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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. ;)
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 :)
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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