Got a Real World Weapons or Armour Question? Mk X

[Galloglaich]

I am. Is he really that legendary? I just know him as my instructor, and I do know he's involved in lots of international stuff, but I have no idea what his actual stature is outside the Netherlands.

Lopes is very well known in HEMA circles worldwide. For one thing, he travels a lot and he's a hard person to forget when you have met him.

For the others here, here is one of his matches in Sweden in 2010. Lopes is in black. Unfortunately they are sparring with those horrible rubbery rawlings simulators so it undermines the fencing a little bit, but as you can see he is pretty aggressive and fast. Not that it helps when you lose your sword!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5IrR...feature=relmfu

He made short work of me in the quarter finals in Houston in 2010 but I hope next time we fence I'll give him more of a challenge.

Lopes is well regarded as a fencer, I'd guess he's in the top 5% or 10% of longsword fencers worldwide. He's also well respected for his understanding of body mechanics, you should learn as much of that as you can from him.

But of course he is also at least as well known for his appearance, remarks, and antics. And for things like wearing kilts in downtown areas of major American cities and so on... Lopes is an amusing guy I like him a lot.

Against an unterhau? I thought the sheitelhau was the meisterhau against the alber (presumably after an oberhau, but I get the impression there's some confusion about that).

It is the meisterhau against the alber but it works well against low guards, including when people make attacks at your leg, whether a a sweeping cut or an unterhau at the lower opening. The body mechanics allow you to over-reach. The counter for the person doing this is to try to aim an unterhau at your hand but like I said, if you don't telegraph the Sheitel usually works.

Do you mean as a kind of close guard (or whatever it's called)?

Next time you are training, have someone aim a mittelhau at your waist or left elbow, and try displacing with a pflug. To bind, pull back a little when they make contact with your blade while stepping forward and trying to place your strong on their weak. Once you get used to that, try catching a bind and then making a thrust into their face with a passing step to your right. That is the low absetzen.

I'll ask Lopes about it. Or maybe another instructor. (I actually think Matthys Kool is the better teacher; at least at my level. But don't tell Lopes that.)

Is that Ties Kool? Try it out and let me know what they say, I'll be interested to hear.

G