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Lafayette C Curtis
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 Posted: Fri 22 Dec, 2006 8:55 am Post subject: |
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| Vincent Le Chevalier wrote: | | I wonder if handedness is significant in all situations? I mean, from the examples cited this far, it seems that it's discussed mainly in duelling (hence maybe a greater importance in rapier manuals). In battle, techniques change, maybe then being right or left handed is less important than being "like all the other guys in my rank" |
Of course. I honestly think a left-handed man in a shieldwall would still have held his shield in the left hand and his weapon in the right just so that he wouldn't disrupt the alignment of shields, since in battle a shield was meant to protect his friends as much as himself.
Except if the whole first rank was composed of left-handed men, of course--but I don't think that was a popular tactical paradigm. 
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Mark W
Location: Calgary, AB, Canada Joined: 25 Jul 2004
Posts: 3
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| Posted: Fri 22 Dec, 2006 12:15 pm Post subject: |
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I seem to recall the Kerr clan of Scotland being noted for producing left-handed warriors. FWIW, there are also a few biblical reference to left-handed warriors, namely Ehud who ruled Israel for a time, and an elite group of left-handed Benjamite warriors.
Being a left-handed swordsman myself, I don't really notice that much difference between fighting lefties and righties. The key is focusing on the openings as they show up, not whether the opponent is cross-handed to you. There are a couple of images in Talhoffer... one showing someone who shifted his sword to his left hand to strike around a duelling shield, and the other is someone with a dagger concealed behind his back, with the caption stating that he could strike with either hand. I don't think that the practically-minded swordsman of the middle ages and renaissance would care what handedness one was, as long as one could fight well. As an aside, considering the potential of injuring a dominant hand in combat, how many would have been forced to use the left hand anyway?
Sinistrally,
-Mark 
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Justin Roland
Location: Rockford Illinois Joined: 09 Feb 2007
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Fri 09 Feb, 2007 3:21 pm Post subject: |
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I am left handed
that being said,I have never recieved any sword training but when I was in martial arts.
I was taught to fight right and left handed as my teacher said it would be a great advantage because of the different "looks" at your oppenent from him facing essentially the "wrong" way
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