Medieval Fighting Techniques
Research shows that Medieval combat was often not the unsophisticated and unwieldy fighting depicted in popular books and movies. This is evidenced by the elaborate drawings and diagrams collected in fighting manuals from the 13th and 14th century called "Fechtbuchs" or "fight book" in German. These books show that Medieval sparring was intended to be swift and brutal, with most fights lasting no longer than a minute.
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Weapons of Medieval fighters
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The weapons of the Medieval fighter extend much further than the sword and shield. Most equipment, including the mace and ax, were not very sharp, although a skilled fighter could still use them to hack and cut. Many moves extended beyond the blade. A fighter might also throw his sword and wrestle an opponent to the ground. The blunt end of a spear shaft or a sword's pommel were used as often as the blade. Each blow with the dull weapon had to count because it was striking against sturdy period armor. When an opponent's armor proved too hardy, an opponent would close in and deliver powerful thrusts at weak spots in the armor with a "bayonet" or "half-sword" grip.
Defense Against the Weapons
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Protection from these blows came in the form of armor and the Germans developed fighting styles for both armored and unarmored combatants. The armor itself would often be used as a weapon to press an opponent into the ground and pointed elbows, knees and shoes could strike with lethal force. The French used the latter technique to kick the enemy in the face from horseback. Defense was built around deflecting blows versus absorbing the full force with a shield or sword.
Unarmed Combat
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Combat did not end when the fighter unmounted and took off his armor. A frequent tactic in Medieval knife fights was to cut the opponent's knife hand. This technique was valued as a quick way to end a fight. The Renaissance fighters favored low fakes to open up high attacks and fakes to one side before thrusting to the other side for a real attack. Throwing the knife was often faked, although when the knife was thrown it was generally with an underhand technique so that the knife would fly straight into the enemy with no spin. If a Medieval man-at-arms had no dagger to defend himself from an attack, he was trained to disarm his attacker and wrestle him to the ground using strikes, clinches, holds and a number of other familiar grappling techniques still used today. This close combat was incorporated into many of the sword and spear techniques illustrated in fighting manuals.
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