Jervel’s Blog

First of all, apologies for not getting to this sooner.  Life is hectic, yadda yadda.  We started this years schlager training in September.  It is my intention to post weekly to this blog about what we did in class.  This serves two purposes.  First, you can see what you missed if you weren’t in class.  Second, I can fully explain the reasoning and rational behind what we taught here instead of taking up precious fighting time.

To begin, let me summarize some of the major differences between the schlager and the epee.  The first thing you likely noticed when you picked up your schlager for the first time is that it is much heavier than the epee.  Next you likely noticed that it is much more rigid and doesn’t flex as much.  And thirdly, you may or may not have noticed the balance difference (especially if you used on of the loaner schalgers which are not balanced well for most people).  There are other differences, those are the more obvious ones.

So what does this mean to you?  First, the weight difference allows for different swordplay from the epee.  Some things that work well for epee, like quick, repeated, single shots (sewing machine style) and big sweeping parries, don’t work as well for the schlager.  It is too heavy to move as fast as the epee.  Also, you are going to tire out much faster if you constantly extend and recover.  On the flip side, maneuvers like beats and froismans work better for the schlager than for the epee.  You can take advantage of the fact that it takes your opponent longer to bring their point back on line when you perform these.

The rigidity and balance point differences bring more subtle changes to the game.  The rigidity brings power into play.  It is much easier to power thru or push thru your opponents defense with the schlager.  The transfer of power when blades make contact is more dramatic.  I can transfer a lot of energy into my opponents sword with techniques like power parries that will significantly deflect my opponents sword. Or I can minimize the energy transfer during parries by moving the sword just enough to make contact with my opponents blade and “push” their tip off line while maintaining the contact (sticky parries).  Parrying with the flat of the blade versus the edge of the blade also affects the energy transfer.

The balance of your schlager is mostly a personal preference.  It changes how the sword moves as you extend, lunge, and parry, and how easily it chambers for a draw cut.  Your arm and shoulder strength and fighting style will determine where your balance point lies.  For most people I recommend starting with the balance point about an inch in front of the guard and adjusting it from there.

Those are the differences.  I will get into how to overcome these differences and be an awesome schlager fighter in future blogs. After all, it is going to take all semester and then some to cover the techniques. Before you even start thinking about how to use your schlager effectively, you need to be able to wield it. For almost everybody who starts training with schlager, the first thing they need to do is get stronger.  Just doing a dozen lunges against a tree is going to make your arm tired, leading to sloppy attacks, huge parries, and poor point control. Interval training with a sand scabbard is fantastic for this.  (Interval training is detailed somewhere in Logan’s blog.)  You can also do lunge and parry drills with a your sword in the scabbard to add some weight.  Some specific muscle training is also very helpful.  The muscles on the back of your shoulder are used to stop your shots.  Strengthening those will help with overall endurance and prevent you from damaging those muscles during those long weekend fighting events.  The wrist and forearm are used to hold the sword and tip up and parry.  Biceps and chest muscles are used each time you extend.

The last thing I am going to mention is the mental difference commonly seen in a schlager fighter. As I mentioned above, the schlager feels different in your hand. To most people, it feels more like a deadly weapon. And people tend to treat it as such. You have to be more aware of your safety and the safety of your opponent when you play with schalgers. Schlagers are much more able to do real damage to the body. Dented masks and gorgets are far from unheard of. Neither are cracked ribs and collar bones, and injured trachea.

–Jervel out–

I live!