Simple Method of Single Time Defence with the Bowie
The Why
I've been obsessed with the Bowie knife for as long as I can remember. My first exposure to knife fighting was not with the Bowie, but with the KA-BAR during basic training in the Marine Corps. After the Marines I started researching dagger fighting with the pivotal 20th century works of Biddle, Applegate, Fairbairn, and Sykes. Eventually I put that research on the backburner and began studying the longsword as a member of the Association for Renaissance Martial Arts (ARMA). A year ago I started getting interested in the big Bowie once more, and wondered how I could apply Renaissance Martial Arts (RMA) to that iconic weapon. Generally the response I received from other ARMA members is that the Bowie is basically a Langes Messer, so it ought to be used as such. While this has validity, I thought to myself: "Why not incorporate Rondell Dagger material?" and "Is the Bowie not a small Sabre?" So I began looking through Renaissance dagger and military sabre materials.
The striking difference between the older fight books and the newer fencing treatises is the timing of the attacks. The RMA generally focus on single\middle time (mezzo tempo) defences that only resort to double time movements (dui tempo) when moving into a grappling technique. Indeed, even the dui tempo defences are meant to be done as close to mezzo tempo as possible. The fencing treatises of the 19th century and the early 20th century almost entirely focuse on dui tempo, parry and riposte defences. Furthermore, this is shared by late 20th century knife fighting books as well. When thinking on this trend, I wondered if I couldn't compile an assortment of mezzo tempo defences appropriate for the Bowie.
That is what has prompted me to work on this writing today. I've taken techniques from Renaissance manuals, sabre manuals from the 19th century and early 20th century, and more recent writings of the 20th century. I've listed some of the referenced works below (too lazy to list all the books and PDFs), so that interested entities may further read on the subject.
The What
This writing assumes a few things right off the bat. First, this assumes that you already have a basic understanding of general historical fencing. These ideas, like angles and wards, won't be explained in much detail for sake of brevity. Second, this assumes that you're using a sizable Bowie knife. I've seen Bowies range from 8 inches long up to over 20 inches long. I'd recommend a Bowie that is at least 12 inches long, though generally bigger is better. Lastly, the experienced historical fencer and\or knife fighter will recognize many or all of these techniques. It must be clear that I'm not claiming to have invented this; I have merely put this together to aid other interested Bowie fighters. If you have friends who you think may enjoy this or someone asks you about some ways to use the Bowie, feel free to pass this along to them. This is by no means exhaustive, but I hope that it is a start.
Further Reading
Codex Wallerstein
Hutton, Alfred - Cold Steel, Old Sword Play
Liberi, Fiore de'i - Flower of Battle
Loriega, James - Manual of the Baratero
McLemore, Dwight C. - Advanced Bowie Techniques, Bowie and Big-Knife Fighting System
Meyer, Joachim - Thorough Descriptions of the Art of Fencing
Styers, John - Cold Steel
The How
Note: This is not organized by ward or attack. I've purposely left a number of things vague in the following techniques. This is to echo the often vaguely written Renaissance manuals of defence, and because I didn't feel a need to cover every possible aspect of combat. For example: I've not mentioned true or false edge, hatchet grip or sabre grip, or every possible ward usable for each movement. If I say to cut, it ought to be in the way you see fit and allowable by grip (cut with the back if you want or if it is quickest, like if you are using the hatchet grip). If you thrust but it is preceded by a back edge cutting motion, that is fine. I also only mention a few grip styles: Middle (tierce or pflug), Hanging (Hangen or Ochs), Boar's Tooth or Middle Reverse, and Middle Iron Door Doubled with Dagger. I don't list all possible wards usable, so that one basically will use one of three grips: point forward (sabre, hatchet, foil), reverse (slasher), and blade forward with two hands. The specific wards emanating from those three types are entirely up to the operator and are meant to generally describe a possible beginning ward (use seconde if you don't like tierce or hanging).
Begin
Ward: Middle Guard or Reverse
Attack: Thrust to upper openings
Counter: Go with left arm to his dagger arm and thrust to his upper openings.
