger; press back with your left
as you pull and lift with your right and move forward to lever him over onto
his back. By implication, you could do the same thing by hooking behind his
right thigh. Marozzo shows it this way, but as an empty-hand grab to the right
leg of the attacker rather than a hook with the dagger.
11. The Scooping Throw #2: (P188)
Dagger in either grip or empty-hand; defend against his forehand stab with a
left forearm block but step deep and to the outside as you shoot your left arm
over his arm and wrap it around his elbow; at almost the same time reach down
from the outside with your right arm and wrap it behind his right knee; continue
your forward momentum and lift to throw him over onto his back.
12. Arm Circle & Tackle: (P186)
Dagger in forward grip; set aside his backhand downward stab with your right
and continue the motion as a circle outward and down to the point that you bring
your dagger behind his right knee and have his arm trapped beneath yours; grab
the blade of your dagger with your left; pull up and towards you as you bend
at the waist and surge forward to ram him with your right shoulder and force
him over onto his back.
13. Straight Armbar: (62V, P175, M8)
Set aside his downward stab and grab with your right, or set it aside with your
left and then switch hands to grab with your right; step in front of him with
your left leg as you pivot clockwise 90 degrees; throw your left arm over his
so that you have his right arm extended with the elbow locked across your ribcage
under your left arm. Talhoffer then shows the defender throwing his legs out
in front of himself so that he drops onto the ground in a sitting position and
subsequently breaks the attackers elbow (65V, P175). Marozzo continues his pivot
past 90 degrees; grabs the opponents wrist with his left hand and traps his
extended elbow in his left armpit; then he grabs the opponents blade with his
right hand and wrenches it from his grasp. If this one does not come off as
planned and the opponent manages to bend his elbow, just flow into the upward
bent armbar or downward bent armbar #2.
14. Over-The-Shoulder Armbar: (P182, M12, M20)
Defend against a straight thrust with the double downward grab (either empty-hand
or holding dagger); pivot clockwise 180 degrees and bring his arm up to place
his extended elbow across your left shoulder; pull forward and down on his arm
as you lift with your legs to hyperextend his elbow. Marozzo also shows this
applied to the attacker's EMPTY hand while his dagger remains unobstructed (M20).
15. Entangle & Thrust/Grab & Stab: (70V, M10)
Dagger in forward grip; defend against his forehand downward stab with a left
forearm block as you step in with your left leg; continue your forward momentum
and slide your left arm up and behind his elbow to trap his dagger against your
arm as you deliver a straight thrust to his abdomen. The same priniciple is
show in Marozzo in even a simpler form. Grab his right wrist with your left
and drive home your own downward stab.
16. Hip Throw: (P178, P181)
The set up for this one can vary widely. Talhoffer is not very clear on how
to lead into it, but I would suspect this is a close-in technique that evolves
out of a tie-up position or some serious back and forth grappling for position
and control. Your left arm is wrapped around the opponent's neck and you are
in contact hip-to-hip. P178 shows it so that your left leg is between his (or
should be in the picture) and he is being thrown face forward. P181 shows it
so that your left leg is behind his left leg and he is being thrown face backwards
(onto his back).
17. Triangle Disarm: (implied)
Pete Kautz shows this one on his website and states that it is the 1st move
from dei Liberi's "Flos Duellatorum." It is a natural extension or
continuation of the left forearm block and wrist grab against a downward stab.
Simply continue the motion by directing his arm in a circular motion down and
inward. The blade of his dagger should be against the back of your wrist/forearm
so that a triangle is formed with his blade as one side, your wrist as another,
and his wrist as the third side. As you continue your circular motion inward
he will be automatically disarmed by the leverage of your forearm against his
blade. Simple!
Here things get even more difficult to try and explain with words. Several counters are shown in the original manuals. Others can be derived on your own by working into any of the techniques previously described as your opponent tries to apply one on you. The key to any counter is to take control before the opponent has completed his move or has his leverage set.
