Meyer Sword from Alchem

[tsafa]

This is my biggest sword. I bought it for my WMA practice. It has a blunt blade tempered for flex. It included the rubber tip. It has a 1/8 inch thick tang with a sandwich wood grip. Each sword is made to order.


See how it compare to my G2 BlackPrince in size.
http://mysite.verizon.net/tsafa1/rapier/meyer1.JPG

http://mysite.verizon.net/tsafa1/rapier/meyer3.JPG

Thick tang and a "schilt" as depicted in Joachim Meyer's book of 1570. The schilt is part of the guard, not the blade.
http://mysite.verizon.net/tsafa1/rapier/meyer10.JPG

http://mysite.verizon.net/tsafa1/rapier/meyer9.JPG

length: 54.5 "
blade: 42.5 "
hilt: 12 "
pob 3.5 "
weight: 4 lbs
Price: $250

I have not had a chance to use this sword in practice yet, but it feels very maneuverable despite its weight because of the blade tapering. I practiced moving from Albert to Vom Tag with ease. Not as easy as with the BlackPrince, but thats the trade-off for the extra length. The schilt also is a significant additional weight factor. Its purpose is to slow the opposing blades momentum before it gets to my hilt.

For most people I would advise they lighten the sword. All swords are made to order by Alchem. My thoughts would be to cut the blade down to 40 inches and loose the schilt.

The sword is a good bargain compared to the blunts of Arms and Armor. That is what most people in my WMA group use. Those are about $400 for base models going up to $500.

Here is a link to Meyer's book:
http://www.schielhau.org/Meyer.title.html

Here is the link to Alchem:
http://www.alcheminc.com/cruciform.html

Here is Arms and Armor. This was my alternative choice:
http://www.armor.com/training.html

[Jason Moore]

Very nice.

[tsafa]

I had a chance to use it at my practice today. It worked out very well for me. Some guys were uneasy about the length, saying it changes the dynamics of drills and sparring. Most of their sword blunts were as long as my blade or slightly bigger. I was a wise-a$$ and told them to get better swords, lol. Kind of funny given that they have $500 Arms and Armor blunts. Beside since when is everyone suppose to duel with equal longswords?

I expected to hear some complaints about the weight, but I heard none. Having not been told in advance about the weight of the sword, they thought it was maneuverable enough. The Alchem blunt has a thiner and more tapered blade compared to the A&A blunts. They were quick to notice how the schilt's mass effectively adds blade presence to the thinner blade. It gives it a bite while maintaining the quick recovery of a thin blade.

One person also felt that the grip was too thick. Mine came with a standard barrel grip. A waisted one might be a better choice. Given that the sword is made entirely to order from scratch, the grip, sword length and extra weight of the schilt are all adjustable.

[bobO]

The only time I've heard some one say fight fair,is when they were losing.This sword appeals to the Highlander in me.But how in the world do you fight with that thing.I mean a swing and a miss and your dead,or does it get back on line quick.I can see your in great shape,but dang that's a big sword.

[tsafa]

All the weight is in the hilt. The blade is thin. If not for the hilt weight and the added mass of the schilt, it would be nothing more then a rapier.

Compare these three swords:

http://mysite.verizon.net/tsafa1/rapier/alchem13.JPG

The smallest of these swords is the original Gen 2 Blackprince. It is NOT the same sword pictured in the first post. It is the least maneuverable of the three swords. It has a wide blade and a very thick diamond cross-section. The handle is too short to give much leverage in two-handed use. I would have a real hard time fighting with that sword.

Compare the rapiers blade to the longsword blade. They both have a very nice taper. The rapier however can not cut much, there is not enough weight behind the sword to give it a bit. The whole sword weighs 2lb 6 oz. The longsword on the other hand has a significant bite because of its overall weight. So what is the advantage to have this type of a longsword with a thin blade and a heavy handle. Why not a more evenly balanced one? The next video will show you what I can do with this longsword that most people can not. Well the extra reach in one thing, but take a look at the point control in the next video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy10yv_3sEg

[bobO]

O-kay,what do I say ,I'm VERY impressed. I've done this drill and know how hard it is.Not only is that big bugger dead on you where using it lefty!Tsafa my respect for you and your art grow daily.I've always liked the style of sword and dagger,spanish ,I think.Tsafa, Thank you for sharing that,very enlighting.

[tsafa]

I have one more to share with you. I wanted to post them together but You Tube takes forever to process. This one shows a Zornhue into Langenort. The point here is to strike hard and fast but end up with your point in line for a thrust.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDwsRdATYEo

I fight rapier-dagger too, but my favorite rapier form is case. I try to be just as good with my left hand as I am with my right. I have even learned to write with my left hand.

[bobO]

lol,Easy tsafa,when it comes to euro blades and fighting stlyes I'm a total newbie.But this technic translates very well for me.Very fast and under control,I was thinking ,with that sword one fake, get you off line,your *ss is mine.Well maybe not.

[rick]

tasfa
what do you do for speed training???????

[bobO]

What ever it is,he does it alot!

[tsafa]

Rick, where you referring to the sword speed or body movement?

In my case there are is a lot of different training coming together at one focal point. There is the heavy weightlifting, that focuses on the "fast twich" muscle fibers. A person that does not weight train only uses a small percentage of the muscle that they have. They are unable to fire all there their muscle fibers at once in one direction within a muscle group. That is why when you first start weight training, you are able to add 5 and 10 lbs almost every week to your bench or squat. Its not that your muscles are getting bigger at that point, but that you are gaining control over the muscle you already have and using them more efficiently.

