Tips for Unterhalten

Ground Fighting - Medieval Style

I love Unterhalten! If you are going to practice some form of grappling on the ground, it might as well be this. Unterhalten can be transcribed as "Hold Under" or as we would translate it in modern English, it refers to the methods of pinning someone down for whatever reason you choose in combat. If in friendly combat, then you pin to score points or to show your friends how much they suck. If in serious combat, then you pin them so you can stab them to death or hold them for eventual ransoming. I'll really only be the discussing the latter usages (murder primarily).

Unterhalten is very similar to wrestling on your feet, in that the more points of control you have the better your pin will be. A problem I use to have with Unterhalten was that my natural inclination was to simply jump on top of the person's stomach and try to stab my opponent that way, which seems like a good idea until you get into a strength-match with the person under you. Now I'm not saying this pin is bad (the so-called high mount or also the low mount) but it is certainly not the most effective. So I began to look into the manuals for more Unterhalten pins and eventually I worked out some interesting recurrences.

• The pinning person is just as often standing or crouching as he is entirely sitting or laying on top of the other person.
• Strangles\chokes do not appear at all to the best of my knowledge.
• The legs and knees are used for pinning just as much as the hands.
• Arm-locks and full nelsons (with variations) appear frequently.
• Side-control appears only when the pinning person already has the dagger drawn and\or when the pinning person is crouching.
• North-South position occurs but only with daggers and only when crouching.
  
  

These recurring themes struck as me as very interesting for a couple different reasons. First they illustrate a method of ground-fighting very different from what we see in Jiu-Jitsu or other Asian ground-fighting methods.  Second they are very reminiscent of the ways you see police officers cuff or pepper-spray people on the ground. Lastly they all seem to be very efficient, no-nonsense ways of making sure someone doesn't move while you attempt to draw your side-arm and finish them off on the deck. So I decided to work some of these   tricks into my training and I found some interesting results that I will share here.

1. Knees are very effective for controlling people's arms and body. At first I was worried about their arms slipping out from under my knees, but with body weight on top of the offending limb people generally won't free the limb in time. For example, securing the left arm with your right knee works very well as you secure the other arm with your free hand. Placing the knee on the person's neck, testicles, or solar plexus work very well as well. If the person is face down then you put your knee on the person's lower back as you grab his hair or fencing mask with your free hand and stab with the other hand. The knee is especially good for securing someone because you upright yourself as you push them down, which is very useful for buying you distance and time in order to grab your weapon.
   
   
2. The full nelson works really well on someone wearing headgear, which will most likely be the case if you are fencing with someone. You can do it the standard way, around the neck, but that is not the only way you can do it. If the person's mask falls off you can do the same full nelson grip on his nose and eyes or his chin, all of which can be pretty painful and can buy you a moment if you need to grab his knife from his belt. This is also a good way of buying yourself a second or two to grab your own knife with your right hand.
   
   
3. There are risks to consider when jumping on top of the other person instead of simply crouching down. One risk is that you can try to stab the person and he can wrench the knife from your hand. Another risk is that he can shove your knife into the ground as you try to stab him, which can buy him a second or two to grab his own knife. A more prevalent risk in today's MA world is that you can be arm-barred if you aren't careful. You can avoid these risks by going down on one knee to pin him instead of jumping on him. You can more easily secure the person's free hand so he cannot defend himself. You can create distance to avoid arm-bars and disarms. You can defeat a person's speed or skill by simply putting your other hand over his nose and eyes, or by putting your knee upon his neck or chest.
    
4. Choking a man is a good way to get him to tap out. Stabbing him to death with a dagger is a good way to make sure he never offends you again.

There you go, I hope this wets your appetite for fighting on the ground with daggers!

