[Björn Kronisch]

Hi folks,

This is a thing that has been on mind for quite some time. There is often talk about cutting, slashing, chopping and slicing but I was yet not able to find any accurate description of what those terms mean practically. I could not find any clarification in the forums but if this has in fact been discussed before please excuse my ignorance.

What does a slashing cut or a chop actually mean? What types of technique are associated with these terms and how do the effects on the receiving end look like? How exactly does the blade travel through or along the target? How much force is involved?
I guess some of the questions would also depend on the kind of weapon so please be clarify that point as well.

I'm feeling a bit newbish asking such a seemingly basic and simple question but I can't help myself, I'm simply too unsure about this.

Another question: What would be a good, useful source for learning about footwork for cutting techniques in general?

[Bill Grandy]

Hi Björn,

[Bennison N]

I agree with Bill, but thought I'd add my opinion on it.

For footwork, there certainly are a whole bunch of different "ways" to position the feet to aid an attack with your weapon. They all work really well, or they would've been abandoned and never taught. So just use them all, and keep adding to your list as you discover or are taught new ones. You'll find, I think, that the science behind most of them is near identical to those of other arts.

Obviously this means more practice. But so what? Of course it's good to have options, and the more practice you do, the better you'll get. Nobody will argue with that, although you have to make sure you're doing it correctly. The popular phrase "Practice makes perfect" isn't true if you're doing it wrong (balance suffers, flow, hard to switch, you won't get the full benefit, etc.). Too much repetition with incorrect technique, and the phrase might very well become "Practice makes permanent" as you struggle to undo what you've drilled into yourself... It's much easier to learn it at first than to try correcting it later.

And now... Don't ever quote these, but I thought it would be fun to try and define those different terms. This is purely my opinion on their meanings:

SLICE - I see a slice being far more controlled, measured, accurate. A clean cut. I get inspiration from prepping vegetables in the kitchen for this definition...
CHOP - Chop would seem to me to be more wildly swung, far more muscle or tendon power involved than with a slice and therefore possibly severing, as I imagine a chop to bite very deeply. Bill's chopping wood metaphor was ideal, I think.
HACK - I like this word. It wasn't on your list, but I added it because it seems to fit. A hack to me sounds like a deep, wild, almost messily applied cut... pulled, not followed through. The word brings to my mind visions of berserker flurries... Sort of what you'd get if you tried to do as many cuts to a pell as possible, inside of ten seconds or something...
SLASH - Original Guns 'n' Roses guitarist. I see a slash as more of a followed through, but not overly deep cut. Across the surface, so to speak. I also imagine a slash as comparatively quick, and at a general area rather than a specific point.
CUT - The general term for all types of edge offense.

I get these ideas from the words themselves, so although I did put a small amount of thought into them, it really wasn't that much. What do you some of you other guys think? Give it a go, it is kinda fun...

[Björn Kronisch]

Well, I don't know, I was under the impression that those terms are used at least semi-officially. I've stumbled across the term "chopping" in several reviews on this site, in contrast to cutting. And I've often read about "slicing" in combination with curved swords. Would a drawcut classify as slicing?

I understand "hacking" or "chopping" as a straight movement of the blade through the target, while another form of cutting (whatever you might call it) involves a more circular motion. A slight arc in the swing, I would say.

However, thank you both for your attempt to get the terms straight. It's already getting a bit clearer. I guess that the terms often are used with only a vague, implicit meaning attached to them.

You're of course right, Bill, without referring to a certain style asking about the footwork is a far too open question. So far I've only tried to get something out of Talhoffer, which is not easy. I can't find find any clear instructions on footwork or cutting technique there.
Which source would you recommend for 1.) the longsword, 2.) single-handed swords, 3.) two-handed axes (probably not much besides "Le jeu de la hache") ?

[Bill Grandy]

[Björn Kronisch]

I see, so with Talhoffer I chose the wrong starting point. Regarding the language German would not be a problem since it's my mother tongue. Apart from that it has to be English because I can't read Italian and only have rudimentary knowledge of French. My Norwegian wouldn't help either of course.

[Bill Grandy]

If you read German, then you have a huge amount of sources. Dierk Hagadorn has done a number of transcriptions of some very valuable texts:

http://www.hammaborg.de/en/transkriptionen/start.php

I highly recommend starting with Codex 44 A 8 (the so called "von Danzig" manuscript) as it will give you a very good overview of the system. It is also available in published format by Dierk Hagadorn in both the original text as well as adapted to modern German.