Prellhauw

Rebound Strike

A secondary strike using the flat of the blade and rebounding around to a cut to the opposite opening.

Execution

The prellhauw is described as a specific set of striking actions using the flat, however the use of the flat in the same way throughout the text leads one to suspect that any strike with the flat which then rebounds around to cut to an opposite opening could fairly be called a prellhauw.

The canonical description of the prellhauw, however, is thus:

"This one is twofold, one the single, the other one named the double. The single is made thus: when your adversary strikes at you from above, meet his strike with a Zwerch, as soon as it connects, twitch the sword around the head, and strike from your left with the outward flat towards his ear, as shown by the large figures on the right hand side of Illustration K, so that the sword bounces back again, thus twitch it during the rebounding swing back around the head again, strike with the Zwerch towards the left, thus it is completed."

There are two fencers, P1 and P2. P2 will perform the prellhauw:

• P1 and P2 both stand in Vom tag, both left foot forward.
• P1 will strike with a Passing Step oberhauw or zornhauw against P2
• P2, with a Passing Step backward brings the sword around in a zwerch (strike #1 in the image)
• P2 as soon as the sword connects bring it around and Glide Step out to the forward left, striking around with a backhanded strike with the flat to the right side of the opponent’s head as seen in the illustration (strike #2 in the image)
• The blade bounces of and P2 steps out to the right and strikes again with a zwerch to P1's left ear (strike #3 in the image)

Notes

We can extrapolate the prellhauw as being any movement striking with the flat and bouncing around to cut to the other opening, and this kind of technique appears in numerous sections of Meyer's work. The flat is an excellent means of redirecting the strikes of an opponent or of harassing them. The extended contact and the bending and springing of the blade provides additional rebound force, and also imparts more impulse on the opponent's blade to force it aside.

Using the prellhauw version of an Oberhauw we can use it as a generic parry and cut to the opposite opening.

Applications

In which the 'student' demonstrates their knowledge to the 'teacher' of the flat strike and rebound in the Prellhauw.

Application 1: Prellhauw with Rinde (rounds/loops)

In this application the cut is being used as a Taker with the initial Zwerch in the Onset.

Teacher	Student
Vom tag, left leg forward	Ochs, right leg forward
Passing Step forward and right, cut a Zornhauw to the upper left opening.	Passing Step forward and meet his strike with a Zwerch, parrying it
	Side Step left, using the momentum from the parry to loop (Rinde) overhead to strike with the outside flat to his upper right opening.
	Passing Step] out to the right, Zwerch to the teacher's left ear.
	Withdraw (Abzug) with a defensive high cut or a guard.