1. Counter to the Upper Shield Block #1: Bent Armbar #2 (P183)
The opponent blocks your downward stab with an upper shield; quickly flip your
arm over and drop your dagger hand down between his arms; pivot clockwise 360
degrees as you circle your pommel out and up behind his right wrist and place
your left hand against his elbow to execute the bent armbar. You can release
your grip on your dagger to grab his forearm so that you are grasping your dagger
and his arm at the same time. An alternative is to circle the point of your
dagger around his arm and lock his wrist in the crook of your dagger as you
execute the bent armbar.
2. Counter to the Upper Shield Block #2: Scissors Hold (P184)
The opponent blocks your downward stab with an upper shield; quickly shift your
dagger across to his right forearm and trap his arm in the crook of your dagger;
reach from below and grasp your blade with your left hand to execute the scissors
hold.
3. Counter to the Upper Shield Block #3: Scissors to the Neck (P184)
The opponent blocks your downward stab with an upper shield; quickly and forcefully
yank his block down with your dagger; pass your dagger behind his neck in a
backhand motion; grasp your blade with your left hand from below; pivot clockwise
90 degrees to apply the scissors to his neck and twist him off balance. While
not illustrated, it would be prudent to check his block and hold it down with
your left hand after you have yanked it down before you reach around his neck
with your dagger.
4. Counter to the Upper Shield Block #4: Feint & Stab (P185)
You feint a downward stab and draw an upper shield from the opponent; quickly
pass your dagger up between his arms from below and execute a downward stab
to his throat or upper chest. In this one Talhoffer does show the left hand
checking the attacker's arm during the execution of the stab.
5. Counter to the Upper Shield Block #5: The Grapple (P185)
The opponent blocks your downward stab with an upper shield; crash in by stepping
between his legs with your left as you trap both of his arms beneath your right
arm; grab his right thigh from the outside with your left hand and throw him
to the ground.
6. Counter to the Scissors Hold #1: Scissors Hold (SF6)
The opponent is attempting to catch you in a scissors hold; before he can set
his hold, move quickly to change the angle and grasp your own blade to apply
the scissors hold on him.
7. Counter to the Scissors Hold #2: Hand Switch (SF6)
As he tries to set his scissors hold on you simply transfer your dagger to your
left hand and deliver a downward stab! This works particularly well if his hold
is low across your wrist or the back of your hand because by letting go of your
dagger your hand is likely to drop right out of his hold.
8. Counter to the Downward Bent Armbar #1: The Pivot (67R, P174)
The opponent is attempting to apply the downward bent armbar #1 after your attempted
downward stab; before you are off-balanced, quickly grab your own blade from
below with your left hand and pivot counter-clockwise 90 degrees to destroy
his leverage advantage. Talhoffer doesn't elaborate on a follow-up from here,
but if you continue your motion you will naturally either wrench his dagger
from his grip and therefore free yourself from his hold, or fling him to the
ground in a circular motion. Alternatively, after you have pivoted CCW to destroy
his leverage, you can pivot back clockwise as you hook your dagger around his
right wrist and with your left hand against his elbow apply your own downward
bent armbar #2.
9. Counter to the Downward Bent Armbar #2: Hip Throw (69V & 67V, P176,
P179)
The opponent is attempting to apply the downward bent armbar #2 after your attempted
downward stab; before your are off-balanced, quickly pivot 180 degrees counter-clockwise
as you step with your left leg behind his right and wrap your left arm back
around his waist with your left forearm against the back of his thigh (69V);
pivot back 180 degrees clockwise and lift him onto your left hip as you drop
your right elbow and flip the point of your dagger inward and across his wrist
to trap his arm; throw him onto his back. Note that this two step technique
is presented in the wrong order and with an intervening illustration in Talhoffers
work of 1459, while it is shown in the proper order and on the same page in
the 1467 edition. This is also illustrated on P179, but it is not clear if this
represents step one of this two step technique, or whether Talhoffer is showing
an alternative technique in which you are doing more of a rear leg takedown
after step one rather than pivoting back for the hip throw.
While Achille Marozzo was from the Italian school rather than the German, and he is separated in time from Talhoffer by almost 100 years, it should be pretty clear by now that their methods were pretty similar. We have covered 10 out of Marozzo's 22 dagger techniques that were presented in his "Opera Nova" just by crossing-referencing them with Talhoffer's methods. We would be remiss if we didn't go ahead and cover the rest. For excellent explanations of Marozzo's techniques, please get Pete Kautz's book "Mani Contra il Coltillo: Hands Against the Knife." You can order it from his website at http://www.alliancemartialarts.com. Marozzo seems to have a fondness for throwing his opponents by levering them across his leg, and all of his defenses involve going empty-hand against the attacker.