Quotes on Self-Defense from Percy Longhurst

                

Writing that last article wetted my appetite for blunt-object fighting and I decided to browse some of my various manuals for more stick fighting goodness. Sure enough, I found myself with my copy of Jiu-Jitsu and Other Methods of Self-Defence by Percy Longhurst. While this gem from 1906 is mainly concerned with Jiu-Jitsu, it does have good tips and tricks for people who don’t do JJ. Check this and other historical manuals out here here. While I did not find anything that was specifically related to the stick techniques used by Fiore, I did find some utterly fantastic quotes that I want to share.

A good knowledge of boxing, of wrestling, or of fencing is of inestimable use to a man in any chance encounter. It will invariably give him the advantage over a single opponent, even if the latter be much bigger and stronger than himself, and will even enable one successfully to contend against several; for, if one assailant be badly hurt, knocked senseless by a well-directed blow on the point of the jaw, or thrown hard on the pavement by a clever stroke, the moral effect on his companions is immense. This moral effect is a point which must not be overlooked : it is not always the actual damage inflicted which makes the greatest impression; it is the instilling into the minds of one’s opponents a disagreeable fear of what you may do to them which is to be reckoned on.

Not only this, but the consciousness of being able to take care of himself will give him an increased confidence and courage, a display of which will frequently carry a man unarmed through what might otherwise prove a serious matter. Courage invariably produces a demoralizing effect upon cowards, and many cases might be quoted wherein a defiant attitude and courageous demeanour have saved a man from great danger.

“The best defence is to attack,” and the man who hits first, hits hard, and keeps on hitting, will demoralise his assailants far more than he who simply defends himself, with no thought of retaliation. There are two ways of meeting an enemy, says Sir Francis Drake in “Westward Ho!” “One is to hit him first and say ‘You touch me and I’ll do that again’; the other is to wait until he hits you, and then say, ‘If you do that again I’ll hit you’”; and the man who is suddenly accosted in a threatening manner by one or more individuals will do well to bear this advice in mind.

And there you are. Even 100+ years ago, an Englishman knew that audacity was vital for any martial artist. If you don't have audacity, what the hell is your excuse?!

The Off-Hand Stick

I came across an interesting website while Googling information about Zambia this morning:

Zulu Stick Fighting: A Socio-Historical Overview

One thing that really stood out to me was the idea of using a long stick in the off-hand to ward off blows. It kept reminding me of something that I couldn't place my finger on until just now...Fiore! Fiore has two techniques that involve a stick in the off-hand and he pairs the stick with the dagger instead of a club.

Zulu Stick Fighting
 (http://www.warthog.co.za/dedt/tourism/culture/warriors/menu.htm)

Using a long stick or spear to block a strike while attacking with the dagger. (http://wiktenauer.com)

Warding with a club while attacking with a dagger, after having cast the other club. (http://wiktenauer.com)

There are two items of interest worth noting:

1. Compare the image of the Zulu fighters with the fighters in the first Fiore image. You'll observe that the Zulu blocking stick is used in conjunction with a small, buckler-like shield whereas the long stick from Fiore is done bare-handed. You'll also notice that the long stick is, in fact, lacking a spearhead. This could either be because it is just a stick or the artist got lazy about drawing the spearhead on it. Assuming the former is the true answer, this seems to imply that the long stick is an impromptu weapon rather than a weapon built specifically for warfare. This could be a walking stick or some random stick he was carrying around at the time, for example.
   
   
2.  The other interesting item is in the second Fiore image, which is the usage of a dagger instead of using both sticks simultaneously. I find this very interesting because of the implied mindset of the person throwing the club. If you have two large clubs in your hands, why not just bum rush the person attacking you with the spear with the two clubs? Why use a dagger instead of the club already in your hand? I believe this implies a preference for an edged weapon rather than a blunt one. This makes sense because even though blows from a blunt weapon can do a lot of damage to a human body, it is the blade that most quickly ends another person's life. Why take a risk by being merciful to your attacker?

