Combat Concepts

There are some basic principles that apply to all historical martial arts, be it dagger, sword and buckler, longsword, or spear combat - or even wrestling. All of these concepts are not individual topics one has to master one by one, instead they constantly interact and each part has to assist the others when one wants to be victorious in a fight.

Initiative

In a fight, one shall always seek the initiative. One shall not wait for the opponent to react. It might be already too late then. In the old manuscripts this is called the "before/vor". If the opponent has put oneself into a defensive position, this is called "after/nach" and one instantly ("indes") has to endeavour to come to the "before" again. Taking the initiative is not necessarily restricted to executing a direct attack, instead it can consist of tempting the opponent to perform a certain action, e.g. by offering an opening. If the opponent reacts accordingly, he might consider himself being in the "vor" since he executes the first physical action, but actually he is in the "nach" bacause he has walked right into the trap.
Fighting in the "vor" is particularly important when one has to deal with several opponents. IIt is not necessarily a disadvantage too lurkingly circle the opponent in a single combat situation–but in a confrontation with several oppponents one doesn't have enough time. One has to act immediately and permanently–otherwise one doesn't stand a chance.

Strong and Weak

It is not only the sword that is divided into strong and weak - it is a vital principle in every fight too. One has to fight strongly against a weak opponent and press him as hard as possible. Against a stronger opponent however, one has to give in and try to turn his own strength against him.

Pressure

It is abolutely essential to be powerfully orientated towards the opponent in all actions. It is evident that one shall never turn the back to him but drifting even very slightly out of the line of attack can result in a crucial outcome of the fight. One should be able to be a threat to the opponent at any time - even in situations in which one has to draw back.

Timing

One may not achieve the desired success by only applying certain techniques haphazardly. The important thing is to develop a sense for when and how to applying them. Often enough one has to make quick decisions about further techniques when both combatants act simultaneously: One has to react "indes", as Liechtenauer calls it, one has to feel where to attack next.

Distance

Even being capable of applying a certain technique perfectly in theory: If one misjudges the distance to the opponent, the attack will fail and not reach him. A good sense for distances will allow a fighter to hit without being hit.