Peter Falkners Staff Plays

From the Ms. KK5012

Translated by Harry, FSV.

Note what I say:1

With the staff be swift, wind and lift-up2,
fence and lay3 low, remember to plunge4
in. Make five strikes5 with with falling-over
and winding out. Learn to seek strike and
thrust. That is the text that follows.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

In the original langauge, this rhymes. Its a kind of general teaching

to apply to the rest of the following text.
Lift their guard with the end of the staff to make an opening for a
thrust, as in pollax.
Leger. This is talking about the fighting stance.
As after the lifting-up.
In blossfechten the five strikes are seen as encompassing all ways to
strike. We are being told to seek further plays from the strikes after a
binding.

If you want to become virtuous,1 you

should practise the four bindings.
When you lay before him in the
change-strike2 and he runs in at you with
one end of his staff up from below at your
chest, run in against him with the end of
your staff. If he then strikes high with the
other end, strike also with your other end
so he cant harm you.

1.
2.

Zuchtlich - something about a pedigree or being cultured.

Wechselhau - a strike has been made and you are changing to
another one. There is an opening for him to attack.

Another device called the over-running:1

When he binds-on to your staff, drop the
end in over his right shoulder on to his
neck. If he tries to parry you with the other
end of his staff, then quickly strike him in
the head with the other end of your staff or
thrust it into his chest.

1.

Uberlauffen literally overflowing - there is a sense of

overwhelming the opponent, as being crowded and dominated.

Another device at wide distance:1

If he drives a strike or thrust at your face
or chest, then parry it, and make a thrust
or strike back at his head2 or at his leg.

1.
2.

Literally Wide from the man - could mean absolute distance

between fencers or a manner of striking.
Koph. Strangely it is spelled differently here.

Note yet another device when you and he

come quickly into a high bind:
Grasp his staff against yours and push
them together on his fingers so he must let
go of the staff. This is called clamping.1

1.

Kloben

Another device called winding-over1 with

both points:
When someone drops the end of their staff
in on your neck, you should wind the other
end outside.2 If he brings the other end
around to drop it on the other side of your
neck, interrupt3 him with a thrust between
his hands against his neck or face.

1.
2.
3.

Uber winden
Au winden - appears in dagger and elsewhere.
la nitt - this seems to be similar to the first play.

Note this is a very good staff device called

running-under:1
When you both have a staff and he then
strikes at your thigh or your body, run with
the back end from below-right at the
incoming strike. Throw your left arm up
over his chest and your left leg behind his
so you throw him backwards.

1.

Underlauffen - It seems very similar to durchlauffen in blossfechten.