1. The Rear Leg Takedown: (M1)
Intercept his attack with a left forearm block & grip; step in with your
right leg behind his right leg as you strike him in the throat with your right
hand or across the upper chest with your entire right forearm; pull to your
left with your left arm and push with your right to take him back and down across
your right leg.
2. Straight Armbar over the Shoulders & Rear Leg Takedown: (M2)
Intercept his attack with a left forearm block & grip; step in with your
right leg behind his right leg as you duck your head under his arm and bring
his extended elbow across the back of your neck/top of your shoulders; grab
his right thigh from the inside with your right hand; hyperextend his elbow
as you lift with your right hand to throw him backwards.
3. Diving Throw: (M4, M7)
Set aside his straight thrust from the outside with your right arm and grab
his wrist; step up with your left leg behind his right as you extend your left
arm across his neck/upper chest; force him backwards across your left leg with
your left arm to throw him onto his back. Also shown against his free arm in
M7 as a defence against a lapel grab & stab: secure his left arm by pressing
it against your chest with your left hand; step up with your right leg behind
his left as you extend your right arm across his chest and throw as before.
Obviously this has to be done quickly and with good timing to avoid his descending
strike.
4. Blade Grip Disarms: (M13, M14, M17)
The basic principle here is to strongly grab the wrist of his dagger hand to
stabilize it in one place and prevent him from pulling back, then grab his blade
with your other hand and rotate his dagger in a circular motion so that his
pommel is levered AWAY from his palm. This can be accomplished against a sharp
knife with a big blade if you effectively prevent him from pulling back and
drawing the edge across your hand, and you put the pressure of your grip against
the FLAT of his blade and not the edges. Don't try it on a blade less than about
6 inches long. M13 shows it against a forward grip by grasping his forearm with
your left hand from the outside and twisting his blade counterclockwise. M14
shows it against a reverse grip by grasping his wrist with your right hand from
the inside and twisting his blade clockwise. M17 shows is against a reverse
grip by grasping his wrist with your left hand from the outside and twisting
his blade clockwise. Practice these by having your partner feed you thrusts
or stabs at various angles as your set them aside with either hand and move
into the disarm.
5. Arm Smash Release: (M16)
The opponent has grabbed your lapel/shirt with his left hand and lifted his
dagger up in preparation for a downward stab; quickly lift your arms over your
head and grasp your hands together; bring your fists down forcefully onto his
forearm to off-balance him. Follow-up by moving backwards quickly to drag him
face down on the ground, extending your arms to strike him in the face, moving
into a bent armbar against his free arm, etc.
6. Head Twist Takedown: (M18)
Set aside the opponent's attack with your right arm from the outside and grab
his wrist; step up with your left leg behind his right and reach behind him
with your left arm and grab him by the chin on the opposite side; twist his
head back over his left shoulder to take him down. The attacker in the illustration
has a nice handy beard to grab hold of. If you are afraid of slipping off of
a clean-shaven chin, you can reach further across and grab his right lapel/right
side of his collar and do the same twisting leverage takedown and get in a choke
at the same time.
7. Rolling Throw: (M19)
You have managed to grab the attacker's dagger wrist and so avoid being stabbed
or thrusted, but he has managed to off-balance you and you have fallen onto
your back with the attacker coming down on top of you; quickly stop him by catching
his hips with your feet; continue the backward momentum that put you down and
throw him over your head. If you want to be nice you will pull down on his arms
so that he lands on his back. If you want to be nasty you will give him more
slack and guide him forward so that he lands on his head.
8. Straight Armbar/Elbow Wrench: (M21)
This one is a little different from the straight armbar previously described.
The opponent has grabbed you by the lapel/shirt with his left hand and raised
his dagger to prepare a downward stab; grab his left wrist with your left and
strike his arm just above the elbow with your right forearm as you pivot slightly
counter-clockwise to avoid his dagger. Follow it up with a bent armbar #2.