So all things considering, knowing how to defend yourself with blunt weapons (sticks\clubs) in your off-hand does seem useful. I can see using the long stick in the off-hand would be very useful for people who fight with staffs and for people who have big walking sticks when they go hiking. While just out-right stabbing someone to death with your other hand is probably not the best action legally, it can at least save your life. In fact I think I will try this method of blocking the next time I do sparring with my staff.

Protecting your hands

After being approached by a friend who wants to learn stick fighting, I sat down and started to think about the most common problems for a beginner. A couple pints and some Ladytron later, I began to remember how much I used to get hit in the fingers and how often others got hit in the hands as well. The problem of protecting your hands is an issue for all fencers and it can plague people regardless of weapon. Of course, some weapons protect your hands better than others but no amount of protection can substitute skill. If hand-hitting is a well known foe to you, try some of these tips for protecting your hands.

1. Be aggressive. One of the most natural and prevalent problems in defense is the lack of aggression in its operators. For this post, let's go ahead and say that aggression is synonymous with violent intent. Violent intent is a vital, yet overlooked or even demonized by some martial artists. Why is violent intent important for your hands? There are two reasons. First if you are aggressive you will extend your arms while you strike. An extended strike is a safe strike. Extending your arms when striking is what puts the blade\stick of your enemy aside, it gives you reach, and it allows you to properly utilize your hilt. The second reason is simple: if you hit your enemy before he hits your hands, your hands will be safe. Don't wait for him to attack you! Remember, offense IS defense.
   
2. Be smooth and graceful in the bind. This is something that can only be learned through sparring. It is easy for you to exaggerate your motions if you only do drills or solo work, and you won't even realize it until you get your fingers cut in sparring. If you exaggerate your winding in the bind, you won't properly use the hilt. Be smooth and have the grace to only do the minimum required to use your hilt while winding. Move simply and you won't get nicked while winding!
   
3. Be rapid. Don't linger around in the approach distance and don't do unnecessary stalking. A fight with weapons shouldn't take very long; weapons are force multipliers for a reason. Size up the situation rapidly and gain the initiative! Don't muck about and give your foe additional time to make plans. This is especially important because lingering in the approach distance leads to chicken scratching from a "safe" distance, and as chicken scratching increases so does the likelihood of a random hand hit. Close the distance and take your foe down, don't dance!
   
4. Be aware of your hands. This is going to be an unpopular opinion in this age of padding, but here it goes. Don't train with gloves and spar with the absolute minimum of hand protection. BUT OH NOES HOW ELSE CAN YOU FIGHT IF YOU DONT HAVE STEEL MITTENS ON?!?! This isn't field hockey and gloves don't replace skill. You will never learn to be aware of your hands if you always wrap them up in protective gear. Train without gloves and you will learn to protect them; what hurts teaches.
   
5. Be aware of your weapon. Being aware of your weapon means that you utilize all parts of the weapon for offense and defense. Aside from using the hilt and the flat, you do have another part of the weapon to defend yourself with: the handle. Blocking with the handle is seen in fencing with the longsword and quarterstaff, and in stick fighting with krabi krabong sticks and Irish sticks (which you can see a bit of in the video below). 

If all else fails, train with the quarterstaff for a while. It will teach you to be aware of your hands, your grip, and blocking strong blows between your hands. Fighting with the quarterstaff will teach you how to keep your digits safe, even if only through perpetually aching hands.

I can haz der Mordschlag?

After having an interesting conversation with a friend on das Gesichtsbuch, I thought it would be a useful endeavor to talk about der Mordschlag a little bit. The Mordschlag is basically my favorite technique for the longsword, if only because of how brutal it is in name and usage. Essentially the Mordschlag is a technique where a swordsman reverses his grip on the sword so that he is holding the blade instead of the handle and then strikes his opponent with the cross-guard, handle, and pommel in one blow. One translation of der Mordschlag is “Murderous Beating”, which is a very appropriate name. However I decided that I want to do this post in a sort of Q&A style, since the conversation that manifested this post was on Facebook.

