Cold Steel: Fighting with The Saber & Cutlass, with Anthony DeLongis - Lesson 9: Types of Cuts

TYPES of CUTS: “Combative WHY”: it is important to develop a variety of cuts and know when to use each in order to most efficiently bring the cutting edges to the target of opportunity. Cuts may come from the shoulder, the elbow, and from the wrist & fingers.   SHOULDER CUT: The cut from the shoulder is the widest action. It is the most powerful and has the potential to inflict the most damage. It is sometime referred to as “loading up.” This action requires extra time and is therefore the slowest and most potential dangerous to execute. The shoulder cut is made with the top third of the blade and is most suitable as a finishing blow when you’ve created a big opening in your opponent’s defenses. It is often made at the point of percussion or “sweet spot” where you can put as much blade on the target as possible throughout the stroke. But “loaded” shoulder cuts are easily detected by the adversary, and thus expose the swordsman to counteroffensive actions. Shoulder cuts are better suited to the broadsword where you need the additional power to penetrate armor. ** At closer ranges, can add power and create a balanced base by dropping your weight and turning the hips to direct the path of the blow.   “SNAP” or Wrist CUT: “Snap” Cuts from fingers & wrist are made with a squeeze of the grip to produce a compression strike. They are fast and most effectively utilized when only a small opening has been created. It is useful against exposed targets such as the thumb, fingers, wrist, forearm and face. It will not penetrate heavy clothing to cut the flesh beneath but they can stun and paralyze the opponent for an instant when directed to sensitive targets such as the forearm, shin & kneecap. The “snap” cut is the weakest, and the least damaging of the cuts and is best used as a harassment or distraction to upset an opponent’s rhythm and create an opportunity to set up a more powerful blow.   PUSH CUTS / DRAW CUTS The “snap”cut is strengthened by combining the squeeze of the hand with a simultaneous forward extension or backwards retraction movement of the arm A forward action makes this a  push cut  and a backwards action a draw cut. Both actions add power to the cut and put more blade on the target for a longer time to offer a greater chance of effectively slicing through both clothing and flesh.   ELBOW & WRIST “Drawing” CUTS: In this system, the most effective cuts are delivered from the elbow and wrist because they offer the best balance between speed and power. The arm extends vigorously to place the edge of the blade on the selected target area and the cut is made by the simultaneous squeeze of the grip and rotation of the wrist and hand as you return the blade back towards your guard position.  Cuts from the elbow are delivered with the final 6 inches of the blade to maintain the greatest distance from your adversary. Remember, if he’s in range, so are you.   POLISH or “Raking” CUT (like the Italian rapier technique of stramazione – a tearing cut with the point) utilizes the tip of the sabre to rip or tear areas of exposed flesh. It is delivered with the flat of the blade and the tip of the point instead of the true cutting edge.   BACK OR FALSE EDGE CUTS Especially effective as a counter-attack or riposte after a successful parry because the weapon is already inside the opponent’s guard. Can also be an effective immediate reversal of direction if the initial attack fails or if the initial attack has been utilized as a feint to create an opening in your opponent’s defense.   “THE WRAP” employs a backwards circling action around the opponent’s parry and utilizes either the false edge or even the unsharpened spine of the sabre when employed at close range. It is especially effective to hit behind the head around his lateral defense when he attempts to parry the high inside line. The technique is unexpected and can be employed in a variety of situations, especially at close range when the opponent’s blade is controlled by the checking hand or companion weapon.