Fighting Tutorials

Sword and Board

Colloquially, "sword and board" refers to the style in which a fighter uses a shield in one hand and a weapon in the other.

Stance

From either sword or shield foot forward stance, with a careful step a fighter can switch to the other. An effective stance is one in which you are stable and nimble, for most people this means the feet are about shoulder width apart and one foot is forward of your centerline and the other foot is just behind centerline.

Sword foot forward

A sword foot forward stance lends itself to a slightly more exposed fighting style and longer reach. A solid sword-side defense is beneficial, as using ones shield to intercept on-side will close off lines of attack while exposing the off-side shield shoulder.

Shield foot forward

A shield foot forward stance allows for more defensive coverage at the expense of reach. When combined with a defensive upper body posture, a reactive fighting stile can be very effective.

Upper body

In the vast majority of situations Shoulders squared to the opponent is preferred over presenting a more shield side angle. While traditional martial arts thought would lend to the idea keeping the body oblong to the opponent would be better, in sword shield fighting, if the sword hand is set back, it is less available for defensive actions as well as taking longer for offensive shots.

External Links

Magnus' Fighting Tutorials 1: Equipment and Stance - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqrdDeUzdu4

Magnus' Fighting Tutorials Episode 2A: Attacking Shield Side - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e1_GrtVuo0

Magnus' Fighting Tutorials Episode 2B: Attacking Shield Side - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58slu3BP8yU

Magnus' Fighting Tutorials Episode 3: Attacking Sword Side - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdWHsYOH3NE

Magnus' Fighting Tutorials Episode 4: Defensive Shieldwork - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhQIOyiP8MY

Magnus' Fighting Tutorials Episode 5A: Fighting Lefties - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yqcy71h0EpM

Magnus' Fighting Tutorials Episode 5B: Fighting Lefties - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwjWb8T-Em0

Magnus' Fighting Tutorials Episode 6A: Aggressive Shieldwork - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FttIi47k7KE

Magnus' Fighting Tutorials Episode 6B: Aggressive Shieldwork - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG3heIQtW6c

Magnus' Fighting Tutorials Episode 7: Basic Footwork - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBVXs3aD1tk

Magnus' Fighting Tutorials Episode 8: Shield Kicks - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPJF17CClB8

Magnus' Fighting Tutorials Episode 9: Ground Fighting - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZirkxoMDxK0

Spear Fighting

Long Spear

Grumio's Spear Fighting 101 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fwo2Qs8ZgKU

Grumio's Spear Fighting 102 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAaLq6huhcA

Grumio's Spear Fighting 103 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_-8DnKshqU

Grumio's Spear Fighting 104 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hejo06WjGoU

Grumio's Spear Fighting 105 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgaZjYbKxtU

Grumio's Spear Fighting 106 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5VwLWp0zok

Short Spear

Brett Down Spear Basics - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j0mHzVf5BA

Repelling boardmen with downspear - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdMo7IyEQn8