The Longsword of Paulus Hector Mair:

Unique, Interesting and Unusual Techniques

(MS Dresd.C93; c.1540)

Keith Farrell

Academy of Historical Arts

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Historical European Martial Arts Coalition

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 Paulus Mair was a very interesting person. He was employed by the city of Augsburg in the 16th century, and while not
a fencing master himself, he was certainly interested in historical fencing, and owned a reasonable collection of
manuscripts on the subject dating from earlier in the century and indeed from the previous century. In the 1540s he
commissioned a very extensive work, his Opus Amplissimum de Arte Athletica, to compile as much information about
historical fencing as he could manage. He undertook other projects of a similarly expensive nature and had to embezzle
from his city office to pay for them. In 1579 he was hanged as a thief for his many years of stealing from the citys
coffers. His manuscripts live on, however, and provide us with some very interesting points of view to augment our
current understanding and research into the world of historical fencing. The translation used in this lesson is by Keith
Myers and has been made available here: http://freifechter.com/resources.cfm?m=Resources

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General Principles:
- use the Hangenden Ort (Hanging Point) as a defensive parry and also as a static guard position;
- move to the Hanging Point and the Ochs for cover while stealing distance to close with an opponent;
- if the opponent binds against the Hanging Point, then wind and thrust with Ochs;
- if plan A does not work (whatever plan A might be), follow up with a Zwirch or a Krump.

Mair has around 120 sequences with the longsword. Each sequence contained 12 to 16 techniques on average, so this lesson will
not attempt to cover everything in his Opus! Instead, certain of the more interesting and unique sequences will be highlighted:

Sequence 20 A High Winding with an Oberhaw

Stand with your right foot forward and strike to his upper opening.
If he strikes against you like this, then displace him and wind the short edge at his right ear. If he displaces his, then wind
opposite him in the Hanging Point and then go against him with a Schaitlerhaw. He displaces this, so drop out of the Schaitler and
immediately Krumphaw and cut him through his mouth.

Sequence 25 A Zucken to Half Sword with a Thrust

You stand with your left foot forward and hold your sword in front of your head with crossed arms, the point opposite his face,
then step outward with your right foot and wind the point to his face or chest.
If he winds towards you like this, then stand with your right foot forward and set aside the thrust Krumb (crookedly) on his
right side.
If he then sets aside your thrust Krumb (crookedly), yank your sword back towards you to half blade and shoot the thrust in
again towards his face with the short edge. If he displaces this, then step outward with your left foot and strike him a long one
high to the next opening.

Sequence 41 The First Cut from Below

If you stand opposite him with your left foot forward and he cuts from below towards you, then step back with your left foot
and set the long edge upon his sword. Thus you have countered the cut from below and may work whatever you want low or high
to his openings.
[If he does this to you] then immediately strike to his left ear with crossed arms. If he displaces this, then yank back your
sword to half blade and strike again wherever you want.

Sequence 67 High Abgenommen and Striking to the Opening

and then stab to his face.

If you then stand with your right foot opposite him and hold your sword under your left shoulder and he stabs towards your
face, then grab to your half blade, drive out in front of your head, and turn his point away with the Kron. Then you may thrust your
point to the face or chest, and may also hit to his head with the pommel.
If he intends to hit you with the pommel like this, displace this also with the Kron and immediately stab your point in his face
and then hit with your pommel to his head.

Sequence 87 Another Ansetzen with a Nachraisen

When you come to the closing with the opponent, stand with your right foot forward and strike with an Underhaw with your
long edge from your left to his right side between both of his arms. Then immediately pivot to the rear so that you yank the sword
back through his hands.
If he yanks the sword through your hands like this and you stand with your left foot forward, travel after him and cut through
the head with your long edge.

Sequence 92 An Uberfallen with a Cut

When you come together at the closing and the other binds you [from his left shoulder], stand with your left foot forward and
at the same time feel whether he is soft or hard at his sword. If he is hard and holds strongly against you, hang and wind and
strike strongly to his right side.
Should you perceive this strike, displace it with your long edge [in a Hanging Point] such that your right foot stands forward,
release your left hand from your sword and grab in over his left arm and between both of his arms. Then immediately yank your
sword to your right side such that the point comes onto the left side of his neck.