Ward: Middle Guard or Hanging
Attack: Thrust to upper openings or torso
Counter: When you perceive his weapon arm moving towards you, thrust the dagger forward and hack down on his weapon arm. Do this with a lunge and recover back into hanging.
Ward: Middle Iron Door Doubled with Dagger
Attack: Thrust to upper openings
Counter: Take it on your dagger and wind with the pommel above his right arm,
so that his point is pushed into his upper openings.
Ward: Middle Guard or Reverse
Attack: Thrust to upper openings
Middle Counter: Volta to his weak side and thrust with the nails up (punta
reversa) to upper openings.
Reverse Counter: Volta to his weak side and change from Oberhut to Unterhut so
that you thrust to his groin.
Ward: Middle Guard or Reverse
Attack: Thrust to upper openings
Counter: If he is using the reverse grip, hit his right hand with your left so
that he thrusts into his own groin. If he is using a Sabre (or any non-reverse) grip, volta on your
left leg while hitting his right hand past your torso. In both cases, follow it
up with a thrust of your own however you find best.
Ward: Middle Iron Door Doubled with Dagger
Attack: Thrust from below
Counter: Hit the dagger from above with your dagger. Take his right hand with
your left and then stab him however you find best.
Optional Counter: Hit the dagger from above with your dagger. Take his right
hand with your left and then perform either a flying mare or break the arm on
your shoulder.
Ward: Middle Guard or Reverse
Attack: Thrust to upper openings
Counter: Break his thrust with your left hand. Drop down and stab him in a
lower opening.
Ward: Middle Guard or Reverse
Attack: He cuts an angle one cut
Middle Counter: Deflect it with your flat in quarte. Quickly pass the left foot
forward and hit the right hand with your left and then wind the pommel so that
you cut an angle two cut to his face.
Optional Middle Counter: Deflect it with your flat in quarte. Quickly pass the
left foot forward and hit the right hand with your left, so that you pull his
arm down. Cut him in his head.
Reverse Counter: Deflect it with your dagger (e.g. Meyer’s “Transverse Dagger”).
Quickly pass the left foot forward and hit the right hand with your left, and
then stab him from above on his strong side.
Ward: Middle Guard or Reverse
Attack: He cuts an angle one cut or thrusts at you.
Middle Counter: Break the attack by deflecting (e.g. high prime, high quarte,
or Fiddle as needed). Run at him with your left arm high and catch his right
arm under your left. Hit him however you
see fit.
Reverse Counter: Deflect it with your dagger (ala Meyer’s “Transverse Dagger”).
Run at him with your left arm high and catch his right arm under your left, and
then stab a riverso to his strong side.
Ward: Middle Guard
Attack: He cuts or thrusts at you from above.
Counter: When you perceive his weapon arm moving towards you, cut an unterhau
so that you chop his arm off. Clearly you would use the appropriate angle
(three, four, or seven) depending on his opening.
Ward: Middle Iron Door Doubled with Dagger
Attack: He cuts or thrusts at you from above
Counter: Take it on your blade and thrust to his upper openings.
Optional Counter: Stop thrust to his hand at his weapon hand comes within
distance.
Ward: Middle Guard or Hanging
Attack: He rushes in to thrust at you at an upper opening
Counter: Slip the lead leg back and thrust to his immediately closest opening
(e.g. the slipping stop thrust or the “floretazo” or the “matador thrust”).
Optional Counter: Thrust the back leg to the rear and grab the deck with your
left hand, and thrust at his torso (e.g. the passato sotto).
Ward: Middle Guard or Hanging
Attack: He rushes in to thrust at you at a lower opening
Counter: Slip the lead leg back and cut him in the head.
Ward: Fiore’s Boar’s Tooth or Meyer’s Unterhau
Attack: He rushes in to thrust at you from above
Counter: Deflect it down to your right side with a Transverse Dagger. Secure
the arm with your left arm while passing forward with your left leg, and strike
him at whatever opening you find.
Ward: Middle Guard or Hanging
Attack: He strongly cuts an oberhau at you.
Counter: Transversely step and counter-cut to his hand. Use the appropriate angle
of attack, as with counter-cutting using the longsword.
Fin