Then there is the drilling. The point of the drilling is to create muscle memory. That way when I am fighting, I don't think about how to execute a shot. I am thinking about what the other person is doing and how to beat them. On way to beat a person is to block their shot mid-range. If you stop them in an awkward position, they will not have the muscle memory to recover from that quickly because they are use to recovering from a full extension. They have to stop and think about where they are and where they have to go. So creating muscle memory and fighting off of that makes a person faster.

I am constantly drilling the same shots over and over again on my pell. You have to drill the shots correctly. Practice does NOT make perfect, it makes permanent. If you drill something wrong, you will do it wrong and it will be harder to break out of that habit later. It is important to have someone watch and correct you in the beginning. Now with the internet you can take video and send out to people to help correct your form.

The weapon makes a difference too. A lighter weapon starts and reverses movement faster. A longer weapon also moves faster because it makes a bigger arch covering a greater distance in the same time as a shorter weapon. Longer weapons are usually heavier so its a trade off between length and weight. It has taken me a long time to find the right trade-off. You can cheat the distance a little with a tapered blade.

Then there is the sparring. When you fight, the best way not to get hit, is not to be in range when your opponent strikes. My rapier fencing really burned that concept into my head. I have been trained to move quickly in an out of range without tripping my feet up. Fencing focuses more on foot work then any other form so it is a good place to start training. Even if you are just doing Olympic Style fencing, you will learn foot work that will be useful rapier and sword-shield. You will also learn distance, timing and blade control.

I should also say that in the SCA there are people so much faster then me. I have a long way to go.

[rick]

thanx tsafa

[jwilliams]

Tsafa your training and knowledge are impressive. And right on.

[rick]

I'm not to worried about useing or training all my muscle groups cause I'm double jointed and run weird (I run like a dog on all fours) it uses almost all
muscles at once

[tsafa]

lol, Rick your a marvel :-? You can win by confusing people into killing themselves =))

Thanks Jwilliams.

[rick]

It works I use every thing from my neck to my ankels

[tsafa]

You know what they say...

"The best fencer in the world has nothing to fear from the second best fencer... he only has to fear the worst fencer."

I don't know who originally said that, but its true. It is very hard to fight a "suicidal fencer". Particularly if you are fighting without a shield. With rapier or longsword, in real life, it is possible to stab someone to death even after they have run you through. Neither of you may die instantly, but you may die days later from the infection. For fencing to really work both people have to want to live and not get hit at all. The only sure way to take out a "suicidal fencer" is with a headshot that will immediately stun and paralyze the person. Even when not lethal, headshots in unarmored combat have that effect. Aiming only for the head does limit you options though.

[bobO]

We use to study trained- untrained,for just this reason.Never heard that one,gonna use it.(empty hand stuff)

[Dotanuki]

In the arts, this concept is known as ai-nuki [mutual spearing] or ai-uchi [mutual striking]. This when you eliminate all thoughts of winning or losing or death, and your sole purpose becomes the death or destruction of your opponent. This very mindset often results in your survival, because you remove all extraneous thoughts and make your true instincts in charge.[a force of nature] Have you ever seen true predators fight [animals] they fight on natural instinct, something we have lost as humans [civilized?].

[rick]

when me and my friends used to bokken duel we fought like are very souls where at stake ....... with that said thair is nothing civilized about a fight you go in with the mind set of a wild animal or die

[tsafa]

When I fence, I fight with the attitude that I don't want the other persons blade to ever, ever touch me. I defend first and when the opportunity presents itself, I will strike at the other person. I will also try to create opportunities with fakes and misdirections. When I go for a kill, I want his blade to be either off-line or locked in my guard or parried aside with an off-hand weapon. I'll try to bind both of his weapons with one of my weapons if I can and strike with my other weapon.

With the sword and shield, the shield stays in front at all times. You fight around your shield and around you opponents shield. When fighting with the longsword, the sword is your shield. You want to attack an area of you opponents body where your sword will still remain between you and his sword. Attack and defend in one motion. It does not always work out so beautifully but it can. That should be the goal of a swordsman. All this comes from learning to control your weapon and your body.

I realize a lot of the stuff I say is repetitive but the basics apply to most situations and so they just keep coming back up.

[bobO]

Very JKD,Another great post tsafa,Thank you ,keep em coming.

[tsafa]

I decided to lighten the sword up a bit and see how that works out for me. It was an easy matter of removing the schilt which took off 8 oz forward of the hilt. The removal of the schilt left a small gap which I filled with some tape. If I decide to keep the schilt off I will think of a more permanent solution.

Removing the schilt was very easy. All I had to do was remove a tension pin that went through the pommol and through the tang. I then banged down the crossguard with a mallet which slid everything down.

Here is what it looks disassembled.

http://mysite.verizon.net/tsafa1/rapier/meyer6.JPG

One very cool feature of the pommol is that it is a pommol within a pommol. So it is an option to leave out the inner circle and make the sword slightly lighter and more blade heavy.

This is what the sword looks like without the schilt.

http://mysite.verizon.net/tsafa1/rapier/meyer19.JPG

The reason for this alteration is that even while I had no trouble executing simple drills with the heavier sword, drilling combination strikes proved to be more difficult. I am still debating if I want to keep the blade at 43" or cut it down to 38". More practice will tell.