Q: Why would you hold the sharp end of a sword? Won’t it hurt your hands?

A: The Mordschlag is a way of defeating someone wearing plate armor in Medieval Europe, though it is even more effective against someone who is unarmored. During this time period it was quite common to half your sword like this, both for offense and defense, and while wearing no armor or while in harness. This is simply another way to half your weapon and use it effectively.

Half-swording, in all of its varieties, is common in Medieval swordsmanship. Since every part of the weapon was to be used in combat, there were no rules prohibiting you from hitting your opponent in this manner. Half-swording was done with the longsword, messer (langes oder krieg), daggers, and obviously all poll-weapons (though not with voting machines). As long as you don’t let the weapon slip or slide you can grab your own weapon or the weapon of your foe, and no harm would come to your hands. 

Q: If your opponent was wearing a helmet why wouldn’t you just hit him with the flat of your sword?

A: You could hit someone in the head with it but it really only works on unarmored people. A flat-side strike would be almost entirely ineffective against plate armor. Maybe you could perform a flat-side strike (called a “Bounce Strike”), but only to set him up for some half-swording or wrestling. Even then, I’d probably say it is safer to just move in for the wrestling and forget about the Bounce Strike all together in armored combat.

Q: I notice the point of the sword is towards your stomach when you do this. Couldn’t your opponent easily reverse your weapon or otherwise stab you with your own sword?

A: You could try to reverse it but realistically it probably won’t go well for you. When the Mordschlag is properly performed it can be used a single-time parry against strikes and thrusts, and it will smash whatever bones are in its way (like your hands). It is also pretty difficult to drop your sword and try to reverse his sword, considering you have it careening towards your hands\arms\head\whatever and he can very easily reverse it himself, which drives the point of the sword into your chest instead of his. Not to mention the fact that someone can easily pommel thrust or hook the hilt around your neck when you try to close the distance after dropping your weapon.

If you were to attempt to wrestle your Mordschlagging foe, there is an easier way than attempting to reverse his weapon. Simply drop your weapon and run at him, side step at the last moment as it goes by you, and then do a single leg (or double leg) takedown. You can thank Talhoffer for that one.

Q: Won’t this just piss off a guy in armor anyway? Shouldn’t you just run away or just kill him?

A: When done correctly the Mordschlag should, as per the name, produce murderous results. If the first strike doesn’t kill him, it should at least knock him over or stun him for a few seconds. Then you simply keep smashing his head in until he does die. This is a pretty straight-forward method of dispatching someone. It isn’t called the Murderous Beating for nothing.

Now you could run away, but cowardice in combat tends to be heavily frowned upon in the military (to put it lightly). You could try to wear him out, but that takes a while considering the athleticism of the person inside of it (and plate armor is actually less bulky than most suspect). It becomes especially hard to run away from someone if you are stuck in the middle of a battle formation or within a fenced off dueling area. Better to know how to stand your ground and defend yourself like a man anyway. 

That does it with the Q&A. I would end it here but then I got to thinking…why don’t you see Asian swordsmen smashing each other with some equivalent of the Mordschlag? A couple cans of Rockstar later, this is my theory on the matter: the katana simply isn’t designed with the same versatility as the longsword. The design of the katana makes it illogical to use it in the same fashion as a longsword. Think about it kind of like this:

• Do we see half-swording with the longsword? Yes. Why? Every part of the weapon is useful for causing serious injury to your opponent.
• Do we see half-swording with the Messer? Yes. Why? Even though the Messer is not quite as robust as the longsword, it has enough of a pronounced hilt and pommel to cause serious injury to someone’s face.
• Do we see half-swording with poll-weapons and regular staves? Yes. Every part of a stave can be used to inflict serious injury, not because of protuberances but simply due to mass.
• Do we see half-swording with daggers? Yes…but only to block attacks, regain point control during grappling, and as an aide in takedowns and disarms. I have yet to see half-swording done with a dagger for the purpose of hitting someone with the handle.

