Some New Freifechter Videos

[Mike Cartier]

For your viewing pleasure......

Some steel Longsword Freeplay
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_mNsUi_j1s

Some funky Leather Dusack with some Dusack and Buckler
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VYRHKWPjh4

Some videos of our first tests for new types of bottles to cut (more of those in a week or so)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_syP3FEwnMU

[Francesco Lanza]

Those bouts are incredibly good, you folk kick ass!

[Chris Thompson]

That was really good. I don't usually enjoy watching longsword vids, but that was the exception.

[A Froster]

Mike,

Have you guys switched exclusively to the Hanweis for sparring?

[Mike Cartier]

Yes Allen, its become a bit of an addiction problem, we all have Albion Meyer blades too but these days its just alot more fun to bout with the Hanweis, the 2nd and 3rd gens are exceptional and we even have direct evidence that they are in fact the closest sword like objects to that infamous sword we know of secretly what might actually have been that of the man himself or some such similar fellow in his school. I can see why too

Quite frankly it feels alot safer to go fast and hard, less control is needed, i suppose having built control up on Meyer Albions its easier. I think of my Meyer as my serious business sword blunt whereas my Hanwei feder is my fun play blunt. I guess that would make my lichtenauer the psycho blunt. I find that if you use the flat of the feders you can go damn near full speed and simply chop back the follow through and come about as near to swing for real as you can with a blunt.

The only thing more fun is that leather dusack, damn things hurt like hell but mark little, like devious little crowd control devices that leave no mark for the litigators to use against you later, you can go damn near full tilt with them too.

I think its all about the tools really, if you have them it opens up the art that much more for your learning. Cant tell you how much of a difference it makes from, waisters, plastic, padded, overly heavy steel and badly weighted steel. The meyer's are great but definatly on the advanced end of control, anyone can jump in with the feders right away.

[Jeffrey Hull]

I appreciated how in longswording you maintained point-threat despite slip & fall.

Also toward end of video how the one fencer rushed other fencer and so he had to deal with that.

Some oddball tactical stuff to remark about, but then such sparring brings out that interesting unforeseen stuff.

Good work guys - yay!

[Jay Vail]

Looking good, guys.