I never really understand the passion people complain about hand hits. The masters tell us to refuse the hands, they can be easily broken, then you can't fence anymore, they're a great target. Like everyone else, I too have been sniped, but it's my fault. I left my hands there to be hit, and waited and wound up in the after. I also think this is a good video because you should know how to safely attack the hand in this way. Reduce doubles.
Borislav uploaded a Workshop about handsniping, and now you upload a video about the same thing. Right in the moment when at our club we were reviewing this technique in particular. Oh, wow!
A simple and nice way to counter this attack is just to avoid providing a target, by either keeping the hands low (in a low guard), high (in a high guard) or offline (in a centre/long guard). Many people really like keeping their hand and blade perfectly on line, which facilitate this type of strike
i have had a *lot* of success landing this as a counter-attack while retreating; i guess i'm very skilled at moving backward very fast (actually distance management is the key of course)
@@coreyyanofsky if you manage to avoid doubles while doing it is very good. I simply advice to avoid it because I know too many people who simply do it when the opponent attacks just to avoid being the only one who receives a hit.
i do generally get clipped when i do it as pure reaction; i succeed when i provoke or anticipate the attack because that's when i can manage distance correctly
Nice work! If you read Life giving Sword (Yagyu Shinkage Ryu scroll) and check the description of the techniques, most of them starts with a cut to the wrist. Hitin the hand are very important in a sword fight.
I had the misfortune of being hit with a blunt sword on the back of my bare hand - not much power behind that hit, just speed - and frankly, it doesn't really matter if you get smacked in the fingers with the edge or the flat. You're gonna have a bad day either way. At the very best, you will get hit on the back of your hand with the flat, but at that speed, your hand will either go numb completely or go numb enough where it will seriously impair your ability to use it. I got hit with a blunt edge there - I was able to get one more parry in, then the pain hit, the sword fell, I fell and then curled into a fetal position. Will adrenaline let you get through it? Maybe. If you're lucky. But adrenaline will possibly let you get through being stabbed in the chest, and no one is trying to claim chest-stabbings aren't martially sound.
The real problem is that it is so effective that it can break fingers even when using heavy longsword gloves. We know that a kick in the balls is effective. That doesn't mean we should use it in a HEMA sparring or turnament setting.
I see you watched Boris's video and wanted to expand on it. Nice! Any extra commentary on it? Hand snipe attack and defense is definitely something I need to work on more.
@ ah damn! Didn’t notice it, I’ll watch it tomorrow when I’ll have time. Anyway it’s a funny coincidence, I recorded the footage for this one in early September.
Historic guards tend to be focused on keeping hands back or to the side or behind an extended guard, all of which protect the hands. Modernish middle guards tend to leave the hands exposed. As a side note, learn to defend yourself don't ban or criticize techniques that are effective against you due to your own lack of training and effort. That is just bad sportsmanship.
It's really only dangerous if you aren't wearing proper protection. We have good hand protection available now. Sparring gloves like in the video, and other heavies protect the hands quite well. I remember having to use modded hockey equipment in the early 2000's because couldn't get our hands on anything better at the time. The heavy gloves available now are great at protecting the hands.
@@JeffGreenwoodknightHaving them available doesn't mean they are used. I've seen a lot of people with separate finger gloves, and those can't protect the sides of the finges no matter how sturdy or expensive they are. If your finger gets caught between the blade of the oponent and your own handle or pommel it takes no force to break it. The left hand pinky is specially exposed if you use separate finger gloves.
@@catastrofista in all honesty I take for granted that everyone who fences Longsword has appropriate protections, otherwise no matter if you snipe the hands directly or you hit them by accident (which even worst) on a failed parry, you’ll break fingers anyway.
I never really understand the passion people complain about hand hits. The masters tell us to refuse the hands, they can be easily broken, then you can't fence anymore, they're a great target. Like everyone else, I too have been sniped, but it's my fault. I left my hands there to be hit, and waited and wound up in the after. I also think this is a good video because you should know how to safely attack the hand in this way. Reduce doubles.
@@JeffGreenwoodknight 100% correct way of looking at the subject!
It's definately a move of the dark side. If you think getting hit in your hands with such methods is your fault you've been gaslighted.
@@catastrofista "dark side"? man, HEMA isn't a Star Wars LARP -- it's a completely different kind of LARP
@@coreyyanofsky People are the same everywhere. And some habits in fencing are very telling
Borislav uploaded a Workshop about handsniping, and now you upload a video about the same thing. Right in the moment when at our club we were reviewing this technique in particular. Oh, wow!
