Yesterday I completed a read-through of Meyer’s dusack book from his 1970 work. I got a lot out of the reading which was mostly done over the holiday break. I continue to be awestruck at just how much of a bridge Meyer creates between time, history, countries, and sword designs. Meyer looks at the dusack as a fundamental set of skills which applies to all one-handed sword. I may never fully believe that, but I saw it more than ever in this reading. In the last few years, I have been branching out and cross pollinating with other swordsmen. I now know more about higher renaissance Italian rapier and late saber techniques. I know more about medieval one-handed sword. As a result, I’m finding that Meyer’s dusack teachings synthesize and depict so much of the larger picture than I ever before realized.
I don’t think I noticed this earlier in my journey because to see the whole picture you have to read all of the devices in the book. It is true that Meyer depicts a limited and small number of guards and techniques at the start of the book. However, upon reading the devices it becomes clear that Meyer advocates a wealth of additional guards and techniques. He references many of the teachings from his longsword book that must be read to be fully understood. He depicts many things common to evolving Italian methods that a reader would not catch if they did not have a dual vantage point. It is the synthesis of the old sword traditions with the new emerging ones that makes Meyer’s take on the dusack so exciting. He gives the reader a license to do whatever works without placing rigid restrictions on movement that become common later in fencing schools.
Meyer understands:
- That it is OK for your left foot to be forward sometimes.
- Sometimes you should pull the cuts from head level, sometimes they pass through.
- You can deceitfully stab in all kinds of crazy ways.
- You can be really bossy with cuts.
- You can turn cuts into thrusts and thrusts into cuts.
- If you have a free hand you should do stuff with it.
- You can apply medieval sword techniques in so many ways.
- You can apply fancy emerging civilian sword techniques in so many ways.
- Stressing the importance of tactics with the techniques (for example: teaching provoker, taker, hitter concepts.)
What is great is that Meyer teaches when these things will work and when they won’t. It feels like an everything and the kitchen sink foundation with explanations of how to build your own martial art based on what works for you. This is, again, why I love Meyer. You can hear what he has to say and really draw from it what you need to be your own kind of fighter. He does not boss you around rigidly. He teaches you useful drills and ways to train. He teaches tactics, strategy, techniques, and mindset. He covers a lot of material. And he does not over “systemize” the martial art. It’s a pragmatic teaching of fundamental one-handed sword in about as holistic a form as I have ever seen. Meyer embraces so much of the art at once that any “systemized sword school” is sure to have an embarrassing fault that Meyer has a recipe for exploiting. In fact I would say that Meyer reads like a cook book for how to embarrass other fencing schools. If you understand Meyer’s unique background and historical backdrop then I’m sure this comes as no surprise. The man has been around the block.
I have put together a dusack curriculum based on my findings. I’m really excited to present it to everyone at our future practices.