So where does this leave the katana? We can use a process of elimination in this regard:

• Does it have strong protuberances? Not really. It has a very modest hilt and a negligible pommel.
• Does it have great mass? No. It is nowhere close to the mass of a stave or a poll-weapon.
• Could you half-sword it for defensive and leverage advantages? Sure, why not.

There you go. There really is no logical, rational reason for wanting to half a katana with the aim of Mordschlagging someone. I think we can only deduce the fact that you could half-sword a katana like you would half-sword a dagger, but that is a very different thing from the Mordschlag.

For your protein fix

Just as a quick follow-up to my weight-lifting posting, this is probably one of my favorite ways of preparing a protein shake:

I’ve been mixing protein and coffee for a while now after I saw that video, and I have nothing but love for the pre-work out coffee shake. It's also pretty good for times when you skip breakfast and you're on the go. But chances are that if you are like me you might also want something a bit more…potent for your post-work out shake. If you don’t want to come down from your adrenaline high but you know you need some form of protein, then try this out.

Make at least half a pot of dark coffee. Mix it with a cup of milk (or vegan whatever), some ginseng, maca powder, and a couple scoops of protein powder (chocolate seems to work best). Pound it as fast as you can and enjoy your ensuing state of berserk energy.

Listen to this too while you’re at it.

If that doesn't get your blood pumping then you might be a corpse.

Three Lifts for Martial Training

I often find myself modifying and experimenting with new forms of physical exercise, not only for martial training but for physical well-being in general. So far I’ve been especially fond of joint exercises, parkour, Indian club exercises, and weight lifting. In this post I’ll just briefly discuss three of my favorite lifts for building explosive strength, which is always useful for martial applications.

The One Hand Military Press

This is a good exercise for testing and building strength in the upper portions of the arms, and refining your sense of balance by working a bit on your core. This should always be done standing to get the maximum benefits of the lift.

The One Hand Snatch

Another one handed goody. I really enjoy this one because you use your whole body to lift and keep the weight aloft. It’s great on its own or with a slightly reduced weight in a circuit.

Arthur Saxon doing the one hand snatch courtesy of http://www.usawa.com/

Squats

You should be doing some form of squats in your exercise routine. Body weight squats, kettlebell squats, barbell squats, etc. they are all vital for your legs. Strong arms without strong legs are useless, so be sure to get some squats in as much as possible. To mix things up, consider doing a good amount of body weight squats and then hit a leg press machine immediately afterwards.

Now these are obviously not all of the lifts I do but I tend to think very highly of them and they are pretty easy for new lifters to learn. But why are they good? Simply put, they build functional strength. Are these lifts going to make you look really cut at the beach? Probably not. Are they going to give you strength you can use on a day to day basis? Hell yes. These lifts all contain the same motions you go through for lifting boxes or people, they strengthen your forearms and even wrist tendons, and as I’ve said before they will give you the skill to move explosively. All of these qualities are very important for weapon fighters, wrestlers, and strikers alike.

Want more proof? Check out this video of some folks doing some of these old-school lifts and try to tell me they lack functional strength.

As for some of the naysayers out there who would argue that strength isn’t required or important for martial arts: why are you even reading this? Shouldn’t you be doing Tai Chi or some other “internal” martial art that makes you shoot magical balls of energy at people? To those people I would remind them that strength is a skill, not merely an innate gift or something only huge people possess. I’ll let the anonymous author of the 16th century fechtbuch Codex Wallerstein speak for me on this matter:

“Although a weak fighter in a serious combat can be equal to a strong opponent, if he has previously learned agility, reach, fighting tricks, and killing tricks, in a friendly combat strength has always the advantage; in spite of this, the art of fighting is praised by knights and squires above all other things”.