@@SynysterVlad people shown me his video a few hours ago. I’ll watch it soon ;-)
A simple and nice way to counter this attack is just to avoid providing a target, by either keeping the hands low (in a low guard), high (in a high guard) or offline (in a centre/long guard). Many people really like keeping their hand and blade perfectly on line, which facilitate this type of strike
@@iperaz true
i have had a *lot* of success landing this as a counter-attack while retreating; i guess i'm very skilled at moving backward very fast
(actually distance management is the key of course)
@@coreyyanofsky if you manage to avoid doubles while doing it is very good. I simply advice to avoid it because I know too many people who simply do it when the opponent attacks just to avoid being the only one who receives a hit.
i do generally get clipped when i do it as pure reaction; i succeed when i provoke or anticipate the attack because that's when i can manage distance correctly
"Dont use this as a counter attack" is very critical advice.
Bell'argomento da sviscerare, bravo Federico. 👍
Nice work!
If you read Life giving Sword (Yagyu Shinkage Ryu scroll) and check the description of the techniques, most of them starts with a cut to the wrist. Hitin the hand are very important in a sword fight.
I love pulling off this move. I do it successfully a lot! 🤺
I love this technique :)
I had the misfortune of being hit with a blunt sword on the back of my bare hand - not much power behind that hit, just speed - and frankly, it doesn't really matter if you get smacked in the fingers with the edge or the flat. You're gonna have a bad day either way. At the very best, you will get hit on the back of your hand with the flat, but at that speed, your hand will either go numb completely or go numb enough where it will seriously impair your ability to use it. I got hit with a blunt edge there - I was able to get one more parry in, then the pain hit, the sword fell, I fell and then curled into a fetal position.
Will adrenaline let you get through it? Maybe. If you're lucky. But adrenaline will possibly let you get through being stabbed in the chest, and no one is trying to claim chest-stabbings aren't martially sound.
Thanks for sharing your experience, it's actually really interesting to know.
The real problem is that it is so effective that it can break fingers even when using heavy longsword gloves.
We know that a kick in the balls is effective. That doesn't mean we should use it in a HEMA sparring or turnament setting.
@@catastrofista Bullshit, fingers almost never break from handsniping when using a decent glove.
Yeah, I've sword and buckler'd myself enough times to know that hand hits would be pretty effective if done with intent.
I see you watched Boris's video and wanted to expand on it. Nice! Any extra commentary on it? Hand snipe attack and defense is definitely something I need to work on more.
@@FadedMars2024 uh! No, which video?
@@FedericoMalagutti ruclips.net/video/mXgrQUM73EA/видео.html&ab_channel=BorislavKrustev
@@FedericoMalagutti ruclips.net/video/mXgrQUM73EA/видео.html I am sure this is the one, glad you make a more compact video on the topic :)
@ ah damn! Didn’t notice it, I’ll watch it tomorrow when I’ll have time.
Anyway it’s a funny coincidence, I recorded the footage for this one in early September.
@@FedericoMalagutti It seems we were vibing together without knowing it at the end of summer and published now :)
*Warning* A very dangerous technique! (mainly for the morale of the opponent :D)
@@fancyfencer309 lol!!
Historic guards tend to be focused on keeping hands back or to the side or behind an extended guard, all of which protect the hands. Modernish middle guards tend to leave the hands exposed. As a side note, learn to defend yourself don't ban or criticize techniques that are effective against you due to your own lack of training and effort. That is just bad sportsmanship.
This is very dangerous. Very easy to break fingers with it.
You need proper gloves yes
It's really only dangerous if you aren't wearing proper protection. We have good hand protection available now. Sparring gloves like in the video, and other heavies protect the hands quite well. I remember having to use modded hockey equipment in the early 2000's because couldn't get our hands on anything better at the time. The heavy gloves available now are great at protecting the hands.
@@JeffGreenwoodknightHaving them available doesn't mean they are used. I've seen a lot of people with separate finger gloves, and those can't protect the sides of the finges no matter how sturdy or expensive they are.
If your finger gets caught between the blade of the oponent and your own handle or pommel it takes no force to break it. The left hand pinky is specially exposed if you use separate finger gloves.
@@FedericoMalagutti You should mention it in the video
@@catastrofista in all honesty I take for granted that everyone who fences Longsword has appropriate protections, otherwise no matter if you snipe the hands directly or you hit them by accident (which even worst) on a failed parry, you’ll break fingers anyway.