Get a Messer, join and have fun, whilst learning how and where to cut.
Weapon: Messer
Source: Leckuechner and others
In every manuscript there is a lot of talk about the Strike/blow or the thrust. A lot of training time is spent on doing this with various techniques and versions. But there is also one thing in our toolbox that is mentioned but often overseen and even less trained – the cut. So we will try to talk about efficiency goals of cuts, in techniques or where to add them whilst withdrawing, or as a finisher.
Skill level of Participants: All skill levels
Needed Equipment: A Messer (please maintain the edge of your weapons, so that there are no sharp dents or ridges at the edges of the blade). You also can tape the edge to make it more smooth.
Furthermore, something to protect the wrist without being a glove, a piece of cloth or a scarf around the neck, a mask, and if you want to wear no mask, safety-/ fencing goggles are advised.
About the trainer – Martin Enzi
Martin Enzi first got in touch with martial arts by practicing classical boxing, but finally found his passion when he switched to HEMA in 2001 to train longsword, wrestling and dagger. 2003 he got his hands on the first draft of the transcription of Johannes Leckuechners “Kunst des Messerfechtens”, while work was still in progress. This gave him the possibility to be one of the first persons to dig into this manuscript.
Instantly fascinated while reading the first pages of the manuscript, this was when his fascination with and passion for Messer started. After intense studies and training, he started as a trainer for longsword, Messer, and eventually also for the so-called “peasant weapons” and spear.
2006 he took part in the transcription of parts of Paulus Hector Mair’s manuscript (scythe, sickle and flail) for the Higgins Armory Museum, which will be published by Jeffrey L. Forgeng.
Even though training in Liechtenauer school of longsword and the peasant weapons from PHM has always been close to his heart, his main focus and deep passion lies with the Messer according to cgm582, taking also into account other Messer-related sources like Talhofer, Codex Wallerstein, Pauernfeindt, or Falkner.
After teaching for 19 years now at international events and martial arts gatherings, Martin Enzi was honored to be the first European HEMA-teacher to get an invitation to Tokyo, where he held a masterclass in Messer fencing – in fact, the first Messer class to be taught in Japan..
He was also asked to contribute 4 articles to the book series “Meditations on HEMA”, and writes articles in magazines and does surveys about finds and originals in museums.
Apart from HEMA, Enzi has practiced stage fighting for 22 years and he also coaches and trains actors and stuntmen and works as a fight choreographer for movies, theatre and TV production.